Breakdown of Из-за кризиса индустрия страдает. Тем не менее экологичный дизайн остаётся актуальным.
дизайн
the design
кризис
the crisis (m)
из-за
because of; from behind
оставаться
to stay / to remain (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Из-за кризиса индустрия страдает. Тем не менее экологичный дизайн остаётся актуальным.
What exactly does тем не менее mean literally, and how is it used here?
It means "nevertheless" or "even so." Literally, it translates to "by that no less" (тем is the instrumental case of то, and менее means "less"). It is used here as a discourse marker of contrast, showing that the eco-friendly trend continues despite the negative effects of the crisis.
Why isn't there a comma after Тем не менее?
In English, we almost always put a comma after "nevertheless" at the start of a sentence. However, in Russian, тем не менее functions as a conjunction or particle and is standardly not followed by a comma.
Why is the word актуальным in the instrumental case?
The verb оставаться (to remain) triggers the instrumental case for the condition or state that someone or something remains in. Since дизайн is masculine, the adjective актуальный takes the masculine instrumental ending, becoming актуальным.
Could we use благодаря instead of из-за for "because of" in the first sentence?
No. Из-за is used for negative or neutral causes, which fits perfectly here since the industry is suffering (страдает). Благодаря takes the dative case and literally means "thanks to," so it is reserved for positive outcomes.