Breakdown of Por muy cualificado que estés, la reclutadora te va a descartar.
muy
very
estar
to be (location/state)
ir
to go
a
to
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
te
to you / yourself (reflexive) / you (direct object)
por muy … que
no matter how (concessive, before 'very' + adjective)
cualificado
qualified
el reclutador
the recruiter
descartar
to rule out
Questions & Answers about Por muy cualificado que estés, la reclutadora te va a descartar.
Why does this sentence use the subjunctive estés?
Could I use the indicative estás here instead?
You can use the indicative if you want to emphasize the person's qualification as a hard, established fact that you are conceding. However, for the true 'no matter how' meaning where the trait is treated as an obstacle that doesn't change the result, the subjunctive estés is the standard and most natural choice.
Why do we use estar (estés) with cualificado instead of ser (seas)?
I know descartar means 'to discard', but is it commonly used for people?
Yes, in the context of recruitment, sports, or dating, descartar is the standard verb for 'to rule out', 'to pass on', or 'to reject' a candidate. It doesn't carry the harsh, trash-related nuance that 'discarding a person' might have in English.
Is it also correct to say va a descartarte instead of te va a descartar?
Absolutely. As a quick refresher: when you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive, you can place the object pronoun (te) either right before the conjugated verb (te va a descartar) or attached to the end of the infinitive (va a descartarte). Both mean the exact same thing.
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