# Concessive Clauses: aunque, a pesar de que, por más que

https://langs123.com/en/spanish/oracion/concesivas/
CEFR B2–C2 · 2026-10-19 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> A concessive clause admits an obstacle without changing the result: aunque, a pesar de que and por más que. With the indicative, aunque gives new information; with the subjunctive, a known fact or a possibility: Aunque está lloviendo, voy a correr. Aunque esté lloviendo, voy a correr.

## Cheatsheet

| Point | Rule | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Aunque with the indicative | a real fact or new information | Aunque me duele la cabeza, voy a trabajar. | Even though my head hurts, I'm going to work. |
| Aunque with the present subjunctive | a known fact that does not matter, or a possibility | Aunque esté lloviendo, voy a correr. / Aunque me lo pidas mil veces, no lo haré. | Even if it's raining, I'm going to run. / Even if you ask me a thousand times, I won't do it. |
| Aunque with the imperfect subjunctive | a hypothesis, with the conditional in the main clause | Aunque me lo pidieras mil veces, no lo haría. | Even if you asked me a thousand times, I wouldn't do it. |
| Other linkers | a pesar de que and por más que take the indicative or the subjunctive | Por más que lo intenté, no pude abrirla. / Por más que lo intente, no podrá abrirla. | However hard I tried, I couldn't open it. / However hard he tries, he won't be able to open it. |
| With si | incluso si and tanto si … como si take the indicative | Tanto si llueve como si no, saldremos. | Whether it rains or not, we'll go out. |
| Reduplicated | the verb repeats in the subjunctive with a relative word | Pase lo que pase, te ayudaré. | Whatever happens, I'll help you. |
| Formal linkers | si bien and aun cuando introduce an obstacle in formal language | Si bien lo sabía, no dijo nada. | Although he knew it, he said nothing. |
| Emphatic | con lo que with the indicative stresses the amount | Con lo que llueve, ¿vas a salir? | With all this rain, are you going out? |
| Así with the subjunctive | así with the subjunctive means the same as aunque in informal speech | No lo vendo, así me ofrezcan un millón. | I won't sell it, even if they offer me a million. |
| Correlative | two options in the subjunctive: it does not matter which one is chosen | Que lo diga o que lo calle, me da igual. | Whether he says it or keeps quiet, I don't care. |
| Trap | aunque already contrasts: it takes no pero | Aunque llueve, salgo. | Although it's raining, I go out. |

## Overview

- A concessive clause names an obstacle that does not stop the action of the main clause. Aunque estoy cansada, salgo con mis amigos. — Although I'm tired, I go out with my friends.
- Either part can come first; a comma follows the concessive clause when it opens the sentence. Aunque llueve, salgo. / Salgo aunque llueve. — Although it's raining, I go out. / I go out although it's raining.
- aunque as a linker of contrast: Linkers; the condition with si: Conditional Sentences.
- The subjunctive forms: Present Subjunctive: Forms and Imperfect Subjunctive.

## Aunque with the indicative and the subjunctive

| Mood | Use | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| indicative | a real fact; new information for the listener | Aunque me duele la cabeza, voy a trabajar. / Aunque está lloviendo, voy a correr. | Even though my head hurts, I'm going to work. / Although it's raining, I'm going to run. |
| present subjunctive | a known fact that does not matter | Aunque esté lloviendo, voy a correr. | Even if it's raining, I'm going to run. |
| perfect subjunctive | a past fact that is already known | Aunque te lo haya dicho Ana, no vayas. | Even though Ana has told you, don't go. |
| present subjunctive | a possibility in the future | Aunque me lo pidas mil veces, no lo haré. | Even if you ask me a thousand times, I won't do it. |
| imperfect subjunctive | an unlikely hypothesis | Aunque me lo pidieras mil veces, no lo haría. | Even if you asked me a thousand times, I wouldn't do it. |
| conditional | a hypothesis given as new information | Aunque viviría mejor allí, prefiero quedarme aquí. | Although I would live better there, I prefer to stay here. |

