A concessive clause introduces an obstacle that does not prevent the main result: “although it is cold,” “even if it rains,” “no matter what happens.” Catalan uses mood to show how the speaker presents that obstacle. The indicative normally asserts it as part of the factual record; the subjunctive leaves it open or deliberately backgrounds its truth as irrelevant to the outcome.
That is why encara que does not mechanically “take the subjunctive.” The same connector can introduce different stances.
The core contrast with encara que
Compare an acknowledged fact with an open future possibility:
Encara que avui fa fred, dinarem a la terrassa.
Although it is cold today, we're going to have lunch on the terrace.
Encara que demà faci fred, dinarem a la terrassa.
Even if it is cold tomorrow, we're going to have lunch on the terrace.
In the first sentence, today's cold is asserted. In the second, tomorrow's temperature is not yet established, and the speaker says that either outcome will leave the plan unchanged. English can use “although” or “even if” to signal part of the difference, but its verb form does not consistently mark it.
| Meaning of the concessive clause | Usual mood | Example |
|---|---|---|
| fact explicitly acknowledged | indicative | Encara que és car, l'hem comprat. |
| open possibility | subjunctive | Encara que sigui car, el comprarem. |
| fact treated as beside the point | often subjunctive | Encara que sigui car, ens convé. |
| counterfactual or remote obstacle | imperfect subjunctive | Encara que fos barat, no el compraria. |
The third line matters. Subjunctive does not always mean that the speaker doubts the fact. A speaker may know that something is expensive and still use sigui to push that fact into the background: “expensive or not, it does not alter my conclusion.” The indicative foregrounds the obstacle as an assertion; the subjunctive can concede it without making it the point of the utterance.
Encara que estigui cansada, la Laia vol acabar l'informe avui.
Even though Laia is tired, she wants to finish the report today.
Here the tiredness may be perfectly real. The subjunctive presents it as a circumstance that the decision overrides. This stance-based use is why a simplistic “real equals indicative, unreal equals subjunctive” rule eventually fails.
Per més que and scalar concessions
Per més que and per molt que mean “however much,” “no matter how much,” or “even though.” They set an amount or degree against a result that remains unchanged. When the amount is open or immaterial, the subjunctive is standard and extremely common:
Per més que li ho expliquis, no canviarà d'opinió.
No matter how much you explain it to him, he won't change his mind.
Per molt que corris, no arribaràs abans que tanquin.
No matter how fast you run, you won't arrive before they close.
An indicative is possible when the speaker explicitly reports repeated, observable behavior: Per més que hi insisteix cada dia, ningú no li fa cas “Even though he keeps insisting every day, nobody pays attention to him.” The connector is the same; the assertion status changes.
Per bé que (formal) also introduces a concession, especially in careful prose. It commonly acknowledges a fact with the indicative, though the subjunctive is available when the circumstance is open or backgrounded. Si bé (formal) usually introduces a factual qualification and therefore strongly favors the indicative. Tot i que and malgrat que occur in ordinary contemporary writing and speech; they too allow mood to follow meaning rather than a memorized connector list.
Si bé el primer informe era incomplet, les dades noves confirmen la tendència.
Although the first report was incomplete, the new data confirm the trend.
Malgrat que no hi estiguis d'acord, necessito que escoltis la proposta sencera.
Even if you disagree, I need you to listen to the whole proposal.
Free-choice concessive frames
Catalan has productive patterns that mean “whatever,” “whoever,” or “however.” Because they deliberately leave the relevant value unrestricted, they use the subjunctive:
Sigui com sigui, avui hem de prendre una decisió.
Be that as it may, we have to make a decision today.
Passi el que passi, truca'm quan arribis.
Whatever happens, call me when you arrive.
Digui el que digui la direcció, nosaltres demanarem una explicació.
Whatever management says, we will ask for an explanation.
Vingui qui vingui, no obris la porta sense mirar per l'espiell.
Whoever comes, don't open the door without looking through the peephole.
The repeated form is meaningful: one occurrence introduces an unknown value and the other ranges over possible realizations—digui el que digui, literally “say what he/she may say.” These are not reports about what someone in fact says.
(informal) Costi el que costi “whatever it takes” and peti qui peti “come what may, regardless of the fallout” are common fixed expressions; the second is emphatic and unsuitable for neutral formal prose.
Time, viewpoint, and neighboring forms
The present subjunctive normally handles an open present or future obstacle. The imperfect subjunctive handles a remote hypothesis or a concession viewed from the past, while an indicative past asserts what happened:
Encara que va ploure tota la tarda, el concert es va fer a l'aire lliure.
Although it rained all afternoon, the concert was held outdoors.
Encara que plogués tota la tarda, faríem el concert a l'aire lliure.
Even if it rained all afternoon, we would hold the concert outdoors.
