Concession is the grammatical move where you acknowledge a potential counter-argument and then push past it: "Although it was raining, we went anyway." In European Portuguese, this move splits across two very different grammatical strategies. One strategy uses a subordinating conjunction that opens a whole clause (embora chovesse, apesar de chover); the other uses a discourse adverb that links two independent statements (estava a chover; mesmo assim, fomos). Mixing these up is the single most common concession error English-speakers make.
This page covers the full repertoire: the subjunctive-triggering conjunctions embora, ainda que, se bem que, mesmo que; the preposition apesar de with its infinitive and de que-subjunctive options; the counter-expectation adverbs mesmo assim, ainda assim, apesar disso, não obstante; and the register continuum that runs from everyday speech to academic prose. By the end, you should be able to pick the right concessive with confidence in any register.
The core grammatical split
Before the vocabulary, get the structural distinction clear. Portuguese concession tools fall into three groups, and each group has its own syntax.
| Group | What follows | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Subjunctive conjunctions | finite verb in the subjunctive | embora, ainda que, se bem que, mesmo que, por mais que, conquanto |
| Preposition apesar de | infinitive, noun, or de que + subjunctive | apesar de, a despeito de |
| Discourse adverbs | a full independent clause (indicative) | mesmo assim, ainda assim, apesar disso, não obstante, contudo |
The first two are subordinators — they glue the concessive idea to a main clause as a dependent element. The third group is cohesive: two independent sentences placed side by side, with the adverb signalling their relationship. English "although" belongs to the first group; "even so" and "nonetheless" belong to the third. Portuguese keeps these duties strictly separated.
Embora and its subjunctive family
Embora (although, even though) is the flagship concessive conjunction of Portuguese. It opens a subordinate clause whose verb must be in the subjunctive. It can appear at the start of the sentence or after the main clause.
Embora esteja a chover, vamos dar um passeio à beira-mar.
Although it's raining, we're going for a walk along the seafront.
Vou levar o chapéu, embora não faça muito sol.
I'll take the hat, even though it's not very sunny.
Embora tivéssemos reservado com meses de antecedência, o hotel perdeu a nossa reserva.
Even though we had booked months in advance, the hotel lost our reservation.
Note the tense sequencing: when the main clause is present, embora takes present subjunctive (esteja, faça); when the main clause is in a past tense, embora takes imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive (tivéssemos reservado). This is ordinary consecutio temporum — the concessive clause follows the tense logic of any other subordinate clause.
Other subjunctive-triggering concessive conjunctions work identically, with small nuances of meaning:
- ainda que — even if, even though (slightly hypothetical edge; common in writing)
- mesmo que — even if (strongly hypothetical; "even in the case that")
- se bem que — although, admittedly (introduces a mild concession, often an afterthought)
- por mais que — no matter how much (intensity-focused concession)
- por muito que — no matter how much (same as por mais que)
- nem que — not even if (emphatic negative concession)
- conquanto — although (literary/archaic; see the Formal Connectors page)
Ainda que me pagasses o dobro, não aceitava esse trabalho.
Even if you paid me double, I wouldn't accept that job.
Se bem que ele seja um bom profissional, nunca entrega os relatórios a tempo.
Admittedly, he's a good professional, but he never delivers the reports on time.
Por mais que eu lhe explique, ela nunca percebe.
No matter how many times I explain to her, she never gets it.
Nem que me obrigues, eu não como caracóis.
Not even if you force me — I'm not eating snails.
The se bem que construction deserves special attention: it is the most conversational of the subjunctive concessives, the one you will actually hear in Lisbon cafés. It often appears mid-utterance, introducing a walk-back or a hedge: "É uma boa ideia. Se bem que tenhamos de ver os custos." ("It's a good idea. Although we'll have to look at the costs.")
Apesar de — the preposition strategy
Apesar de (despite, in spite of) is a preposition, not a conjunction. Because it is a preposition, what follows it cannot be a finite verb — it must be one of three things:
- A noun phrase: apesar da chuva (despite the rain)
- An infinitive (often the personal infinitive): apesar de estarem cansados (despite their being tired)
- A clause introduced by de que
- subjunctive: apesar de que estejam cansados (despite the fact that they are tired)
The first two are by far the most common. The de que + subjunctive form is grammatical but sounds slightly heavier; many editors prefer the infinitive or noun versions for style.
