Breakdown of Ellos desafían la regla con convicción.
ellos
they
con
with
la regla
the rule
la convicción
the conviction
desafiar
to challenge
Questions & Answers about Ellos desafían la regla con convicción.
Why does desafían have an accent mark on the i?
The verb desafiar ends in -iar. Normally, the i and a would blend into one syllable called a diphthong, with the natural stress falling on the strong vowel a. To place the stress on the weak vowel i instead, you must add an accent mark. This breaks the diphthong into two separate syllables (de-sa-fí-an).
Does desafiar mean to defy or to challenge?
It means both! It shares a root with the English word defy, and that is often a perfect translation. However, it is also the standard Spanish verb for to challenge (whether challenging an opponent, a rule, or a difficult concept). Likewise, the noun form el desafío is the most common way to say a challenge.
How would I apply this lesson's topic to say No matter how they challenge the rule...?
You would use the reduplicative subjunctive structure: Desafíen como desafíen la regla... Since you are talking about the manner in which they challenge it, you repeat the present subjunctive form of desafiar and connect the two verbs using como.
Why use con convicción instead of a single adverb?
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