Español — Concession connectors
In Spanish you concede one fact and set an opposing one against it with connectors such as aunque, a pesar de (que), pese a (que), sin embargo, no obstante and aun así. After aunque, choosing the indicative or the subjunctive shifts the nuance.
How it works
The subordinators aunque, a pesar de que and pese a que introduce the conceded fact and take either the indicative or the subjunctive. With the indicative the fact is real and known: Aunque llueve, salgo. With the subjunctive it is hypothetical, unknown or merely granted: Aunque llueva, saldré.
Connectors and examples
| Connector | Example | Use |
|---|---|---|
| aunque (+ indicativo) | Aunque llueve, salgo. | Concedes a real, known fact (indicative). |
| aunque (+ subjuntivo) | Aunque llueva, saldré. | Concedes a hypothetical or uncertain fact (subjunctive). |
| a pesar de (que) | A pesar de que estaba cansado, siguió. | 'Despite (that)'; takes a noun or a clause. |
| pese a (que) | Pese a que llovía, jugaron. | 'In spite of (that)'; more formal synonym. |
| sin embargo | Es caro; sin embargo, lo compré. | 'However'; joins two independent sentences. |
| no obstante | No obstante, insistió. | 'Nonetheless'; formal, like sin embargo. |
| aun así | Estaba enfermo; aun así, vino. | 'Even so'; concedes despite the previous statement. |
Good to know
Unlike aunque, the connectors sin embargo, no obstante and aun así are adverbs, not subordinating conjunctions: they link two independent sentences, are set off by a comma and never govern the subjunctive — Es tarde; sin embargo, seguimos. Don't use aunque where you need this sentence-linking sin embargo.