и покрај + Noun
Despite with a Noun
И покрај + noun = despite, in spite of: И покрај дождот, излеговме. (Despite the rain, we went out.)
How It Works
What can follow.
- a noun: и покрај дождот (despite the rain), и покрај сите проблеми (despite all the problems)
- тоа, for something already said: И покрај тоа, не се откажа. (Despite that, he did not give up.)
- сѐ: И покрај сѐ, среќна сум. (Despite everything, I am happy.)
Why и? Покрај on its own usually means "beside" or "besides": Седни покрај мене. (Sit beside me.) Adding и makes the meaning "despite" clear. You may still meet покрај alone with this meaning, but the form with и is more common.
Position. The phrase can start the sentence, followed by a comma, or come at the end: Излеговме и покрај дождот.
With a verb. Before a clause, use и покрај тоа што or иако: И покрај тоа што врнеше, излеговме.
Similar phrases. For a cause rather than an obstacle, use поради: Поради дождот, останавме дома. (Because of the rain, we stayed at home.) For "regardless of", see без оглед на.
Examples (5)
- И покрај дождот, излеговме на прошетка.
Despite the rain, we went out for a walk.
Word by Word: And beside rain-the, we-went-out on walk.
- Отиде на работа и покрај болката во грлото.
She went to work despite her sore throat.
Word by Word: Went to work and beside pain-the in throat-the.
- И покрај сите проблеми, фирмата успеа.
Despite all the problems, the company succeeded.
Word by Word: And beside all problems, firm-the succeeded.
- Му реков да не оди, но и покрај тоа, тој отиде.
I told him not to go, but he went anyway.
Word by Word: To-him I-said to not go, but and beside that, he went.
И покрај тоа points back to the first half of the sentence.
- И покрај сѐ, среќна сум.
Despite everything, I am happy.
Word by Word: And beside everything, happy I-am.
Среќна is feminine because the speaker is a woman.
Common Mistakes
Using иако before a noun.
Иако дождот, излеговме.И покрај дождот, излеговме.Иако must be followed by a clause with a verb. Before a noun, use и покрај.
Putting a verb directly after и покрај.
И покрај врнеше, излеговме.И покрај тоа што врнеше, излеговме.И покрај is followed by a noun. To add a clause with a verb, use и покрај тоа што.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Despite with a noun follows и покрај тоа што.
Related Patterns
- иакоAlthough
Иако says "although" before a clause, never before a plain noun.
Level 3 - поради / зарадиBecause of
Поради names a cause, while и покрај names an obstacle that was overcome.
Level 3 - без оглед наRegardless of
Без оглед на says "regardless of", another way to set an obstacle aside.
Level 5 - покрај / околу / меѓу / спротиBeside Around and Between
Покрај alone usually means "beside" or "besides".
Level 3