Breakdown of Debemos enfrentar la adversidad, cueste lo que cueste.
costar
to cost
que
that / than
deber
must / should
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
enfrentar
to face
la adversidad
adversity
Questions & Answers about Debemos enfrentar la adversidad, cueste lo que cueste.
Why is cueste repeated and in the subjunctive?
This is a reduplicative subjunctive clause, a structure used to express indifference or inevitability, much like saying "no matter what" in English. The formula is [verb in subjunctive] + lo que + [same verb in subjunctive]. Because the actual cost is hypothetical or hasn't been determined yet, the subjunctive mood is required.
Is there a difference between enfrentar and enfrentarse a?
In Latin American Spanish, it is very common to use enfrentar directly with an object, as seen here with enfrentar la adversidad. The pronominal version enfrentarse a la adversidad is also completely correct and means the exact same thing. You will often hear both.
Why do we need the article la before adversidad if English just says "adversity"?
In Spanish, when you talk about an abstract concept in a general sense, you must use the definite article (el or la). This applies to words like adversidad (adversity), amor (love), or paz (peace).
If the main verb were in the past tense ("We had to face..."), would cueste lo que cueste stay the same?
No, the reduplicative clause needs to match the timeframe of the action. If you were talking about a past event, like Tuvimos que enfrentar la adversidad (We had to face adversity), the clause would shift to the imperfect subjunctive: costara lo que costara (whatever it cost).
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