Breakdown of Pese a que surja una eventualidad, tienen que adaptar el plan.
tener
to have
una
a, an (feminine)
el plan
the plan
que
that / than
surgir
to arise / to come up
pese a que
despite the fact that
la eventualidad
contingency
adaptar
to adapt
Questions & Answers about Pese a que surja una eventualidad, tienen que adaptar el plan.
Why is surja in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative (surge)?
Because the contingency is hypothetical, not an established fact. This highlights the core of your current lesson: when pese a que is followed by the subjunctive, it translates as "even if." If you used the indicative (surge), it would state a known fact, changing the meaning to "even though a contingency is arising."
What does eventualidad mean here? Is it a false friend?
It can be a bit misleading. While it translates to "eventuality," English speakers sometimes use that word to imply something that will definitely happen eventually. In Spanish, una eventualidad specifically means an unforeseen circumstance, a contingency, or a chance event that might or might not happen. This sense of uncertainty is exactly why it triggers the subjunctive here.
Are pese a que and a pesar de que completely interchangeable in this sentence?
Yes, they are. You could say A pesar de que surja una eventualidad and the meaning remains exactly the same. Pese a que is just slightly more formal and very common in written Spanish, but both trigger the exact same subjunctive vs. indicative rules.
Since this is a hypothetical "even if" scenario, could I use the past subjunctive (surgiera)?
Only if you also change the main verb. Using the past subjunctive makes the hypothetical feel more remote ("even if a contingency were to arise"), which requires the conditional tense for the main action: ...tendrían que adaptar el plan (they would have to adapt the plan). Because this sentence uses the present tense tienen que, it requires the present subjunctive surja.
Learn Pese a que surja una eventualidad, tienen que adaptar el plan and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free