Spanish has a compact, emphatic way of saying "whatever," "no matter what," or "regardless of" — and it relies entirely on the subjunctive. The same verb appears twice in its subjunctive form, sandwiching a relative word like lo que, donde, or de donde. The result is a fixed-feeling phrase that concedes every possible outcome at once.
You have probably already encountered sea lo que sea or pase lo que pase in songs, speeches, or everyday conversation. This page breaks down the pattern so you can produce any version on the fly.
The core structure
The pattern is straightforward:
Subjunctive verb + relative word + same subjunctive verb
The relative word is usually lo que (what), donde (where), de donde (from where), como (how), or cuando (when). The verb appears in the same tense and person on both sides.
Digan lo que digan, yo sé la verdad.
No matter what they say, I know the truth.
Pase lo que pase, estoy contigo.
Whatever happens, I'm with you.
The first verb opens the possibility ("let it be whatever..."), the second closes it ("...it may be"), and together they dismiss every outcome as irrelevant to the main clause.
The most common patterns
Here are the duplicated subjunctive phrases you will encounter most frequently. All use the present subjunctive.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sea lo que sea | whatever it may be | Sea lo que sea, no me importa. |
| digan lo que digan | whatever they say | Digan lo que digan, voy a hacerlo. |
| pase lo que pase | whatever happens | Pase lo que pase, no te vayas. |
| cueste lo que cueste | whatever it costs / at any cost | Cueste lo que cueste, lo vamos a lograr. |
| haga lo que haga | whatever he/she does | Haga lo que haga, siempre le critican. |
| venga de donde venga | wherever it comes from | Venga de donde venga, es buena idea. |
| vaya donde vaya | wherever she goes | Vaya donde vaya, se hace amigos. |
| piense lo que piense | whatever he thinks | Piense lo que piense tu jefe, tú hiciste bien. |
| sea como sea | however it may be / one way or another | Sea como sea, tenemos que terminar hoy. |
| sea cuando sea | whenever it may be | Sea cuando sea, avísame. |
Changing the subject
The verb can appear in any person. When the subject changes, both copies of the verb must agree:
Digas lo que digas, no voy a cambiar de opinión.
No matter what you say, I'm not going to change my mind.
Hagamos lo que hagamos, nunca está contento.
Whatever we do, he's never happy.
Piensen lo que piensen, la decisión ya se tomó.
Whatever they think, the decision has already been made.
Vayas donde vayas, siempre vas a encontrar gente buena.
Wherever you go, you'll always find good people.
Notice that both verbs always match in person and number. You cannot mix diga with digas — both must agree with the same subject.
With different relative words
The relative connector determines the type of "whatever":
| Relative word | Type | Full pattern example |
|---|---|---|
| lo que | whatever (thing) | sea lo que sea |
| donde | wherever (place) | vaya donde vaya |
| de donde | from wherever | venga de donde venga |
| como | however (manner) | sea como sea |
| cuando | whenever (time) | sea cuando sea |
| quien | whoever (person) | sea quien sea |
Sea quien sea, dile que pase.
Whoever it is, tell them to come in.
Llegue cuando llegue, lo vamos a esperar.
Whenever he arrives, we'll wait for him.
Venga de donde venga esa información, no es confiable.
Wherever that information comes from, it's not reliable.
Past versions: the imperfect subjunctive
When the main clause is in the past, or when the speaker is describing an unreal or past scenario, both verbs shift to the imperfect subjunctive:
Fuera lo que fuera, yo no iba a aceptar.
Whatever it was, I wasn't going to accept.
Dijera lo que dijera, nadie le creía.
No matter what he said, nobody believed him.
Pasara lo que pasara, ella siempre mantenía la calma.
Whatever happened, she always kept her composure.
Costara lo que costara, iban a rescatar a los mineros.
Whatever it cost, they were going to rescue the miners.
The structure is identical — only the tense changes. The imperfect subjunctive (-ra form) replaces the present subjunctive on both sides.
"Whether X or Y" patterns
Two related constructions express "whether... or...":
Quieras o no (quieras)
This pattern uses the subjunctive of querer to express "whether you like it or not":
Quiera o no quiera, tiene que pagar impuestos.
Whether he wants to or not, he has to pay taxes.
The second quiera is optional — the short form (quieras o no) is very common in speech.
Ya sea X o Y
Ya sea introduces alternatives and translates roughly as "whether X or Y" or "be it X or Y":
Ya sea en casa o en la oficina, siempre está trabajando.
Whether at home or at the office, he's always working.
Ya sea por miedo o por orgullo, nunca pide ayuda.
Whether out of fear or pride, she never asks for help.
Lo acepto, ya sea bueno o malo.
I accept it, whether it's good or bad.
Note that ya sea does not require the verb to appear a second time — the ya provides the "regardless" force.
Using the pattern for emphasis and determination
These phrases often appear in emotionally charged contexts — promises, rallying cries, and firm declarations. The doubling of the verb adds rhetorical weight.