## Other linkers

| Linker | Mood | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| a pesar de que | indicative for a real fact; subjunctive for a possibility | A pesar de que me duele la cabeza, voy a trabajar. / A pesar de que no sea fácil, voy a intentarlo. | Although my head hurts, I'm going to work. / Even though it may not be easy, I'm going to try. |
| a pesar de | no conjugated verb: a noun or an infinitive | A pesar del frío, salimos. / A pesar de estar enfermo, fue a trabajar. | Despite the cold, we went out. / Despite being ill, he went to work. |
| por más que / por mucho que / por poco que | indicative for a real past fact; subjunctive for the present and the future | Por más que lo intenté, no pude abrirla. / Por más que lo intente, no podrá abrirla. | However hard I tried, I couldn't open it. / However hard he tries, he won't be able to open it. |
| por + muchos / pocos + noun + que | subjunctive for the present and the future | Por muchos libros que leas, no lo sabrás todo. | No matter how many books you read, you won't know everything. |
| por + muy + adjective + que | subjunctive for the present and the future | Por muy cansado que esté, vendrá. | However tired he is, he'll come. |
| y eso que | indicative; informal speech | Fue a trabajar, y eso que le dolía la cabeza. | He went to work, even though his head hurt. |
| aun si / aun cuando / incluso cuando | indicative or subjunctive | Salió a correr aun cuando llovía mucho. / Aun cuando llueva, saldremos. | He went out running even when it was raining hard. / Even when it rains, we'll go out. |
| si bien | indicative; formal language | Si bien lo sabía, no dijo nada. | Although he knew it, he said nothing. |
| incluso si / ni siquiera si | imperfect subjunctive for a hypothesis | Incluso si me lo pidiera, no iría. / Ni siquiera si me lo pidiera, se lo diría. | Even if he asked me, I wouldn't go. / Not even if he asked me would I tell him. |
| así | subjunctive; informal speech | No lo vendo, así me ofrezcan un millón. | I won't sell it, even if they offer me a million. |
| porque | subjunctive, for a cause that is not enough | Porque hables más fuerte, no tienes más razón. | Just because you speak louder, you're not more right. |
| por más que | subjunctive, with a firm refusal in the main clause | Por más que insistas, no pienso ir. | However much you insist, I'm not going. |
| a riesgo de que | subjunctive | A riesgo de que se enfade, voy a decírselo. | Even at the risk of making him angry, I'm going to tell him. |
| tan + adjective + como | indicative; with a tone of reproach | Tan cerca como vive y nunca nos visita. | He lives so close, and yet he never visits us. |

## Concessives and conditionals

| Pattern | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| incluso si + verb in the indicative | Incluso si llueve, saldremos. | Even if it rains, we'll go out. |
| tanto si + clause + como si + clause | Tanto si llueve como si no, saldremos. / Tanto si lo dices como si lo callas, ya lo sabe. | Whether it rains or not, we'll go out. / Whether you say it or keep quiet, he already knows. |

## Reduplicated concessives

| Pattern | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| subjunctive + lo que + subjunctive | Digan lo que digan, me voy. / Pase lo que pase, te ayudaré. | Whatever they say, I'm leaving. / Whatever happens, I'll help you. |
| subjunctive + quien / donde / cuando / como + subjunctive | Venga quien venga, no abras. / Vayas donde vayas, te encontraré. / Sea como sea, lo termino hoy. | Whoever comes, don't open the door. / Wherever you go, I'll find you. / One way or another, I'm finishing it today. |
| ya + subjunctive + ya + subjunctive | Ya llore, ya grite, no cambiaré de opinión. | Whether she cries or shouts, I won't change my mind. |
| que + subjunctive + o que + subjunctive | Que lo diga o que lo calle, me da igual. | Whether he says it or keeps quiet, I don't care. |

## Emphatic concessives

| Pattern | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| con lo que + verb in the indicative | Con lo que llueve, ¿vas a salir? / Con lo que estudió y suspendió el examen. | With all this rain, are you going out? / For all he studied, he still failed the exam. |
| con + el / la / lo + noun + que + clause | Con el frío que hace, sales sin abrigo. | With how cold it is, you go out without a coat. |
| con + la de + plural noun + que + clause | Con la de zapatos que tienes, te pones los rotos. | With all the shoes you have, you wear the broken ones. |

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aunque llueve, pero salgo. | Aunque llueve, salgo. | aunque already contrasts: it takes no pero |
| A pesar que me duele la cabeza, voy a trabajar. | A pesar de que me duele la cabeza, voy a trabajar. | a pesar de que takes de |
| Por mucho cansado que esté, vendrá. | Por muy cansado que esté, vendrá. | muy goes before an adjective |
| Pase lo que pasa, iré. | Pase lo que pase, iré. | the repeated verb is in the subjunctive both times |
| Con lo que llueva, ¿vas a salir? | Con lo que llueve, ¿vas a salir? | con lo que stresses a real fact: indicative |
| No lo vendo, así me ofrecen un millón. | No lo vendo, así me ofrezcan un millón. | así with a concessive meaning takes the subjunctive |