Learn Russian: Несмотря на то, что наша ферма маленькая, мы получаем хороший урожай. - Despite the fact that our farm is small, we get a good harvest.

Несмотря на то, что наша ферма маленькая, мы получаем хороший урожай.

Despite the fact that our farm is small, we get a good harvest.

Breakdown of Несмотря на то, что наша ферма маленькая, мы получаем хороший урожай.

Questions & Answers about Несмотря на то, что наша ферма маленькая, мы получаем хороший урожай.

How exactly does the phrase несмотря на то, что break down?

It literally translates to 'not looking at that, that.' The word несмотря comes from не (not) and a form of the verb смотреть (to look). На то means 'at that', pointing to the fact, and что introduces the fact itself. Together, they create the set phrase for 'despite the fact that'.

Why is there a comma before что inside this conjunction?

In Russian, the word что almost always requires a comma before it when it introduces a dependent clause. Even though несмотря на то, что acts as a single conceptual phrase, the comma is required to separate the pointing word то from the actual fact being stated.

Why do we use the imperfective verb получаем here instead of a perfective verb?

The sentence is stating a general, ongoing fact about the farm: we consistently get a good harvest. Because this describes a regular or repeated state rather than a single, completed event, the imperfective aspect is required.

What case is хороший урожай in, and why didn't its ending change?

It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb получаем (we get). Because урожай (harvest) is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form and the adjective хороший attached to it look exactly the same as they do in the nominative (dictionary) case.