Learn Spanish (Latin America): Aunque ellos insistan, no somos capaces de eso. - Even if they insist, we are not capable of that.

Aunque ellos insistan, no somos capaces de eso.

Even if they insist, we are not capable of that.

Breakdown of Aunque ellos insistan, no somos capaces de eso.

Questions & Answers about Aunque ellos insistan, no somos capaces de eso.

Why use the subjunctive insistan instead of the indicative insisten here?

Because aunque is followed by the subjunctive, it translates to even if. It describes a hypothetical situation: they might insist, or they might not. If the speaker used the indicative (aunque ellos insisten), it would mean even though they insist, declaring it as a known fact that is currently happening.

Why is capaces spelled with a c instead of a z?

The singular adjective for capable is capaz. In Spanish, words that end in z change the z to a c before adding -es for the plural. Because the subject is we (nosotros), the plural capaces is required.

Why do we need the word de before eso?

The adjective capaz is almost always followed by the preposition de when you are saying what someone is capable of. It works just like English here: capable of that translates directly to capaz de eso.

Why use eso instead of ese or esa?

Eso is a neuter pronoun. You use it when referring to an abstract concept, a general situation, or a previous statement, rather than a specific masculine or feminine noun. Here, that refers to the unnamed action or idea they are being asked to do.