Spanish 6.5. Use of “Aunque,” “Si Bien,” and “A Pesar de”

Level I 1. Alphabet & Pronunciation 1.1. Syllable Stress 2. Similarities to English 2.1. Plural 2.2. Negation 2.3. Punctuation & Written Accents 3. Cardinal Numbers 4. Subject Personal Pronouns 5. Present Indicative Tense I 6. The Articles 7. Prepositions 8. Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives 9. Basic Phrases Level II 1. Gender of Nouns & Adjectives 2. Present Indicative Tense II – Irregular Verbs 3. The Verb “To Be”: “Ser” vs. “Estar” 4. Future Tense 5. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns 6. Demonstrative Adjectives & Pronouns 7. Object Personal Pronouns 7.1. Combining Direct & Indirect Object Personal Pronouns 8. Relative Pronouns 9. Ordinal Numbers I 10. Times & Seasons Level III 1. Verbs Like “Gustar” 2. “Por” vs. “Para” 3. The Verb “To Know”: “Saber” vs. “Conocer” 4. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns 5. Present Progressive Tense 6. Present Perfect Tense 7. Special Uses of “Haber” & “Tener” 8. Telling Time & Describing Weather 9. Adverbs 9.1. The Adverbs “Tan,” “Solo,” “También,” “Tampoco,” “Vez,” & “Veces” 9.2. Other Adverbs & Adverbial Phrases 10. Directions Level IV 1. Degrees of Comparison: Comparatives & Superlatives 2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect 3. Conjunctions 4. Reflexive Pronouns & Verbs 5. The Verb “Soler” 6. Time Expressions: Todavía, Aún, Ya, Hace, Acabar, & Desde 7. Present Subjunctive Tense I 8. Personal “a” 9. Future Perfect Tense Level V 1. Irregular Verbs in The Preterite 2. Imperative Mood & Giving Commands 3. Expressions of Pain & Illness 4. Simple Conditional Tense 5. Present Subjunctive Tense II 6. Perfect Subjunctive Tense 7. Imperfect Subjunctive Tense 8. Past & Conditional Progressive Tenses 9. Interjections Level VI 1. Ordinal Numbers II 2. “Would/Should/Could Have …” 3. Pluperfect Indicative Tense 4. Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense 5. Use of “Aunque,” “Si Bien,” and “A Pesar de” 6. Verbs of Change 7. Reflexive Passive, Impersonal, & Accidental “Se” 8. Diminutives & Augmentatives 9. Use of “Vos” in Some Spanish-Speaking Countries 10. Uses of “Ojalá” in Spanish
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In this lesson, we discuss the differences in the use of “aunque,” “si bien,” and “a pesar de” in Spanish, meaning “although,” “despite,” or “even though.”

“Aunque” & “Si Bien”

 “Aunque” and “si bien” convey the same meaning of “although” or “even though” if followed by the indicative. Consider the following examples:

Aunque/Si bien no quiero comer, iré al café contigo.Although I don’t want to eat, I will go to the café with you.
Aunque/Si bien hice mucho ejercicio, no bajé de peso.Even though I exercised a lot, I didn’t lose weight.

On the other hand, “aunque” conveys the meaning of “even if” when followed by the subjunctive. Here are some examples:

Aunque no quiera comer, iré al café contigo.Even if I don’t want to eat, I will go to the café with you.
Aunque haga mucho ejercicio, no bajo de peso.Even if I exercise a lot, I don’t lose weight.

Notice that only “aunque,” and not “si bien,” can be used in these examples, followed by the subjunctive. “Si bien” can only be followed by the indicative mood.

“A Pesar de”

A pesar de” means “despite or “in spite of. It can be used in one of three formulas:

1. A pesar de + Infinitive, for example:

A pesar de estar cansado, quiero salir con mis amigos.In spite of being tired, I want to go out with my friends.

2. A pesar de + Noun, for example:

A pesar de las advertencias, Ana sigue fumando.Despite the warnings, Ana continues to smoke.

3. A pesar de que + Indicative Tense, for example:

A pesar de que estoy triste, voy a celebrar mi cumpleaños.Despite the fact that I am sad, I will celebrate my birthday.

Next: Verbs of Change

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