Cueste lo que cueste, vamos a sacar adelante a esta familia.
Whatever it costs, we're going to pull this family through.
Pase lo que pase, no voy a abandonarte.
Whatever happens, I'm not going to abandon you.
Politicians, coaches, and song lyrics lean heavily on these constructions because they sound decisive and sweeping.
Common mistakes
Sea lo que es, no me importa.
Wrong: the second verb must also be subjunctive (sea), not indicative (es).
Sea lo que sea, no me importa.
Correct: both verbs in the subjunctive.
Digo lo que digo, no voy a cambiar.
Wrong: the indicative (digo) does not create the 'whatever' meaning.
Diga lo que diga, no voy a cambiar.
Correct: the subjunctive (diga) creates the concessive force.
Both verbs must be in the subjunctive. If you accidentally use the indicative on either side, the "no matter what" meaning disappears.
Relationship to aunque
The duplicated subjunctive often overlaps in meaning with aunque + subjunctive. Compare:
Digan lo que digan, voy a hacerlo.
No matter what they say, I'm going to do it.
Aunque digan mil cosas, voy a hacerlo.
Even if they say a thousand things, I'm going to do it.
Both concede and dismiss. The duplicated subjunctive is more sweeping (it covers every possible thing they could say), while aunque often focuses on a specific concession.
In everyday conversation
These phrases are not limited to formal speech. They show up constantly in daily Latin American Spanish:
—¿Y si el vuelo se atrasa? —Pase lo que pase, yo te espero en el aeropuerto.
—What if the flight is delayed? —Whatever happens, I'll wait for you at the airport.
Sea lo que sea que estés cocinando, huele increíble.
Whatever it is you're cooking, it smells amazing.
Digan lo que digan los vecinos, yo voy a poner la música.
No matter what the neighbors say, I'm putting on the music.
Notice how the pattern often appears as a quick dismissal before the speaker states their actual point. It works as a rhetorical device to sweep aside objections before they are raised.
Fixed expressions and proverbs
Several duplicated subjunctive phrases have become fixed expressions that native speakers use without thinking about the grammar:
| Expression | Literal structure | Idiomatic meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sea como sea | be however it may be | one way or another / at all costs |
| cueste lo que cueste | cost whatever it costs | at any cost / no matter the price |
| caiga quien caiga | fall whoever falls | regardless of who is affected |
| pase lo que pase | happen whatever happens | no matter what / come what may |
| sea donde sea | be wherever it may be | anywhere at all |
Vamos a encontrar la verdad, caiga quien caiga.
We're going to find the truth, no matter who goes down.
Nos vemos mañana, sea donde sea.
We'll meet tomorrow, wherever it may be.
Practice: match the pattern
Try building these from scratch. The verb and the relative word are given — assemble the duplicated form.
_____ (ir / donde) → Vaya donde vaya, la seguimos.
Wherever she goes, we follow her.
_____ (decir / lo que) → Diga lo que diga el pronóstico, yo llevo paraguas.
Whatever the forecast says, I'm bringing an umbrella.
_____ (ser / quien) → Sea quien sea el ganador, lo felicitamos.
Whoever the winner is, we congratulate them.
_____ (costar / lo que) → Cueste lo que cueste, la operación se va a hacer.
Whatever it costs, the surgery will be done.
_____ (pensar / lo que, past) → Pensara lo que pensara, no iba a decírselo.
Whatever she thought, she wasn't going to tell him.
_____ (estar / donde) → Esté donde esté, lo vamos a encontrar.
Wherever he is, we're going to find him.
Summary
- Structure: subjunctive verb + relative word + same subjunctive verb.
- Meaning: "whatever / wherever / whoever / however / whenever" — total indifference to the outcome.
- Present subjunctive for current or future situations; imperfect subjunctive for past or hypothetical ones.
- Both verbs must match in person, number, and tense.
- Related patterns: quieras o no (whether you want to or not) and ya sea X o Y (whether X or Y).
- The pattern overlaps with aunque but is more emphatic and sweeping.
For a deeper look at how the present subjunctive is formed, see Present Subjunctive Complete Reference. For the imperfect subjunctive forms used in the past versions, see Imperfect Subjunctive Complete Reference.
Related Topics
- Present Subjunctive: Complete ReferenceB2 — A single-page synthesis of the entire present subjunctive: formation, every irregular, all WEIRDO triggers, adjective and adverbial clauses, and the present perfect subjunctive.
- Imperfect Subjunctive: Complete ReferenceB2 — A single-page synthesis of the entire imperfect subjunctive: both -ra and -se forms, triggers, hypothetical si-clauses, como si, polite quisiera, and the pluperfect subjunctive.
- Concessive: Aunque, A pesar de queB2 — How to express although, even though, and even if with aunque, a pesar de que, and related conjunctions.
- Type 2: ImprobableB2 — Pair an imperfect-subjunctive si-clause with a conditional result clause for hypothetical or unlikely present situations.