Apesar do trânsito, chegámos a tempo ao aeroporto.
Despite the traffic, we made it to the airport on time.
Apesar de ser tarde, ainda estavam vários clientes no café.
Despite its being late, there were still several customers in the café.
Apesar de termos estudado muito, o exame foi uma catástrofe.
Despite our having studied a lot, the exam was a catastrophe.
Apesar de que o presidente tenha negado os factos, os jornalistas continuam a investigar.
Despite the fact that the president has denied the facts, the journalists continue to investigate.
Notice the personal infinitive in the second and third examples: ser becomes ser (singular, no subject) and termos carries the -mos ending because the subject is nós. This is the standard way to express concession when the subject of the concessive clause differs from the main clause or needs to be made explicit. See the Personal Infinitive page for the full morphology.
A despeito de is a near-synonym of apesar de but strictly formal — you will find it in editorials and legal texts, never in conversation.
A despeito das críticas, o governo aprovou a legislação.
Despite the criticism, the government approved the legislation.
Mesmo assim, ainda assim — the discourse adverbs
Here is the crucial structural contrast. Embora and apesar de attach to a dependent clause. Mesmo assim (even so) and ainda assim (even so, still) do something completely different: they stand between two independent sentences, and the second sentence goes back to the indicative.
Estava a chover imenso. Mesmo assim, saímos para jantar fora.
It was pouring with rain. Even so, we went out for dinner.
A conferência foi cancelada. Ainda assim, vou aproveitar a viagem para visitar amigos.
The conference was cancelled. Still, I'm going to use the trip to visit friends.
Ele sabia que a resposta estava errada. Mesmo assim, insistiu.
He knew the answer was wrong. Even so, he insisted.
Think of mesmo assim / ainda assim as meaning "in those circumstances, nonetheless" — they refer back to the previous sentence as a whole and announce that the following statement defies it. They are not subordinators; they are cohesive links.
Related discourse adverbs, ranked roughly by register:
- apesar disso — in spite of that (neutral)
- mesmo assim — even so (neutral, very common in speech)
- ainda assim — still, even so (slightly more formal than mesmo assim)
- de qualquer forma / de qualquer modo — in any case, anyway (broader than concession, used for "regardless")
- não obstante — notwithstanding (formal; see below)
- contudo / todavia / porém — however (formal written; covered in Contrast Markers)
A loja estava fechada. De qualquer forma, não tinha trazido a carteira.
The shop was closed. In any case, I hadn't brought my wallet.
Não obstante — the academic edge
Não obstante sits in an unusual grammatical position: it can work as a discourse adverb ("nevertheless") or as a preposition ("despite + NP"), and in both uses it belongs to formal register — academic prose, legal writing, editorials.
As a discourse adverb:
O projeto apresentava várias falhas estruturais. Não obstante, foi aprovado pela comissão.
The project had several structural flaws. Nevertheless, it was approved by the committee.
As a preposition (followed by a noun phrase):
Não obstante as dificuldades, a equipa completou o estudo dentro do prazo.
Notwithstanding the difficulties, the team completed the study on schedule.
In speech, não obstante sounds stiff and lawyerly — use mesmo assim instead. But in a university essay or a formal report, não obstante is a reliable signal that the writer is educated and deliberate. For the deeper academic register, see the Formal Academic Connectors page.
Se bem que — the conversational concessive
Se bem que deserves its own section because it behaves differently from the rest. Syntactically, it is a subjunctive-triggering concessive conjunction, like embora. Pragmatically, it is what speakers use to soften, walk back, or hedge a previous assertion, often in mid-sentence.
Gosto muito deste restaurante. Se bem que ultimamente a comida não esteja tão boa.
I really like this restaurant. Though lately the food hasn't been as good.
A ideia dele é brilhante, se bem que um pouco irrealista.
His idea is brilliant, although a little unrealistic.
Notice the second example: se bem que can introduce a reduced clause (no verb) with an adjective or noun phrase — in that case the subjunctive rule does not apply because there is no verb at all. This reduced form is extremely common in speech.
