Formal Notifications and Não obstante
Receiving a rejection letter or waitlist notification from a university is never fun, but it is a great place to see highly formal Portuguese in action. When institutions want to express a contrasting idea or an overcome obstacle (like saying "in spite of"), they often use the formal connector não obstante.
Não obstante + Noun ("Notwithstanding")
In its most common form, não obstante functions like a formal version of apesar de (despite). It translates closely to "notwithstanding" and is followed directly by a noun phrase. It can appear at the beginning or the end of the sentence.
| The university received the application, notwithstanding the delay. | A universidade recebeu a candidatura, não obstante o atraso. |
| Notwithstanding your aptitude, you do not meet the criteria. | Não obstante a tua aptidão, não cumpres os critérios. |
Não obstante as "Nevertheless"
You will also see não obstante used to connect two complete, independent thoughts, functioning exactly like "nevertheless" or "however". In these cases, it usually follows a semicolon and is set off by a comma.
| Your average is great; nevertheless, the application was refused. | A tua média é ótima; não obstante, a candidatura foi recusada. |
| They showed aptitude; nevertheless, they were not admitted in this phase. | Eles mostraram aptidão; não obstante, não foram admitidos nesta fase. |
Delivering the News
Formal correspondence naturally relies on a higher register of vocabulary. Words like the adverb lamentavelmente (regrettably) and the verb admitir (to admit) are frequently paired with não obstante to politely deliver bad news.
| Regrettably, the candidate was not admitted, notwithstanding the good résumé. | Lamentavelmente, o candidato não foi admitido, não obstante o bom currículo. |