Breakdown of Los marineros pueden llegar al puerto a pesar de que no tengan capitán.
no
no, not
tener
to have
los
the (masculine plural)
al
to the
llegar
to arrive
poder
to be able to / can
a pesar de que
even though / despite the fact that (stronger concession)
el capitán
captain
el marinero
sailor
el puerto
port
Questions & Answers about Los marineros pueden llegar al puerto a pesar de que no tengan capitán.
Why is tengan in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative tienen?
This is the core of your current lesson! We use the subjunctive (tengan) after a pesar de que because it presents a hypothetical or unconfirmed situation. The speaker is saying 'even if they do not have a captain' (we do not know for sure if they do or do not). If we used the indicative (tienen), it would mean a known fact: 'despite the fact that they do not have a captain.'
Does a pesar de que always translate to 'even if'?
It can translate to 'even if', 'even though', or 'despite the fact that' depending on the verb mood that follows it. With the subjunctive (tengan), it means 'even if' because it represents a possibility. If the sentence used the indicative (tienen), it would translate to 'even though' because it would represent an established fact.
Why is it llegar al puerto and not llegar en el puerto?
In English, you 'arrive at' or 'arrive in' a location, but in Spanish, the verb llegar is followed by the preposition a to indicate the destination you are moving toward. Here, a combines with the masculine article el to form the contraction al.
Why is there no word for 'a' before capitán?
In Spanish, when you talk about having or lacking a standard affiliation, profession, or role using the verb tener, you usually drop the indefinite article (un or una). You only include it if you are adding a description, such as no tengan un capitán estricto (they do not have a strict captain).
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