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AdvancedConcessive Clauses
How languages express that something is true despite contrary expectations in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Concessive clauses express that the main clause holds despite what the subordinate clause says. Spanish uses aunque with subjunctive or indicative. English uses although/though/even if. Chinese uses 虽然...但是 or 即使...也.
Overview
Concessive clauses express that the main clause holds despite the content of the subordinate clause.
- Spanish: Aunque takes indicative for factual concessions and subjunctive for hypothetical ones. Prepositional phrases (a pesar de, pese a) also express concession.
- English: Uses although, though, even though, even if, while. No mood distinction. Never combine although and but.
- Chinese: Uses the paired construction 虽然…但是. 即使…也 expresses hypothetical concession. 尽管 is a stronger, more formal variant.
Spanish
Aunque + indicative (factual concession)
When the concessive clause is a known fact:
- Aunque llueve, salgo. (Although it IS raining, I’m going out.)
- Aunque está cansado, trabaja. (Although he IS tired, he works.)
- Aunque no tengo dinero, voy a comprarlo. (Although I don’t have money, I’m going to buy it.)
Aunque + subjunctive (hypothetical concession)
When the concessive clause is hypothetical or uncertain:
- Aunque llueva, saldré. (Even if it rains, I’ll go out.)
- Aunque no venga, la fiesta continuará. (Even if he doesn’t come, the party will continue.)
- Aunque me lo pidas, no te lo daré. (Even if you ask me, I won’t give it to you.)
Note: This distinction is unique to Spanish among the three languages.
A pesar de que / Pese a que
Like aunque, these can take indicative or subjunctive:
- A pesar de que está enfermo, vino. (Despite the fact that he IS sick, he came.)
- A pesar de que esté enfermo, vendrá. (Despite the possibility that he may be sick, he’ll come.)
A pesar de / Pese a + noun/infinitive
- A pesar de la lluvia, salí. (Despite the rain, I went out.)
- Pese a todo, sigue adelante. (Despite everything, he keeps going.)
- A pesar de estar cansado, trabaja. (Despite being tired, he works.)
Aun + adjective/adverb
- Aun así, no cambió. (Even so, he didn’t change.)
- Aun con todo eso, no estoy de acuerdo. (Even with all that, I disagree.)
Si bien (while/although)
More formal than aunque:
- Si bien entiendo tu punto, no estoy de acuerdo. (While I understand your point, I disagree.)
- Si bien es cierto que… (While it is true that…)
Y eso que (and that considering)
Colloquial emphatic concession:
- Y eso que no tengo dinero. (And that despite not having money.)
- Vino, y eso que está enfermo. (He came, and that despite being sick.)
Siquiera (even if / at least)
- No lo haría aunque me lo pidieras. (I wouldn’t do it even if you asked me.)
- Ni siquiera lo intentó. (He didn’t even try.)
English
Although / Though / Even though
- Although it is raining, I’ll go.
- Though I understand, I disagree.
- Even though he is tired, he works.
Position: Can begin the sentence or follow the main clause:
- Although it is raining, I’ll go.
- I’ll go, although it is raining.
Even if
Hypothetical concession:
- Even if it rains, I’ll go.
- Even if he doesn’t come, the party will continue.
Despite / In spite of
Prepositional, followed by noun or -ing:
- Despite the rain, I went out.
- In spite of being tired, he works.
- Despite the fact that he is sick, he came.
Note: Despite and in spite of are prepositions, not conjunctions. They cannot be followed by a finite clause directly (use the fact that).
While / Whereas
Formal or contrastive:
- While I understand your point, I disagree.
- Whereas he is rich, I am poor.
No matter
- No matter what happens, I’ll stay.
- No matter how hard it is, I’ll try.
- No matter who asks, I won’t tell.
Granted that
- Granted that he is talented, he still needs to work hard.
- I admit he’s smart. Even so, I don’t trust him.
Though as adverb (sentence-final)
Informal British English:
- It’s hard work. I enjoy it, though.
- He didn’t win. He tried hard, though.
As + adjective + as
Concessive comparative:
- Try as he might, he couldn’t open it.
- Much as I like him, I wouldn’t hire him.
