Breakdown of Nonostante la bufera, avevamo iniziato il montaggio.
avere
to have
iniziare
to start
nonostante
despite / although (in spite of)
la bufera
storm
il montaggio
setup
Questions & Answers about Nonostante la bufera, avevamo iniziato il montaggio.
Why is there no 'che' after 'nonostante' here?
Nonostante can act as a preposition or a conjunction. When followed directly by a noun like la bufera, it acts as a preposition and doesn't need che (just like 'despite the storm' in English). You only add che when a verb follows, which would then require the subjunctive, for example: nonostante che la bufera fosse forte.
Could I use 'malgrado' instead of 'nonostante' in this sentence?
Yes, malgrado la bufera means exactly the same thing. Both nonostante and malgrado are concessive prepositions that can be used interchangeably directly before a noun to mean 'despite' or 'in spite of'.
Does 'nonostante' ever need a preposition like 'di' after it, similar to 'in spite of' in English?
No, nonostante and malgrado connect directly to the noun and its definite article. English speakers often accidentally say nonostante della bufera because they are translating 'in spite of', but in Italian, no extra preposition is used.
Why use the past perfect (avevamo iniziato) here instead of the passato prossimo (abbiamo iniziato)?
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