Breakdown of Ainda que a pronúncia dele seja boa, ele tem um sotaque forte.
ser
to be
ele
he
ter
to have
um
a / an / some (all forms)
bom
good
dele
his (forms: dela, deles, delas)
forte
strong
ainda que
even if / even though
a pronúncia
the pronunciation
o sotaque
the accent
Questions & Answers about Ainda que a pronúncia dele seja boa, ele tem um sotaque forte.
Why is seja in the subjunctive, but tem is in the indicative?
The phrase ainda que means "even if" or "even though" and it always triggers the subjunctive mood for the verb right after it, because it sets up a hypothetical or contrasting idea. That is why we use seja. The second part of the sentence (ele tem...) is the main clause stating a concrete fact, so it just uses the normal indicative.
Why use the verb ser (seja) rather than estar (esteja) for his pronunciation?
In Portuguese, a person's pronunciation is seen as a lasting characteristic or skill, rather than a temporary condition. Because it is a permanent trait, we use ser (which becomes seja in the present subjunctive) rather than estar.
Why does the sentence use dele instead of the possessive sua?
You could say a sua pronúncia, but the word sua can mean "his", "hers", "yours", or "theirs". Putting dele (a contraction of de + ele, meaning "of him") after the noun is a very common way to completely avoid confusion and clarify exactly who you are talking about.
What is the exact difference between pronúncia and sotaque here?
Pronúncia means "pronunciation" — how correctly you form the sounds of the words. Sotaque means "accent" — the regional or foreign flavor in your voice. This sentence makes sense because a learner can articulate Portuguese sounds perfectly (boa pronúncia) but still sound like a foreigner (sotaque forte).
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