Word
Что бы ни происходило, мы не отворачиваемся друг от друга.
Meaning
Whatever was going on, we do not turn away from each other.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Что бы ни происходило, мы не отворачиваемся друг от друга.
Why is происходило in the past tense when the second half of the sentence (не отворачиваемся) is in the present tense?
In Russian, universal concessive clauses (expressions meaning 'no matter what', 'whoever', 'wherever') use the particle бы + ни + the past tense of the verb, regardless of when the action actually happens. Even though it expresses a general truth or ongoing situation ('Whatever is going on'), the grammar requires the past tense происходило because it works together with the conditional particle бы.
Could I use не instead of ни here, like Что бы не происходило?
No, you must use ни. While it sounds identical to не when spoken rapidly, the structure [question word] + бы ни + [past tense verb] is a fixed grammatical pattern for 'no matter [what/who/where]'. Using не would change it to a regular negative conditional ('Whatever didn't happen'), which breaks the intended meaning here.
Why use the imperfective verb происходило instead of the perfective произошло?
The imperfective происходило emphasizes the ongoing or recurring nature of the events ('whatever might be going on'). If you used the perfective произошло, it would focus on a single, completed result ('whatever has happened'). Both are grammatically fine, but the imperfective pairs naturally with the continuous, present-tense habit of не отворачиваемся.
Why does the preposition go in the middle of instead of before it?