колку и да
No Matter How Much
Колку и да = however much, no matter how: Колку и да се трудам, не успевам. (No matter how hard I try, I don't succeed.) The main clause says what happens anyway.
How It Works
No matter how much. The колку и да clause names an amount or a degree, and the main clause says that the result does not change: Колку и да јаде, секогаш е гладен. (However much he eats, he is always hungry.) The main clause can add сепак (still) for emphasis.
Verb forms after да.
- present, for now, habits and the future: Колку и да се трудам, не успевам. Колку и да чини, ќе го купам. (However much it costs, I will buy it.)
- imperfect, for the past: Колку и да беше уморна, ја заврши работата. (However tired she was, she finished the job.)
As after every да, the aorist is not used here. Не and short pronouns go between да and the verb: колку и да го молев.
Keep the и. Grammars and careful writing use колку и да. In casual speech you will also hear it without и: колку да се трудам, не успевам. On its own, колку да can also mean "just enough to": Јаде колку да преживее. (He eats just enough to survive.)
The same family. И да after other question words gives whoever, whatever and wherever; see кој и да, што и да and каде и да. For "even if", see дури и да. When the колку и да clause comes first, a comma follows it.
Examples (6)
- Колку и да се трудам, не успевам.
No matter how hard I try, I don't succeed.
Word by Word: How-much and to myself I-try, not I-succeed.
- Колку и да е тешко, ќе продолжам.
However hard it is, I will keep going.
Word by Word: How-much and to is hard, will I-continue.
- Колку и да чини, ќе го купам.
However much it costs, I will buy it.
Word by Word: How-much and to costs, will it I-buy.
- Колку и да јаде, секогаш е гладен.
However much he eats, he is always hungry.
Word by Word: How-much and to eats, always is hungry.
- Колку и да го молев, не сакаше да дојде.
However much I begged him, he didn't want to come.
Word by Word: How-much and to him I-begged, not wanted to come.
In the past, the verb after да is in the imperfect: молев.
- Колку и да беше уморна, ја заврши работата.
However tired she was, she finished the job.
Word by Word: How-much and to was tired, it finished work-the.
Common Mistakes
Using the aorist after да.
Колку и да се трудив, не успеав.Колку и да се трудев, не успеав.Трудив is the aorist, and да is never followed by the aorist. For the past, use the imperfect: се трудев.
Putting the short pronoun after the verb.
Колку и да молев го, не сакаше да дојде.Колку и да го молев, не сакаше да дојде.Short pronouns come before a verb with a person ending, right after да: да го молев.
How It Connects
Learn This First
No matter how much combines и да and колку.
Related Patterns
- дури и / дури и даEven and Even if
Дури и да (even if) is another clause that does not change the result.
Level 4 - иакоAlthough
Иако (although) states one real fact; колку и да covers any amount.
Level 3 - The Imperfect Past
The imperfect is the past form used after колку и да.
Level 2 - да / ќе / ако + Perfective VerbPerfective Verbs After Да Ќе and Ако
Explains which verb forms can follow да.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
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