Chinese
虽然…但是 (although…but)
The standard Chinese concessive construction uses BOTH halves:
- 虽然下雨，但是我还是去。(Although it’s raining, I still go.)
- 虽然他很累，但还是工作。(Although he’s tired, he still works.)
Note: Unlike English, Chinese uses both 虽然 and 但是 together.
尽管…还是/也
尽管 is a stronger, more formal variant of 虽然:
- 尽管下雨，他还是去了。(Despite the rain, he still went.)
- 尽管如此，我不同意。(Despite this, I disagree.)
即使…也 (even if)
Hypothetical concession:
- 即使下雨，我也去。(Even if it rains, I’ll go.)
- 即使他不来，派对也继续。(Even if he doesn’t come, the party continues.)
哪怕…也 (even if — colloquial)
- 哪怕下雨，我也去。(Even if it rains, I’ll go.)
- 哪怕很难，我也要试试。(Even if it’s hard, I’ll try.)
不管/无论…都/也 (no matter)
- 不管发生什么，我都留下。(No matter what happens, I’ll stay.)
- 无论多难，我都要试。(No matter how hard, I’ll try.)
- 不管谁问，我都不说。(No matter who asks, I won’t tell.)
固然…但是/不过
Acknowledging a point while disagreeing:
- 固然他很聪明，但是不够努力。(Granted he is smart, but he doesn’t work hard enough.)
不过 / 可是 (but — weaker variants)
- 虽然下雨，不过我还是去。(Although it’s raining, however, I still go.)
- 虽然很难，可是我会试。(Although it’s hard, I will try.)
Comparison at a glance
| Type | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factual although | aunque + indicative | although / though | 虽然…但是 |
| Hypothetical even if | aunque + subjunctive | even if / even though | 即使…也 |
| Despite + noun | a pesar de / pese a | despite / in spite of | 尽管… |
| No matter | no importa / pase lo que pase | no matter / whatever | 不管/无论…都/也 |
| While (concessive) | si bien | while / whereas | 虽然… |
| Granted | concedido que | granted that / admittedly | 固然…但是 |
Examples
In Context
| Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Aunque llueve, salgo. / Aunque llueva, saldré. | Although it is raining, I’ll go. / Even if it rains, I’ll go. | 虽然下雨，但是我还是去。 |
| A pesar de la lluvia, salí. | Despite the rain, I went out. | 尽管下雨，我还是出去了。 |
| Aunque no venga, la fiesta continuará. | Even if he doesn’t come, the party will continue. | 即使他不来，派对也继续。 |
Common mistakes
-
Spanish speakers learning English: Although it rains, but I’ll go → Although it rains, I’ll go (no but)
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Aunque llueve for hypothetical → Aunque llueva (subjunctive for hypothetical)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 虽然下雨，我去 → 虽然下雨，但是我去 (但是 required)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: Although…but → Although… (no but in English)
Related topics
- Conditionals: How if-clauses work
- Correlatives: How paired constructions work
- Discourse Connectors: How contrast is signaled at discourse level
- Subjunctive: How mood encodes hypothetical meaning
Examples
Although it rains, I'll go
Aunque llueva, saldré (subjunctive = concession)
Even if it rains, I'll go
Aunque llueva / Incluso si llueve
Despite the rain
A pesar de la lluvia / Pese a la lluvia
No matter what
No importa qué / Pase lo que pase
While I understand, I disagree
Si bien entiendo, no estoy de acuerdo
Granted that...
Concedido que...
Whether...or...
Bien...bien... / Ya...ya...
Concessive mood marker
Subjunctive (aunque llueva) vs indicative (aunque llueve)
Examples
Although it rains, I'll go
Although it is raining, I'll go
Even if it rains, I'll go
Even if it rains, I'll go
Despite the rain
Despite the rain / In spite of the rain
No matter what
No matter what / Whatever
While I understand, I disagree
While I understand, I disagree
Granted that...
Granted that... / Admittedly...
Whether...or...
Whether...or...
Concessive mood marker
None
Examples
Although it rains, I'll go
虽然下雨，但是我还是去
Even if it rains, I'll go
即使下雨，我也去
Despite the rain
尽管下雨 / 不顾下雨
No matter what
无论如何 / 不管怎样
While I understand, I disagree
虽然我明白，但不同意
Granted that...
