למרות שהיא ביישנית, היא רוצה להשתתף.

Because this sentence uses למרות ש־ to mean although / even though before a full clause.

• למרות
  • noun = despite
• למרות ש־
  • clause = although / even though

So here:

• למרות שהיא ביישנית = although she is shy

A useful comparison:

• למרות הגשם = despite the rain
• למרות שיורד גשם = although it is raining

In everyday writing, you may see this written either with or without a hyphen after ש.

Hebrew normally includes the subject separately in each clause when needed.

This sentence has two clauses:

1. למרות שהיא ביישנית = although she is shy
2. היא רוצה להשתתף = she wants to participate

So the first היא belongs to the although clause, and the second היא belongs to the main clause.

Also, in the present tense, Hebrew verbs do not clearly show person the way past and future verbs do, so pronouns are often important for clarity.

There is no separate word for is in the present tense in Hebrew.

So:

• היא ביישנית literally looks like she shy
• but it means she is shy

This is completely normal in Hebrew.

Compare:

• אני עייף / עייפה = I am tired
• הם בבית = they are at home
• היא מורה = she is a teacher

In past and future, forms of to be can appear, but in the present tense they are usually omitted.

ביישנית is the feminine singular form of the adjective shy.

Because the subject is היא (she), the adjective must agree with it in gender and number.

Forms:

• ביישן = shy, masculine singular
• ביישנית = shy, feminine singular
• ביישנים = shy, masculine plural
• ביישניות = shy, feminine plural

So:

• הוא ביישן = he is shy
• היא ביישנית = she is shy

רוצה is the feminine singular present-tense form of want.

Since the subject is היא, the verb must match:

• הוא רוצה = he wants
• היא רוצה = she wants

In the present tense, many Hebrew verb forms behave a bit like adjectives in how they change for gender and number.

Other forms of this verb:

• רוצה = masculine singular / also feminine?
  More precisely:
  • הוא רוצה
  • היא רוצה
• רוצים = masculine plural
• רוצות = feminine plural

The masculine and feminine singular happen to sound the same here, but the subject pronoun tells you which one is meant.

להשתתף is the infinitive, meaning to participate / to take part.

The ל־ at the beginning is the usual marker for many Hebrew infinitives, similar to English to.

So:

• רוצה להשתתף = wants to participate

This verb is from the התפעל pattern, which often has forms beginning with הת־. In the infinitive, that becomes להת־:

• להשתתף = to participate

You do not need to think of it as literally reflexive here; it is simply the normal verb for participate.

A common pronunciation is:

LamaROT shehi biyaSHNIT, hi rotZA lehishtaTEF.

A slightly more detailed breakdown:

• למרות = lamarot
• שהיא = shehi
• ביישנית = bayshanit / beyshanit depending on accent tradition
• היא = hi
• רוצה = rotza
• להשתתף = lehishtatef

Stress usually falls like this:

• lamaROT
• sheHI
• biyyaSHNIT
• HI
• rotZA
• lehishtaTEF

Yes. You can also say:

היא רוצה להשתתף למרות שהיא ביישנית.

That means the same thing: She wants to participate although she is shy.

The difference is mostly about emphasis and style:

• למרות שהיא ביישנית, היא רוצה להשתתף.
  Starts with the contrast: Although she is shy...
• היא רוצה להשתתף למרות שהיא ביישנית.
  Starts with the main idea: She wants to participate...

Both are natural.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• למרות שהיא ביישנית = although she is shy

Then comes the main clause:

• היא רוצה להשתתף = she wants to participate

In standard written Hebrew, it is normal to put a comma between them when the subordinate clause comes first.

If the main clause comes first, the comma is often not used:

• היא רוצה להשתתף למרות שהיא ביישנית.

Yes. Hebrew has several ways to express contrast.

Some alternatives are:

• אף על פי ש־ = although / even though
• גם אם = even if
• אבל = but

For this sentence, למרות ש־ is very natural and common.

For example:

• אף על פי שהיא ביישנית, היא רוצה להשתתף.

This is also correct, but it may sound a little more formal than למרות ש־ in some contexts.

Yes, but that changes the structure.

The original sentence uses a full clause:

• למרות שהיא ביישנית = although she is shy

If you want despite her shyness, you would use a noun phrase instead:

• למרות הביישנות שלה, היא רוצה להשתתף.
• more literary: למרות ביישנותה, היא רוצה להשתתף.

So the difference is:

• למרות שהיא ביישנית = although she is shy
• למרות הביישנות שלה = despite her shyness

Both are correct; the first is usually more direct and conversational.