In the first sentence, va ploure and es va fer are periphrastic pasts. The auxiliary form of anar directly precedes the infinitive, without a. Va anar a veure el concert instead means “he/she went to see the concert”: anar a + infinitive expresses actual movement and purpose here, not the Catalan past.
The wider hypothetical pattern is developed under uses of the conditional.
Do not replace every simple verb with a progressive. Per més que practiquis concerns repeated effort in general. Per més que estiguis practicant focuses on an activity already in progress and is appropriate only when that ongoing viewpoint matters.
Perfect concession uses Catalan haver: Encara que hagi plogut, el camí ja és transitable. Spanish haya and constructions copied from Spanish do not belong in a Catalan paradigm.
Agreement, forms, and weak pronouns
The subjunctive agrees with its own subject: encara que jo no hi estigui, encara que vosaltres no hi estigueu, encara que ells no hi estiguin. In Central Catalan, stem-stressed present forms commonly end in -i: sigui, faci, plogui. Weak pronouns precede the finite verb, after the connector and after no: encara que no m'ho diguis, per més que se n'allunyin.
(regional: Valencian) Standard forms include siga com siga, faça el que faça and encara que ploga. They express the same mood distinctions as Central sigui, faci, and plogui. Mixing siga with an otherwise Central paradigm is not necessary, but neither regional series is more grammatical than the other.
Mini-dialogue: keeping the booking
—Han anunciat vent fort. Encara vols sortir demà? —Sí; encara que faci mal temps, podem quedar-nos a prop del port.
—They've forecast strong winds. Do you still want to go out tomorrow? —Yes; even if the weather is bad, we can stay near the harbor.
—I si cancel·len el vaixell? —Sigui com sigui, no perdrem la reserva de l'hotel.
—What if they cancel the boat? —Whatever happens, we won't lose the hotel booking.
The weather and cancellation remain open possibilities, so faci and sigui are subjunctive. Han anunciat reports an established announcement and is indicative.
Common Mistakes
1. Treating encara que as an automatic subjunctive trigger.
❌ Encara que ahir faci sol, ens vam quedar a casa.
Incorrect tense for a past factual obstacle; the present subjunctive does not match ahir.
✅ Encara que ahir feia sol, ens vam quedar a casa.
Although it was sunny yesterday, we stayed home.
2. Using the future indicative for an open future concession.
❌ Encara que demà plourà, hi anirem.
Incorrect for the open 'even if' reading; Catalan uses the present subjunctive here.
✅ Encara que demà plogui, hi anirem.
Even if it rains tomorrow, we'll go.
3. Attaching weak pronouns to a finite subordinate verb.
❌ Per més que expliquis-m'ho, no ho entendré avui.
Incorrect pronoun placement—the weak-pronoun cluster precedes a finite subjunctive.
✅ Per més que m'ho expliquis, no ho entendré avui.
No matter how much you explain it to me, I won't understand it today.
4. Importing Spanish connectors or verb forms.
❌ Aunque sea difícil, ho intentarem.
Incorrect Catalan—both the connector and the subjunctive form have been copied from Spanish.
✅ Encara que sigui difícil, ho intentarem.
Even if it is difficult, we'll try.
5. Overusing the progressive for a general repeated effort.
❌ Per més que estiguis trucant cada setmana, no et respondran.
Wrong for the intended habitual meaning—the progressive unnecessarily presents one ongoing episode.
✅ Per més que truquis cada setmana, no et respondran.
No matter how often you call every week, they won't answer.
Key Takeaways
- With encara que, the indicative foregrounds an asserted fact; the subjunctive presents an open or deliberately irrelevant obstacle.
- Per més que and free-choice patterns strongly favor the subjunctive when the degree or value is left open.
- Use the present subjunctive for open present/future concessions, the imperfect subjunctive for remote or past-viewpoint ones, and an indicative past for asserted events.
- Place weak pronouns before the finite subjunctive and preserve the regional paradigm you are using.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
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- Future Time Clauses and the SubjunctiveB1 — Present pending future events after quan, fins que, tan bon punt, and abans que with the appropriate Catalan mood and tense.
- Subjunctive in Indefinite and Negative Relative ClausesB2 — Choose between indicative and subjunctive in Catalan relative clauses according to whether the antecedent is identified, asserted, sought, or denied.
- Imperfect Subjunctive for Present or Future UnrealityB1 — Use the imperfect subjunctive for remote conditions, counterfactual present situations, wishes, and politely distanced proposals.
- Indicative or Subjunctive: Assertion and StanceB2 — Choose Catalan indicative or subjunctive by tracking commitment, identification, factual concession, desired outcomes, and temporal viewpoint.
- Indicative or Subjunctive?B1 — Choose Catalan indicative or subjunctive by deciding whether a clause is asserted or placed inside desire, evaluation, nonidentification, or another nonassertive frame.