Concession: encara que, malgrat
Concession is "although, despite": the fact is admitted, and the conclusion does not change. Encara que + a clause with the ordinary tense, if the event is real: Encara que plou, anirem — although it rains, we will go. And if the event is only possible, the tense becomes subjunctive: Encara que plogui, anirem — even if it rains. For example: “Encara que plou, anirem a peu” — Although it rains, we will go on foot. A…
How it works
Concession is "although, despite": the fact is admitted, and the conclusion does not change. Encara que + a clause with the ordinary tense, if the event is real: Encara que plou, anirem — although it rains, we will go. And if the event is only possible, the tense becomes subjunctive: Encara que plogui, anirem — even if it rains.
Malgrat — "despite" — governs a noun: malgrat la pluja. With the conjunction "que" — malgrat que és tard — the variant is bookish. In speech it is displaced by tot i que — literally "all and although".
The order is free: the concession may also go to the end — Anirem, encara que plou. The comma is obligatory then.
Table
| frame | what follows | example |
|---|---|---|
| encara que | a clause (fact — indicatiu) | encara que plou, anirem |
| malgrat | a noun | malgrat la pluja |
| malgrat que / tot i que | a clause | tot i que és tard, truco |
By example
- Encara que plou, anirem a peuAlthough it rains, we will go on foot
- Malgrat la pluja, el mercat obreDespite the rain, the market is open
- Encara que demano descompte, no me'l donenAlthough I ask for a discount, they do not give me one
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Concession: how does it work in Catalan?
Concession is "although, despite": the fact is admitted, and the conclusion does not change. Encara que + a clause with the ordinary tense, if the event is real: Encara que plou, anirem — although it rains, we will go. And if the event is only possible, the tense becomes subjunctive: Encara que…
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Encara que plou, anirem a peu” — Although it rains, we will go on foot. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.