avoir beau

[alan gould]

the dictionary has the standard use of this: 

whatever/no matter what someone does/says, etc., 

on a beau faire — whatever you do; no matter what one does
on a beau protester — however much you protest
il a eu beau essayer — try as he might
On a beau dire, il n'est pas bête. — Say what you like, he's not stupid.

I looked up "avoir beau" after encountering it in the following two incomplete sentences from a blog: 

J’ai eu beau réfléchir et prendre en compte tout le monde, y compris les arrière-petits-cousins qu'on ne voit jamais

Ma réapparition a beau coïncider avec l’arrivée d’un printemps tardif et indécis, 

I should have taken the whole sentences.  The formula works for the first one  -- "no matter how much i thought about it"...

Is the second one, "however much my reappearance coincided with Spring's arrival..." 

merci d'avance 

 

[George Hunt]

Yes that's right but I think that "for all that..." might sound better.

I don't think you can have degrees of coincidence.