Por mais que a médica explique, ele continua teimoso.

No matter how much the doctor explains, he remains stubborn.

Breakdown of Por mais que a médica explique, ele continua teimoso.

• ele: he
• explicar: to explain
• a médica: the doctor
• continuar: to remain
• teimoso: stubborn
• por mais que: no matter how much

Questions & Answers about Por mais que a médica explique, ele continua teimoso.

What does por mais que literally mean, and what kind of structure is it?

Por mais que is a fixed expression that introduces a concessive clause. Roughly, it means:

• no matter how much / however much / even though / as much as

In this sentence, it introduces something that should logically change the result (the doctor explaining), but does not (he stays stubborn). So it’s like saying:

• No matter how much the doctor explains, he stays stubborn.

Why is it explique and not explica after por mais que?

Because por mais que almost always requires the subjunctive.

• explicar in the present indicative: ele/ela explica
• explicar in the present subjunctive: ele/ela explique

After por mais que, you are not just stating a simple fact; you’re expressing something like a hypothetical, limiting, or “however much” idea. That’s why Portuguese uses the present subjunctive (explique), not the indicative (explica).

Saying por mais que a médica explica is ungrammatical in standard Portuguese; it sounds wrong to native speakers.

What time reference does explique have? Is this talking about the present or the future?

The present subjunctive (explique) here refers to present and/or repeated actions, and it can also cover future situations in this type of clause. Context decides:

• It can mean: whenever / every time she explains, he remains stubborn (repeated present).
• It can also include future: even if she explains (now or in future), he will / always does remain stubborn.

Portuguese often uses present subjunctive in subordinate clauses where English might use a present, future, or a mix:
Por mais que a médica explique… → No matter how much the doctor explains / will explain…

Could I say por muito que instead of por mais que?

Yes, por muito que is also possible and idiomatic, and the meaning is basically the same:

• Por mais que a médica explique…
• Por muito que a médica explique…

Both can mean no matter how much the doctor explains.

Nuance:

• por mais que is extremely common and perhaps a bit more neutral.
• por muito que can sometimes sound a touch more emphatic in terms of quantity/intensity, like however much / so very much.

In everyday speech in Portugal, por mais que is very standard and safe to use.

Is por mais que the same as embora or apesar de?

They’re all concessive, but they work differently in form and nuance.

1. Por mais que

   • subjunctive
   • Focuses on intensity / amount of the action.
   • Por mais que a médica explique, ele continua teimoso.
   • No matter how much she explains, he stays stubborn.

2. Embora

   • subjunctive
   • More like although / even though.
   • Embora a médica explique, ele continua teimoso.
   • Grammatically correct, but a bit odd here because embora doesn’t naturally express “no matter how much”; it just states a fact that contrasts with the result.

3. Apesar de

   • noun / infinitive / de
     • clause
   • Apesar de a médica explicar, ele continua teimoso. (Despite the doctor explaining…)
   • Apesar de a explicação da médica, ele continua teimoso. (Despite the doctor’s explanation…)

So:

• For the “no matter how much” idea, por mais que (or por muito que) is the most natural choice.

Why is it a médica and not just médica, or a doutora?

1. In Portuguese, professions are usually used with the definite article when referring to a specific person:

   • a médica = the doctor (female)
   • o médico = the doctor (male)

2. Médica is the profession (doctor), while doutora is a title/form of address (like Doctor in English when you talk to the doctor).

   • To refer to her job: a médica
   • To address her directly: Doutora, pode ajudar-me? (Doctor, can you help me?)

Here, we’re describing her role in the sentence, so a médica is more natural than a doutora.

Why is it ele continua teimoso and not ele continua teimosamente?

Because in Portuguese, after verbs like ser, estar, ficar, continuar, you usually use an adjective to describe the state or characteristic of the subject:

• ele continua teimoso = he remains/stays stubborn (stubborn is his quality/state)

Teimosamente is an adverb (stubbornly), which would modify the manner of an action, not his lasting characteristic:

• Ele continua a falar teimosamente.
  He continues talking stubbornly.

In the original sentence, the idea is that his character/attitude is stubborn, not just the manner in which he does one action, so teimoso (adjective) is correct.

Could I change the word order and say Ele continua teimoso, por mais que a médica explique?

Yes, that word order is perfectly possible and natural:

• Por mais que a médica explique, ele continua teimoso.
• Ele continua teimoso, por mais que a médica explique.

Both are grammatical and mean the same.

Differences in feel:

• Starting with por mais que puts more emphasis on the effort/condition (the doctor explaining).
• Starting with Ele continua teimoso emphasizes the result first (his stubbornness), and then adds the concessive part as a kind of comment.

Could I use another verb instead of continuar, like ficar or permanecer? Would the meaning change?

Yes, but there are nuances:

• continuar teimoso
  
  • Idea of ongoing state: he remains / keeps being stubborn.
• ficar teimoso
  
  • Often means to become / to end up in a state:
    
    • Por mais que a médica explique, ele fica teimoso.
      → Suggests he becomes stubborn as a reaction (he gets more stubborn when she explains).
• permanecer teimoso
  
  • More formal, similar to continuar, meaning to remain:
    
    • Por mais que a médica explique, ele permanece teimoso.
      → Grammatically fine, but sounds more formal/literary.

In everyday European Portuguese, continuar teimoso is very natural and colloquial.

If the subject were plural, how would the sentence change?

You’d adjust the verb and the adjective to plural, but por mais que and a médica stay the same (still one doctor). For example:

• Por mais que a médica explique, eles continuam teimosos.
  
  • eles continuam (they continue)
  • teimosos (stubborn – masculine plural)

If both doctor and patients were plural:

• Por mais que as médicas expliquem, eles continuam teimosos.
  
  • as médicas (the doctors, feminine plural)
  • expliquem (subjunctive plural)
  • eles continuam teimosos (they stay stubborn)

Is por mais que always followed by the subjunctive, even with other verbs?

Yes, in this concessive sense (no matter how much / even if / however much), por mais que is followed by the subjunctive, regardless of the verb:

• Por mais que ele se esforce, não consegue.
  (No matter how much he tries, he can’t manage it.)
• Por mais que seja difícil, vamos tentar.
  (No matter how hard it is, we’ll try.)
• Por mais que estudes, estás sempre nervoso.
  (No matter how much you study, you’re always nervous.)

So the pattern is:
Por mais que + verb in the subjunctive, then a main clause with the result that doesn’t change.