Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Embora haja lama, os sapatos estão limpos. - Even though there is mud, the shoes are clean.

Embora haja lama, os sapatos estão limpos.

Even though there is mud, the shoes are clean.

Breakdown of Embora haja lama, os sapatos estão limpos.

haver

to be (there is / there are)

estar

to be (temporary / location)

Questions & Answers about Embora haja lama, os sapatos estão limpos.

Why does this sentence use haja instead of há for 'there is'?

The word embora (even though / although) always triggers the subjunctive mood. Because of this, the normal present tense há (there is) must change to its present subjunctive form, haja.

Is haja a regular verb conjugation?

No, haja is the present subjunctive of haver (to be / to exist), and it is highly irregular. You will use this specific word frequently whenever a sentence requires you to say 'there is' or 'there are' in the subjunctive.

Why do we use estão instead of são for 'are clean'?

We use the verb estar (estão) because being clean is a temporary state. If you used ser (são), it would imply that the shoes are permanently clean by their very nature, which is rarely true for shoes!

Does the sentence still mean the same thing if I put embora in the middle?

Yes! You can switch the order and say: Os sapatos estão limpos, embora haja lama. The meaning is identical, and embora still forces the verb haver into the subjunctive form (haja).