Breakdown of Pese a que la boda civil fue corta, nos damos cuenta de que fue inolvidable.
ser
to be
corto
short
que
that / than
inolvidable
unforgettable
la boda
the wedding
darse cuenta de
to realize
pese a que
despite the fact that
civil
civil
Questions & Answers about Pese a que la boda civil fue corta, nos damos cuenta de que fue inolvidable.
Why is fue (indicative) used after pese a que instead of the subjunctive?
Because the fact that the wedding was short is a known, established reality. We use the indicative after pese a que when declaring a known fact ("even though it was"). If the speaker were talking about a hypothetical or future wedding ("even if the wedding were short"), they would use the subjunctive (fuera).
Is there a difference between pese a que and a pesar de que?
They mean exactly the same thing ("even though" or "despite the fact that") and are completely interchangeable. Pese a que can sound slightly more formal, but you will hear both frequently in everyday Spanish.
Why do we need the de in nos damos cuenta de que?
The expression for "to realize" is darse cuenta de. Because this verb phrase inherently requires the preposition de, you must keep it even when a que clause follows. Leaving it out is grammatically incorrect, though you might sometimes hear native speakers do it in fast speech.
Can I use pese a without the que?
Yes, but only if you follow it with a noun or an infinitive verb, not a conjugated verb. For example, you could say Pese a la corta boda civil (Despite the short civil wedding). Because our sentence uses a conjugated verb (fue), we must include the que.
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