Question 1

Why doesn't não obstante have the preposition de after it, like apesar de does?

Accepted Answer

Unlike apesar de (which means in spite of), não obstante takes the following noun directly without a preposition. So you say não obstante o bom currículo (notwithstanding the good résumé), whereas you would have to combine the preposition and article to say apesar do bom currículo.

Question 2

If I wanted to use a verb instead of the noun currículo, what tense would follow não obstante?

Accepted Answer

When não obstante introduces a clause with a conjugated verb, it requires the subjunctive mood. For example, to say 'notwithstanding that he had a good résumé', it would be não obstante tivesse um bom currículo. However, because our sentence just uses a noun phrase (o bom currículo), you don't need to worry about complex verb rules here.

Question 3

Is lamentavelmente just a more formal way of saying infelizmente?

Accepted Answer

Yes, exactly. Infelizmente (unfortunately) is extremely common in everyday speech. Lamentavelmente (regrettably) is more formal and elevates the tone, perfectly matching the professional context of a job rejection and the use of the formal connector não obstante.

Question 4

Why use the passive voice foi admitido here instead of an active phrasing like não admitiram o candidato?

Accepted Answer

Both are grammatically correct, but the passive voice (foi admitido) sounds more formal and impersonal. In professional or administrative contexts, like discussing job applicants, Portuguese often uses the passive voice to focus on the result rather than pointing directly to who made the decision.

Lamentavelmente, o candidato não foi admitido, não obstante o bom currículo.

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