annak ellenére, hogy
Although / Despite
Use annak ellenére, hogy to connect two ideas where the second fact should logically prevent the first, but doesn't. It is the emphatic equivalent of 'although'.
How It Works
The expression annak ellenére, hogy is a standard, neutral way to express concession in Hungarian. It is more emphatic than the simple conjunction bár, but unlike the highly formal or somewhat archaic synonyms jóllehet and ámbár, it is widely used in everyday speech and writing.
1. Structural Breakdown:
- Annak: The distal demonstrative az in the dative case. It takes the dative here because of a broader Hungarian rule where demonstrative pronouns acting as possessors must take the dative case (while regular noun complements before ellenére take the nominative).
- Ellenére: This is a lexicalized form meaning 'in spite of it'. It consists of the root ellen (against), the third-person singular possessive suffix -e (which lengthens to -é before the case suffix due to stem-final vowel lengthening), and the sublative case suffix -re. In the conjunction pattern annak ellenére, hogy, this form is fixed in the third-person singular.
- Hogy: The subordinating conjunction 'that'.
2. Usage, Punctuation, and Mood:
In Hungarian, a comma is mandatory before the word hogy. Additionally, unlike in many Romance languages where concessive clauses often require the subjunctive, the verb in the hogy-clause following annak ellenére, hogy takes the standard indicative mood (unless a hypothetical meaning specifically requires the conditional). The phrase can appear at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle. When kept together at the beginning of a sentence (the default structure), it looks like this: Annak ellenére, hogy esett az eső, elmentem sétálni. (Despite the fact that it was raining, I went for a walk.)
3. Clause Splitting (Cataphora):
The phrase can be split across the sentence. Annak ellenére can act as a placeholder in the main clause, while the hogy-clause follows later. For example: Annak ellenére elmentem sétálni, hogy esett az eső. (I went for a walk despite the fact that it was raining.)
4. Annak vs. Ennek:
Learners often confuse annak ellenére, hogy... with ennek ellenére. While annak ellenére, hogy... introduces a new subordinate clause, ennek ellenére (despite this) is used as a sentence connector to refer back to something already mentioned in a previous sentence.
Examples (4)
- Annak ellenére, hogy esett az eső, a fiúk tovább fociztak.
Despite the fact that it was raining, the boys continued to play soccer.
Word by Word: That despite, that fell the rain, the boys further played-soccer.
Here, the concessive clause comes first to emphasize the rain.
- Elmentem dolgozni annak ellenére, hogy nem éreztem jól magam.
I went to work despite the fact that I didn't feel well.
Word by Word: I-went to-work that despite, that not I-felt well myself.
The main action (going to work) is stated first, followed by the contradicting fact.
- Annak ellenére, hogy a magyar nehéz nyelv, sokan tanulják.
Although Hungarian is a difficult language, many people study it.
Word by Word: That despite, that the Hungarian difficult language, many study-it.
Note the use of the definite conjugation (tanulják) because the language is the implied definite object.
- Sikerült a vizsgám annak ellenére, hogy keveset tanultam.
I succeeded in my exam despite the fact that I studied little.
Word by Word: Succeeded the exam-my that despite, that little I-studied.
This highlights the unexpected success relative to the effort put in.
Common Mistakes
Omitting the word 'annak'.
Ellenére, hogy fáradt vagyok, olvasok.Annak ellenére, hogy fáradt vagyok, olvasok.In English, we can say 'Despite that...', but in Hungarian, the demonstrative 'annak' is a required structural anchor for the 'hogy' clause.
Confusing 'annak ellenére' with 'ennek ellenére'.
Ennek ellenére, hogy hideg van, kimegyek.Annak ellenére, hogy hideg van, kimegyek.'Ennek ellenére' means 'despite this' and refers to a previous sentence. When followed by a 'hogy' clause, 'annak' is the standard form.
Forgetting the comma before 'hogy'.
Annak ellenére hogy siettem, elkéstem.Annak ellenére, hogy siettem, elkéstem.Hungarian grammar strictly requires a comma before the conjunction 'hogy'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'annak ellenére, hogy', you need to recognize that it is a correlative construction. It uses the dative-cased demonstrative 'annak' to point forward to a subordinate clause introduced by 'hogy'. Familiarity with dative case endings and how 'hogy' functions to link clauses is essential.
- -nak/-nekTo / for
The word 'annak' is the dative form of the demonstrative 'az', which is a core component of this construction.
Level 1 - hogy (tárgyi mellékmondat)That-Clauses
This pattern uses a 'hogy' clause to introduce the subordinate concessive statement.
Level 3 - Case Agreement on Demonstratives
Understanding how the demonstrative 'az' changes to 'annak' when a suffix is added is necessary to recognize the first part of the expression.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- bár / nohaAlthough
These are simpler, less emphatic ways to say 'although' or 'even though'.
Level 4 - anélkül, hogyWithout Doing
Another common correlative construction meaning 'without [doing something]'.
Level 4 - ahelyett, hogyInstead of Doing
A similar correlative structure meaning 'instead of [doing something]'.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice annak ellenére, hogy in Bubblegum
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