Concessive Conjunctions (Embora, Ainda que, Mesmo que)

Concessive conjunctions (conjunções concessivas) introduce a clause that would normally block the main clause — and then go ahead with the main clause anyway. English uses "although," "even though," "even if," and "despite." Portuguese has a whole ladder of options graded by register, and — crucially — almost all of them take the subjunctive. This is the single most reliable pattern of the concessive family: if a concessive conjunction introduces a clause, expect the subjunctive to follow.

The reason is semantic. A concession describes an obstacle that does not stop the main event — the obstacle exists in a kind of hypothetical or non-determining world. Portuguese marks that non-determining status with the subjunctive. Once you see this, the mood choice stops being a list of rules to memorise and becomes the consistent expression of one idea: "the clause introduced by embora is acknowledged but not allowed to decide the outcome."

This page walks through the common concessive conjunctions, then covers the prepositional alternatives (apesar de + infinitive) that English speakers reach for first and often overuse.

Embora — the workhorse concessive

Embora is the default concessive conjunction in PT-PT, used across every register from casual speech to formal writing. It means "although" or "even though" and takes the subjunctive — always. The tense is chosen by time reference: present or future hypothetical takes the present subjunctive; past or counterfactual takes the imperfect subjunctive.

The choice between present subjunctive (esteja) and imperfect subjunctive (estivesse) follows the ordinary sequence-of-tenses rules: present main clause → present subjunctive; past main clause → imperfect subjunctive.

Embora as an adverb — "away"

Here is the trap. Embora has a second life in PT-PT, where it works as an adverb meaning "away" or "off." This is very common in spoken Portuguese and catches English speakers off guard.

Ainda que — "even if / even though"

Ainda que straddles the boundary between factual and hypothetical concession. It can mean either "even though (and it is the case)" or "even if (supposing it were)," and context decides which. It always takes the subjunctive.

When ainda que refers to a hypothetical situation, it pairs naturally with the conditional in the main clause — the same pattern you see after se in counterfactual sentences. When it refers to a real situation being conceded, the main clause usually takes the indicative or imperative.

Mesmo que — strictly hypothetical "even if"

Mesmo que is the hypothetical cousin of ainda que. Where ainda que can refer to something real, mesmo que pushes firmly into the realm of "even supposing that." It always takes the subjunctive, and the main clause typically uses the conditional or imperfect indicative.

The nuance separating mesmo que from ainda que is subtle but real. Ainda que seja caro can describe something that is genuinely expensive; mesmo que seja caro pushes it into "even supposing it were expensive" — the speaker is not committed to the expense being real.

Se bem que — "although" (a contested usage)

Se bem que is interesting because it occupies a grammatical grey zone. The traditional prescriptive rule — still defended by some grammarians — is that se bem que takes the indicative, because the concession is factual. In practice, modern PT-PT overwhelmingly uses it with the subjunctive, by analogy with embora and ainda que.

Both are heard in PT-PT. A learner is safe using the subjunctive, which now dominates. Prescriptive writers — some newspaper editors, some teachers — still correct it to the indicative, so in formal writing you may want to prefer embora or ainda que to avoid the whole argument.

Nem que — "not even if"

Nem que is the extreme-hypothetical concessive. It pushes the concession to its limit: "not even if the most unlikely thing happened." It always takes the subjunctive and is common in spoken PT-PT for emphatic refusals and declarations.

This is a natural, expressive construction — worth actively producing, not just recognising.

Archaic and literary: posto que, conquanto

Posto que and conquanto are archaic-to-literary concessives. You will meet them in nineteenth-century prose, legal writing, and occasional journalistic flourishes. Both take the subjunctive. In modern speech they sound pompous or ironic.

Prepositional concessives: apesar de and its family

For noun-phrase or infinitive concessives — the equivalent of English "despite" or "despite doing X" — Portuguese uses a different strategy. These are not conjunctions but prepositional locutions (locuções prepositivas), and they are followed by a noun or an infinitive, not by a full clause with a finite verb.

Apesar de with infinitive — the everyday choice

Apesar de + infinitive is how PT-PT usually handles "despite doing X." When the subject of the infinitive is clear from context, the impersonal infinitive is used; when it needs to be marked, the personal infinitive (infinitivo pessoal) does the job.

The personal infinitive is a signature Portuguese feature (see the personal infinitive page). It marks the subject on the infinitive itself — termos = "we having" — and it is the natural way to use apesar de when the subject is different from the main clause or when you want to be explicit.

Apesar de que + clause — less common in PT-PT

Apesar de que introduces a full clause with a finite verb, usually in the subjunctive. This form exists but is less common in PT-PT than the apesar de + infinitive construction above; Brazilian Portuguese uses it more. A PT-PT speaker will more naturally say embora or apesar de + infinitive.

A despeito de — formal "in spite of"

A despeito de belongs to formal register. You see it in essays, opinion pieces, and academic writing.

Register gradient — the full picture

The subjunctive logic — why concession needs it

Every concessive conjunction except the prepositional ones takes the subjunctive. Why? Consider what a concessive does. When you say "embora esteja cansado, vou acabar o trabalho," you are describing your tiredness as an obstacle that does not determine the outcome. You are presenting it as a non-deciding circumstance — acknowledged, but bracketed. Portuguese marks that bracketed status with the subjunctive.

Compare the causal porque: "porque estou cansado, não vou acabar." Here your tiredness is the deciding factor — it is the cause. The indicative marks it as the real, operative reason. The mood choice reflects the difference in semantic role: cause (indicative) vs concession (subjunctive).

This explains a puzzle English speakers often have: why can a concessive fact, which is often real, take the subjunctive? The answer is that it is not the factuality of the clause that triggers the subjunctive — it is its role. A concessive clause refuses to determine the main clause. The subjunctive is the mood of refusal-to-determine.

Concessives in context

In conversation

In a text message

In a news article

In a formal report

In a friendly ultimatum

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• Embora is the default; ainda que and mesmo que handle hypothetical concession; nem que is for extreme hypotheticals ("not even if"); se bem que is contested but usually takes the subjunctive in modern PT-PT.
• All concessive conjunctions in PT-PT take the subjunctive — this is the single most reliable pattern of the family.
• The subjunctive is triggered not by the falsity of the clause but by its role: a concessive clause acknowledges an obstacle without letting it determine the outcome.
• Apesar de
  • infinitive (often personal infinitive) is the normal PT-PT way to say "despite doing X"; apesar de que
    • clause exists but is less common.
• Embora is also an adverb meaning "away" (vai-te embora) — disambiguate by syntax.
• Posto que and conquanto are literary/archaic; use them only when the register demands it.