Breakdown of Apesar de a discoteca estar animada, eles estão fartos e vão-se embora.
e
and
eles
they (m)
estar
to be (temporary / location)
apesar de
despite
animado
excited
farto
fed up
a discoteca
the nightclub
ir-se embora
to go away
Questions & Answers about Apesar de a discoteca estar animada, eles estão fartos e vão-se embora.
How does the expression ir-se embora work in vão-se embora?
To say to leave or to go away, Portuguese uses the pronominal verb ir-se embora. This means the verb ir must be paired with a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject. Since the subject is eles, we use vão and the pronoun se. It attaches to the verb with a hyphen (vão-se) because it is in an affirmative main clause.
Why didn't we contract de and a to make da in Apesar de a discoteca?
In Portuguese, you cannot contract a preposition with the article of the subject that belongs to a following verb. Because a discoteca is the subject of the verb estar, the a must stay separate from the de in apesar de. This rule helps keep the subject of an action clearly detached from the preposition.
Why is the infinitive estar used instead of a conjugated verb?
The phrase apesar de is typically followed by the personal infinitive. In this clause, the subject is a discoteca (a third-person singular subject, like it), so the personal infinitive form is simply estar. If the subject were plural, it would change to estarem.
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