To express "no matter what," "no matter who," or "no matter where" in Russian—often to describe stubborn or frustrating situations—we use a specific grammatical structure.
The "No Matter" Structure
To form a "no matter [blank]" clause in the present or future tense, use this formula: [Question word] + ни + [Present or Future Verb]
Here, the particle ни does not make the sentence negative. When paired with a question word like что (what), it creates the meaning "no matter what" or "whatever."
| No matter what we say, it is in vain because of his stubbornness. | Что мы ни скажем, это напрасно из-за его упрямства. |
Declining the Pronouns
You can use almost any question word (except как). As in a normal question, the pronoun must take the correct case for its role in the sentence.
If the verb requires the dative case, кто becomes кому.
| No matter who he calls, he constantly reiterates his plan and does not agree with anyone. | Кому он ни звонит, он вечно твердит свой план, и ни с кем не соглашается. |
If the verb requires the accusative case, кто becomes кого.
| No matter who he meets, he constantly frowns. | Кого он ни встретит, он вечно хмурится. |
Wherever and Whichever
This pattern works perfectly with location and description words like где (where), куда (where to), какие (what kind of), or чей (whose).
| No matter where they work, they resist the rules, and it is pointless to argue with them. | Где они ни работают, они сопротивляются правилам, и спорить с ними бессмысленно. |
| No matter what facts we show, he categorically rejects them, it is in vain. | Какие факты мы ни показываем, он категорически их отвергает, это напрасно. |
| No matter where we go, she hopelessly frowns and keeps silent. | Куда мы ни пойдём, она безнадёжно хмурится и молчит. |
Resistance is Pointless
This pattern naturally describes futile efforts against someone who is resisting or when arguing is pointless (бессмысленно).
| No matter what is offered to the friends, they categorically reject any ideas. | Что друзьям ни предложат, они категорически отвергают любые идеи. |
| No matter whose project we choose, they are categorically against it. | Чей проект мы ни выберем, они категорически против. |