即便... / 不可否认...
Whether...or...
无论...还是...
Concessive mood marker
也 / 都 (universal concessive particle)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Although it rains, I'll go | Aunque llueva, saldré (subjunctive = concession) | Although it is raining, I'll go | 虽然下雨，但是我还是去 |
| Even if it rains, I'll go | Aunque llueva / Incluso si llueve | Even if it rains, I'll go | 即使下雨，我也去 |
| Despite the rain | A pesar de la lluvia / Pese a la lluvia | Despite the rain / In spite of the rain | 尽管下雨 / 不顾下雨 |
| No matter what | No importa qué / Pase lo que pase | No matter what / Whatever | 无论如何 / 不管怎样 |
| While I understand, I disagree | Si bien entiendo, no estoy de acuerdo | While I understand, I disagree | 虽然我明白，但不同意 |
| Granted that... | Concedido que... | Granted that... / Admittedly... | 即便... / 不可否认... |
| Whether...or... | Bien...bien... / Ya...ya... | Whether...or... | 无论...还是... |
| Concessive mood marker | Subjunctive (aunque llueva) vs indicative (aunque llueve) | None | 也 / 都 (universal concessive particle) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Although it rains, I'll go | Aunque llueva, saldré (subjunctive = concession) | Although it is raining, I'll go | 虽然下雨，但是我还是去 |
| Even if it rains, I'll go | Aunque llueva / Incluso si llueve | Even if it rains, I'll go | 即使下雨，我也去 |
| Despite the rain | A pesar de la lluvia / Pese a la lluvia | Despite the rain / In spite of the rain | 尽管下雨 / 不顾下雨 |
| No matter what | No importa qué / Pase lo que pase | No matter what / Whatever | 无论如何 / 不管怎样 |
| While I understand, I disagree | Si bien entiendo, no estoy de acuerdo | While I understand, I disagree | 虽然我明白，但不同意 |
| Granted that... | Concedido que... | Granted that... / Admittedly... | 即便... / 不可否认... |
| Whether...or... | Bien...bien... / Ya...ya... | Whether...or... | 无论...还是... |
| Concessive mood marker | Subjunctive (aunque llueva) vs indicative (aunque llueve) | None | 也 / 都 (universal concessive particle) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
Although it rains, I'll go
Spanish
Aunque llueva, saldré (subjunctive = concession)
English
Although it is raining, I'll go
Chinese
虽然下雨，但是我还是去
Even if it rains, I'll go
Spanish
Aunque llueva / Incluso si llueve
English
Even if it rains, I'll go
Chinese
即使下雨，我也去
Despite the rain
Spanish
A pesar de la lluvia / Pese a la lluvia
English
Despite the rain / In spite of the rain
Chinese
尽管下雨 / 不顾下雨
No matter what
Spanish
No importa qué / Pase lo que pase
English
No matter what / Whatever
Chinese
无论如何 / 不管怎样
While I understand, I disagree
Spanish
Si bien entiendo, no estoy de acuerdo
English
While I understand, I disagree
Chinese
虽然我明白，但不同意
Granted that...
Spanish
Concedido que...
English
Granted that... / Admittedly...
Chinese
即便... / 不可否认...
Whether...or...
Spanish
Bien...bien... / Ya...ya...
English
Whether...or...
Chinese
无论...还是...
Concessive mood marker
Spanish
Subjunctive (aunque llueva) vs indicative (aunque llueve)
English
None
Chinese
也 / 都 (universal concessive particle)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Aunque takes indicative for factual concessions and subjunctive for hypothetical ones. Prepositional phrases (a pesar de, pese a) also expre.
English: Uses although, though, even though, even if, while. No mood distinction. Never combine although and but.
Chinese: Uses the paired construction 虽然... 但是. 也 expresses hypothetical concession. 尽管 is a stronger, more formal vari.
Key concepts compared: Although it rains, I'll go, Even if it rains, I'll go, Despite the rain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Spanish use the subjunctive for hypothetical concessions and the indicative for factual ones?
Why is 'although...but' ungrammatical in English but required in Chinese?
How do Chinese 即使 (jíshǐ) and English 'even if' differ in their concessive force?
References
- Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
- The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
- A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981
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Last updated: June 4, 2026