Meaning
even though, although
In a sentence
Esco lo stesso, malgrado la pioggia forte.
I'm going out anyway, despite the heavy rain.
Malgrado tutto, non ho cambiato idea.
Despite everything, I haven't changed my mind.
Sei venuto, malgrado stessi molto male?
Did you come even though you were feeling very sick?
Usage notes
- More formal/literary than anche se or nonostante. Common in writing, speeches, and journalism; less common in casual conversation.
- As a conjunction, it usually takes a clause: malgrado fosse tardi. Before a noun, it's often a preposition: malgrado la pioggia.
- Don't confuse it with despite in English word order. Italian still needs a full clause after it when used as a conjunction.