колкото и да

No Matter How Much

Level 5Sounds Like kolkoto i da

Колкото и да се опитвам, не мога. (However hard I try, I can't.) The effort, however great, does not change the result.

How It Works

1. The pattern. Колкото и да + verb, then a comma and the main clause:

  • Колкото и да бързахме, пак закъсняхме. (However much we hurried, we were still late.)
  • Колкото и да е трудно, ще продължим. (However hard it is, we will go on.)

2. Words in the middle. To say however much money or however long, put the word between колкото и and да: Колкото и пари да има, все не му стигат (However much money he has, it is never enough). Колкото и дълго да чакаме... (However long we wait...).

3. Tense after да. Да is never followed by ще, even when the meaning is future. A present form such as колкото и да се опитвам works for now and for the future. For a single future event, use the perfective present (see the perfective present): Колкото и да закъснееш, ще те чакам (However late you are, I will wait for you). For the past, use a past form: колкото и да бързахме.

4. Keep the и. Without и, колкото да means something else: just enough to or only to, as in Дойде колкото да се покаже (He came just to show his face).

5. The same family. The pattern works with other question words too: който и да (whoever), каквото и да (whatever), където и да (wherever). It is close in meaning to дори и да (even if) and въпреки че (although).

Examples (5)

  1. Колкото и да се опитвам, не мога да го разбера.

    However hard I try, I can't understand him.

  2. Колкото и да бързахме, пак закъсняхме.

    However much we hurried, we were still late.

  3. Колкото и да е трудно, ще продължим.

    However hard it is, we will keep going.

  4. Колкото и пари да има, все не му стигат.

    However much money he has, it is never enough for him.

    The noun пари sits between колкото и and да.

  5. Колкото и да закъснееш, ще те чакам.

    However late you are, I will wait for you.

    The perfective present закъснееш refers to the future.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting ще after да.

    Колкото и да ще се опитвам, няма да успея.
    Колкото и да се опитвам, няма да успея.

    Да is never followed by ще. Use the present form after да, even when the meaning is future.

  • Leaving out и.

    Колкото да се опитвам, не мога.
    Колкото и да се опитвам, не мога.

    Колкото и да means however much. Колкото да means just enough to, so without и the sentence loses its meaning.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

колкото и даLevel 5No Matter How Much

Learn This First

No matter how much builds on и да forms.

Words in This Pattern

колкото