No quiero dudar a pesar del contratiempo.

I do not want to doubt despite the mishap.

Breakdown of No quiero dudar a pesar del contratiempo.

• yo: I
• querer: to want
• el: the
• dudar: to doubt
• el contratiempo: the mishap
• a pesar de: despite

Questions & Answers about No quiero dudar a pesar del contratiempo.

Why is the verb dudar in the infinitive form here?

In Spanish, after verbs like querer ("to want"), it's standard to use the infinitive form to express the action that the subject wants (or doesn't want) to carry out. Therefore, since the speaker is saying they do not want to doubt, dudar remains in its infinitive form.

What does a pesar del mean?

A pesar del translates to "in spite of the" or "despite the." It combines a pesar de ("in spite of") with el, the masculine article. Because contratiempo is masculine, a pesar de + el becomes a pesar del.

Could we say a pesar de el contratiempo instead?

Not usually. In Spanish, de and el must contract into del before a masculine singular noun. Writing a pesar de el contratiempo would be seen as incorrect.

Why do we use the article el in front of contratiempo?

Since contratiempo is a masculine noun referring to an unexpected difficulty or setback, we use the masculine article el. It indicates a specific or general occurrence of that concept.

Could the sentence be written as No quiero dudar a pesar de un contratiempo?

Yes, that is also grammatically acceptable. However, using un contratiempo would imply "any setback," whereas el contratiempo might suggest a specific setback. The nuance changes slightly depending on whether you're referring to a particular setback or a more general idea.