Position and punctuation
European Portuguese is fairly flexible about where concessive clauses go:
- Initial position — clause comes first, followed by a comma, then main clause. This is the most common in writing.
- Final position — main clause first, then the concessive after a comma.
- Medial position — concessive clause interrupts the main clause, set off by commas on both sides.
Embora seja caro, o restaurante vale a pena.
Although it's expensive, the restaurant is worth it.
O restaurante vale a pena, embora seja caro.
The restaurant is worth it, although it's expensive.
O restaurante, embora seja caro, vale a pena.
The restaurant, although expensive, is worth it.
For discourse adverbs like mesmo assim and não obstante, the natural position is at the start of the second sentence, set off by a comma. Inserting them mid-clause is possible but rare.
Register at a glance
| Register | Typical choices |
|---|---|
| Informal speech | embora, apesar de, se bem que, mesmo assim |
| Neutral writing | embora, apesar de, ainda assim, apesar disso |
| Formal writing | embora, não obstante, apesar de que, a despeito de |
| Academic / legal | não obstante, a despeito de, conquanto, não obstante + NP |
| Literary / archaic | conquanto, posto que, ainda que |
Common mistakes
❌ Embora está a chover, saímos.
Mood error — *embora* requires the subjunctive, not the indicative.
✅ Embora esteja a chover, saímos.
Although it's raining, we're going out.
❌ Apesar de que está doente, foi trabalhar.
Mood error — *apesar de que* requires the subjunctive, and the cleaner form uses the infinitive.
✅ Apesar de estar doente, foi trabalhar. / Apesar de que esteja doente, foi trabalhar.
Despite being sick, he went to work.
❌ Embora que fosse tarde, continuámos a conversar.
Ungrammatical — *embora* never takes *que*. Mixing *embora* with *apesar de que* is a classic transfer error.
✅ Embora fosse tarde, continuámos a conversar. / Apesar de que fosse tarde, continuámos a conversar.
Even though it was late, we kept talking.
❌ Mesmo assim chova, vou à praia.
Structural error — *mesmo assim* is a discourse adverb, not a conjunction. It cannot introduce a subordinate clause.
✅ Embora chova, vou à praia. / Está a chover; mesmo assim, vou à praia.
Even though it's raining, I'm going to the beach. / It's raining; even so, I'm going to the beach.
❌ Apesar de ele está cansado, continua a trabalhar.
Structural error — *apesar de* is a preposition and cannot be followed by a finite verb. Use the infinitive.
✅ Apesar de ele estar cansado, continua a trabalhar. / Apesar de estar cansado, continua a trabalhar.
Despite his being tired, he keeps working.
Key takeaways
- Embora, ainda que, mesmo que, se bem que, and por mais que all introduce a subordinate clause with the subjunctive. This is a hard rule.
- Apesar de is a preposition — it takes a noun, an infinitive (often personal), or de que
- subjunctive. It never takes a finite indicative clause directly.
- Mesmo assim, ainda assim, apesar disso, and não obstante are discourse adverbs — they link two independent sentences, and the second sentence stays in the indicative.
- Mixing the two strategies (embora que, mesmo assim chova) is the number-one concession error. Keep the families separate.
- Se bem que is the conversational concessive; não obstante and a despeito de are the academic ones. Match the tool to the register.
Related Topics
- Contrast MarkersA2 — Connectors for expressing opposition, concession, and counter-expectation — from the everyday *mas* to the subjunctive-triggering *embora*.
- Discourse Markers OverviewA2 — An introduction to the words and phrases that organise Portuguese speech and writing — signalling sequence, contrast, cause, and more.
- Formal Academic ConnectorsC1 — The high-register connectors that govern Portuguese essays, legal writing, and academic prose — *não obstante*, *ao passo que*, *conquanto*, *porquanto*, *outrossim*, *destarte*, and the principled use of *por conseguinte* and *com efeito*.
- Concessive Conjunctions (Embora, Ainda que, Mesmo que)B1 — Expressing concession and unexpected outcomes — *embora*, *ainda que*, *mesmo que*, *se bem que*, and the prepositional alternative *apesar de*, all with the subjunctive mood logic explained.