Imagine being a stand-up comedian facing a tough crowd. Sometimes, no matter how good your material is, the audience simply will not laugh. To express this idea of "no matter how [adjective]" or "however [adjective] it may be," Portuguese uses adjectival concessive clauses paired with the subjunctive mood.
Using "Por mais ... que"
The most common way to build this structure is by framing the adjective between por mais and que.
Because you are acknowledging a situation despite its degree or intensity, this structure triggers the Present Subjunctive (Presente do Conjuntivo). In the examples below, you will see the subjunctive forms for the verbs ser (to be), which becomes seja, and parecer (to seem), which becomes pareça.
| However brilliant the joke may be, the audience does not laugh. | Por mais genial que seja a piada, o público não ri. |
| No matter how indifferent the audience seems, he continues. | Por mais indiferente que a plateia pareça, ele continua. |
| No matter how awkward it is, he maintains the irony. | Por mais constrangedor que seja, ele mantém a ironia. |
Using "Por ... que"
You can also drop the word mais to create a more concise structure: por + adjective + que.
This variation has the exact same meaning ("however [adjective] it may be") and follows the same rules, strictly requiring the subjunctive mood for the following verb.
| However awkward the silence may be, the comedian does not give up. | Por constrangedor que seja o silêncio, o comediante não desiste. |
| No matter how brilliant the actor is, there is not a burst of laughter. | Por genial que seja o ator, não há uma gargalhada. |
| However bad the situation may be, he tries another joke. | Por má que seja a situação, ele tenta outra piada. |