Breakdown of A pesar de que la boda tiene problemas, la pareja sobrelleva el estrés.
tener
to have
el problema
the problem
el estrés
the stress
la pareja
the couple
la boda
the wedding
a pesar de que
even though / despite the fact that (stronger concession)
sobrellevar
to cope with
Questions & Answers about A pesar de que la boda tiene problemas, la pareja sobrelleva el estrés.
Why do we use the indicative verb tiene after a pesar de que instead of the subjunctive?
In concessive clauses (phrases starting with words like "even though" or "despite"), we use the indicative when stating a known, established fact. The speaker is confirming that the wedding definitely has problems right now. If they were talking about a hypothetical scenario that may or may not happen ("Even if the wedding has problems..."), they would use the subjunctive tenga.
Would the meaning change if I swapped a pesar de que for pese a que?
Not at all. Pese a que and a pesar de que are completely interchangeable here. Both mean "even though" or "despite the fact that," and both trigger the indicative verb tiene when you are declaring an acknowledged fact.
What is the nuance of using sobrelleva here instead of a word like soporta?
Could I drop the que and just say A pesar de la boda tiene problemas?
No, if you follow the phrase with a conjugated verb like tiene, you must use the full connector a pesar de que. If you want to drop the que, you have to drop the verb and just use a noun phrase, such as: A pesar de los problemas de la boda... (Despite the wedding's problems...).
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