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Despite vs In spite of: diferencias, usos y ejemplos

🌧️ Despite vs In spite of: a pesar de todo, son casi iguales

Despite e in spite of significan exactamente lo mismo: «a pesar de». La única diferencia es que in spite of tiene una preposición extra (of) y despite no necesita of. En esta guía verás cómo usarlos correctamente con sustantivos, gerundios y la estructura «the fact that».

🎯 En este post aprenderás: la equivalencia total entre despite e in spite of, las tres estructuras principales (sustantivo, gerundio, the fact that), ejemplos de contraste, y 5 ejercicios para fijar el uso.

⚖️ Regla de oro: son sinónimos, pero ojo con la preposición

📌 DESPITE = IN SPITE OF (a pesar de)

Despite + noun / -ing // In spite of + noun / -ing

¡Atención! A diferencia de otras preposiciones, despite NUNCA lleva «of». «Despite of» es un error muy común.

✅ DESPITE

Despite the rain, we went out.

Despite being tired, she kept working.

Despite the fact that it rained, we enjoyed it.

Sin «of»

✅ IN SPITE OF

In spite of the rain, we went out.

In spite of being tired, she kept working.

In spite of the fact that it rained, we enjoyed it.

Siempre con «of»

📊 Tabla comparativa: estructuras posibles

Estructura	Ejemplo con Despite	Ejemplo con In spite of
+ sustantivo	Despite the noise, he slept.	In spite of the noise, he slept.
+ pronombre / nombre	Despite her age, she runs.	In spite of her age, she runs.
+ gerundio (-ing)	Despite feeling ill, she went.	In spite of feeling ill, she went.
+ the fact that	Despite the fact that it rained…	In spite of the fact that it rained…
+ what / how / etc.	Despite what they say, I trust him.	In spite of what they say, I trust him.

🔍 Análisis detallado con ejemplos

1. Despite / In spite of + sustantivo

La estructura más común: van seguidos de un sustantivo (o pronombre).

Despite the bad weather, the party was a success.
In spite of his injury, he finished the race.
Despite everything, I still love you.

2. Despite / In spite of + gerundio (-ing)

Cuando queremos usar un verbo, lo convertimos en gerundio. El sujeto del gerundio puede ser el mismo de la oración principal o puede llevar un posesivo.

In spite of having a lot of money, he’s unhappy.
Despite knowing the answer, she remained silent.
Despite his crying, the mother didn’t pick him up.

3. Despite / In spite of + the fact that + oración

Si necesitas un verbo conjugado (con sujeto y tiempo verbal), añade «the fact that». Es la única manera de usar despite/in spite of con una oración completa.

Despite the fact that it was raining, we went hiking.
In spite of the fact that he studied hard, he failed the exam.
Despite the fact that she’s very young, she’s very mature.

Alternativa: se puede sustituir por «although» + oración (aunque). Although it was raining, we went hiking.

4. Despite / In spite of + what / how / etc.

También pueden ir seguidos de pronombres interrogativos (what, how, etc.) para referirse a algo implícito.

Despite what you think, I’m not angry.
In spite of how difficult it was, we succeeded.

⚠️ Errores mortales que debes evitar

❌ «Despite of» no existe

El error más común: ✘ Despite of the rain → ✔ Despite the rain.

❌ «In spite» sin «of»

✘ In spite the rain → ✔ In spite of the rain.

❌ Usar «despite» como «although»

✘ Despite it rained → ✔ Despite the fact that it rained o Although it rained.

🧪 5 ejercicios prácticos

Ejercicio 1: Elige la opción correcta

______ (Despite / Despite of) the high price, we bought it.
He passed the exam ______ (in spite / in spite of) not studying.
______ (Despite / In spite) the fact that she’s rich, she’s unhappy.
They arrived on time ______ (despite of / despite) the traffic jam.
______ (In spite of / In spite) being tired, she went to the gym.

✅ Ver soluciones

Despite the high price. (nunca despite of)
in spite of not studying. (in spite of + gerundio)
Despite the fact that… (in spite of the fact that también sería válido, pero aquí falta «of»)
despite the traffic jam.
In spite of being tired.

Ejercicio 2: Corrige los errores

Despite of the cold, we went swimming.
In spite the delay, they waited patiently.
Despite she was ill, she came to work.
In spite of of the noise, he slept.
Despite of what they say, I trust her.

✅ Ver correcciones

Despite the cold. (quitar of)
In spite of the delay. (añadir of)
Despite the fact that she was ill o Although she was ill.
In spite of the noise. (solo un of)
Despite what they say. (sin of)

Ejercicio 3: Completa con despite / in spite of + la forma correcta

______ (be) rich, he lives very simply.
______ (the fact that) it was expensive, she bought it.
______ (his age), he still plays tennis.
______ (what she said), I think she’s honest.
______ (have) a headache, he went to the party.

✅ Ver soluciones

Despite / In spite of being rich…
Despite / In spite of the fact that it was expensive…
Despite / In spite of his age…
Despite / In spite of what she said…
Despite / In spite of having a headache…

Todas son válidas con despite o in spite of.

Ejercicio 4: Traduce al inglés usando despite / in spite of

A pesar de la lluvia, salimos a correr.
A pesar de estar enfermo, fue al trabajo.
A pesar de que es difícil, lo intentaré.
A pesar de su fama, es muy humilde.
A pesar de lo que digan, lo haré.

✅ Ver soluciones

Despite / In spite of the rain, we went running.
Despite / In spite of being ill, he went to work.
Despite / In spite of the fact that it’s difficult, I’ll try.
Despite / In spite of his fame, he’s very humble.
Despite / In spite of what they say, I’ll do it.

Ejercicio 5: Completa el texto

«______ the fact that he had little money, he decided to travel. ______ his parents’ objections, he bought a plane ticket. ______ being scared of flying, he felt excited. ______ what anyone said, he knew it was the right decision. ______ all the difficulties, he had the best trip of his life.»

✅ Ver soluciones

«Despite / In spite of the fact that he had little money, he decided to travel. Despite / In spite of his parents’ objections, he bought a plane ticket. Despite / In spite of being scared of flying, he felt excited. Despite / In spite of what anyone said, he knew it was the right decision. Despite / In spite of all the difficulties, he had the best trip of his life.»

Todas las opciones son válidas; recuerda no mezclar «of» con despite.

🧠 Mapa mental: Despite / In spite of

DESPITE (sin of)
- + noun: despite the rain
- + -ing: despite feeling ill
- + the fact that + clause
- + what / how…
IN SPITE OF (con of)
- + noun: in spite of the rain
- + -ing: in spite of feeling ill
- + the fact that + clause
- + what / how…
NO pueden ir seguidos de that + oración (sin the fact).

🌍 Uso en exámenes oficiales

📘 Cambridge B2 First (Use of English part 3 – word formation)

A veces piden transformar «although» en «despite». Recuerda: Although it rained → Despite the rain / Despite the fact that it rained.

Example: Although he was tired, he continued. → ______ his tiredness, he continued. (Despite)

📖 Glosario relacionado

Término	Definición
Concession	Concesión, expresión que indica algo a pesar de un obstáculo.
Gerund	Forma -ing del verbo que funciona como sustantivo.
Subordinate clause	Oración subordinada (the fact that…).
Although / even though	Conjunciones con significado similar pero seguidas de oración.