B2 · Unit 11 · 40 words, 2 texts with translation
Deal with paperwork and long lines
Get through a government office when a paper is missing and the line won't move: talk about bureaucracy and patience, and say "even if" and "despite" in Spanish.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Aunque + subjunctive: "even if"
You already know aunque + the normal form (indicative) — "although": Aunque llueve, salgo — Although it's raining, I'm going out. The rain is a fact (B1, unit 5).
Now the second meaning. When the obstacle is not a fact but only a possibility (it may happen or it may not), aunque takes the subjunctive, and in English it's "even if". The idea is: "even if that's true, it won't change anything." Offices answer you like this, and you say it too when you're not going to give up.
| After aunque | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| normal form (present, past) | "although": it is or was true | Aunque tengo cita, llevo una hora esperando. — Although I have an appointment, I've been waiting for an hour. |
| present subjunctive | "even if": maybe it's true, maybe not | Aunque tenga cita, tendrá que esperar. — Even if you have an appointment, you'll have to wait. (formal) |
| haya + past participle (unit 9) | "even if... already" | Aunque haya pagado la tasa, necesito el justificante. — Even if you've already paid the fee, I need the receipt. (formal) |
The other half of the sentence usually has the future, the present or a request:
- Aunque llueva, iré a la oficina. — Even if it rains, I'll go to the office. Compare: Aunque llueve, voy — Although it's raining, I'm going (it's raining right now).
- Aunque me digan que no, volveré mañana. — Even if they say no, I'll come back tomorrow.
- No te van a atender aunque llegues a las siete. — They won't see you even if you get there at seven.
How to choose. Ask yourself: am I stating something that is true, or only allowing that it might be? Stating ("although") — normal form. Allowing ("even if") — subjunctive.
A common mistake. English uses the plain present after "even if": "even if it rains tomorrow". So it's tempting to say ✗ aunque mañana llueve, iré. But for something that hasn't happened yet, Spanish needs the subjunctive: aunque mañana llueva, iré.
A pesar de: "despite" with a noun, a verb or que
You've already seen a pesar de ("despite, in spite of") as a set phrase (B1, unit 28). Now let's look at what comes after it. There are three options, and your choice decides the verb form.
| What comes next | How to build it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a noun | a pesar de + noun | A pesar de la lluvia, había mucha gente. — Despite the rain, there were a lot of people. |
| a verb, same person | a pesar de + infinitive | A pesar de tener cita, esperé dos horas. — Despite having an appointment, I waited two hours. |
| a whole clause with its own subject | a pesar de que + normal form | A pesar de que llegué temprano, no me atendieron. — Despite the fact that I got there early, they didn't see me. |
English works much the same way: "despite the rain", "despite having an appointment", "despite the fact that I got there early".
After a pesar de que you almost always use the normal form: you name a fact that didn't stop something. The meaning is the same as aunque + normal form ("although"), only weightier: good for a story, a letter or a complaint. The subjunctive is possible here by the same rule as after aunque, but it's rare: for "even if", use aunque.
Also useful:
de+elcombine into del: a pesar del frío — despite the cold;- set phrases: a pesar de todo — "despite everything", a pesar de eso — "despite that";
- you can say the same thing in two sentences with aun así ("even so"): Tenía cita. Aun así, esperé dos horas. — I had an appointment. Even so, I waited two hours.
Common mistakes:
- dropping de: ✗ a pesar que → a pesar de que;
- a conjugated verb right after de, without que: ✗ a pesar de tengo cita → a pesar de tener cita or a pesar de que tengo cita.
