Breakdown of Несмотря на то, что здесь засуха, мы сеем пшеницу на ферме.
здесь
here
мы
we
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
несмотря на то, что
despite the fact that
ферма
farm
засуха
drought
пшеница
wheat
сеять
to sow
Questions & Answers about Несмотря на то, что здесь засуха, мы сеем пшеницу на ферме.
Why do we need то, что in this sentence? Couldn't we just say несмотря на здесь засуха?
In Russian, the phrase несмотря на (despite) is a preposition, so it must be followed directly by a noun or a pronoun. Because здесь засуха is a full clause (a mini-sentence), we have to use то, что (the fact that) as a bridge. If you wanted to drop the extra words and just use the noun, you would say несмотря на засуху (despite the drought).
Where do the commas go when using несмотря на то, что?
When this conjunction starts a sentence, the standard punctuation is to place a comma right before что. You also need a second comma at the end of that dependent clause (after засуха) to separate it from the main action of the sentence (мы сеем).
What is the infinitive of the verb сеем, and how does it conjugate?
The infinitive is сеять (to sow/plant). It is a first-conjugation verb, but verbs ending in -ять can be easy to forget. You drop the -ять and add the endings to the stem се-: я сею, ты сеешь, он/она сеет, мы сеем, вы сеете, они сеют.
Why do we use the preposition на in на ферме instead of в?
The word ферма (farm) pairs with the preposition на because it is historically treated as an open agricultural area or territory, rather than an enclosed building. This matches the English logic of saying "on the farm" rather than "in the farm."
Why is there no verb for "is" or "there is" in the phrase здесь засуха?
As a quick refresher from earlier levels, Russian almost always omits the present tense of the verb "to be" (быть). To say "there is a drought here," you simply place the subject and location together: здесь (here) засуха (drought).
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