Question 1

Why do we use the unconjugated verb estar right after apesar de?

Accepted Answer

Apesar de means "despite" or "in spite of". In Portuguese, when both parts of the sentence have the same subject (here, ele), you simply use the infinitive (the dictionary form of the verb) right after apesar de. This is the Portuguese way of saying "Despite being...".

Question 2

Why are we using estar instead of ser for "being"?

Accepted Answer

The verb estar is used for temporary states or conditions. Since being tired is a temporary physical feeling and not a permanent personality trait, we must use estar muito cansado rather than ser.

Question 3

Could I say Apesar de ele estar to make it clearer who is tired?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can! You could include the pronoun to make it Apesar de ele estar muito cansado... (Despite him being very tired...). However, since the second half of the sentence already states that ele (he) is the subject, leaving the pronoun out in the first half is very common and natural.

Question 4

Why does it say ao topo instead of no topo?

Accepted Answer

The verb chegar (to arrive) usually pairs with the preposition a (to) to indicate a destination. Topo (top) is a masculine noun that takes the definite article o (the). When we combine the preposition a with the article o, they contract into ao (to the).

Question 5

What would happen to the word cansado if the subject was a woman?

Accepted Answer

The adjective cansado (tired) describes the subject, so it must agree in gender and number. If the subject were female (ela), you would have to change the adjective to the feminine form: Apesar de estar muito cansada...

Apesar de estar muito cansado, ele quer chegar ao topo.

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