Words in this unit
la documentación — documents, paperwork, documentation
¿Tiene toda la documentación? — Do you have all the documents? (formal)
el original — original
Necesito el original, no la copia. — I need the original, not the copy.
el justificante — proof, receipt, confirmation
Necesito un justificante de pago. — I need proof of payment.
la carpeta — folder
Todos mis papeles están en esta carpeta azul. — All my papers are in this blue folder.
el expediente — file, case file
Mi expediente está en otra oficina. — My file is at another office.
la fila — row, line (of people)
Los niños van en fila hasta la puerta. — The children walk in a line to the door.
sellar — to stamp
Tienen que sellar este papel. — They have to stamp this paper.
completar — to complete, to fill in
Completa este papel con tus datos. — Complete this form with your details.
incompleto — incomplete
Su expediente está incompleto. — Your file is incomplete. (formal)
insuficiente — insufficient, not enough
Una sola copia es insuficiente: necesitan dos. — Just one copy isn't enough: they need two.
sobrar — to be left over, to be too many
Me sobran dos copias. — I have two extra copies.
la burocracia — bureaucracy, red tape
No soporto la burocracia. — I can't stand bureaucracy.
el reglamento — regulations, rules
El reglamento dice que hay que traer el original. — The regulations say you have to bring the original.
la excepción — exception
No hacen excepciones. — They don't make exceptions.
estricto — strict
La mujer de la ventanilla es muy estricta. — The woman at the window is very strict.
rígido — rigid, inflexible
El horario es muy rígido. — The schedule is very rigid.
comprensivo — understanding
El chico de la ventanilla fue muy comprensivo. — The guy at the window was very understanding.
eterno — eternal, endless
La espera fue eterna. — The wait was endless.
interminable — never-ending, endless
La espera es interminable. — The wait is never-ending.
eficaz — effective
Es un método muy eficaz. — It's a very effective method.
la petición — request
Hice mi petición por escrito. — I made my request in writing.
el uniforme — uniform
Los policías llevan uniforme azul. — Police officers wear blue uniforms.
anotar — to write down, to note down
Anota el número de teléfono. — Write down the phone number.
recurrir — to turn to, to appeal
Si no me ayudan, recurriré a un abogado. — If they don't help me, I'll turn to a lawyer.
desesperarse — to lose patience, to despair
Me desespero cuando nadie contesta. — I lose patience when nobody answers.
desesperante — maddening, exasperating
Es desesperante esperar sin información. — It's maddening to wait without any information.
resignarse — to resign yourself (to), to accept
Me resigno a esperar. — I resign myself to waiting.
la frustración — frustration
Siento mucha frustración. — I feel a lot of frustration.
la impotencia — helplessness, powerlessness
Sentí impotencia: no podía hacer nada. — I felt helpless: I couldn't do anything.
la pesadilla — nightmare
Hacer los papeles es una pesadilla. — Doing the paperwork is a nightmare.
el milagro — miracle
¡Es un milagro que hoy no haya cola! — It's a miracle there's no line today!
sobrevivir — to survive
Sobreviví a tres horas de espera. — I survived three hours of waiting.
aun así — even so, still, anyway
Estaba cerrado. Aun así, esperamos. — It was closed. Even so, we waited.
por mucho que — no matter how much
Por mucho que insistas, no te harán excepciones. — No matter how much you insist, they won't make exceptions for you.
a primera hora — first thing in the morning
Vengo a primera hora, antes de que abran. — I come first thing in the morning, before they open.
por si fuera poco — on top of that, to top it all off
Perdí el turno y, por si fuera poco, me pusieron una multa. — I lost my place in line and, on top of that, they gave me a fine.
no obstante — nevertheless, however
Faltan dos papeles. No obstante, le atenderemos hoy. — Two papers are missing. Nevertheless, we'll see you today. (formal)
armarse de paciencia — to be patient, to summon your patience
Hay que armarse de paciencia con la burocracia. — You have to be very patient with bureaucracy.
bostezar — to yawn
Bostezo porque no he dormido. — I'm yawning because I haven't slept.
gruñón — grumpy, grouch
Mi vecino es muy gruñón por la mañana. — My neighbor is really grumpy in the morning.
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