Learn French: La pelote est chère, mais je l'achète tout de même. - The ball of yarn is expensive, but I am buying it all the same.

In French, concession connectors like tout de même (all the same) and quand même (anyway) usually go immediately after the conjugated verb. Here, it follows achète. Because there is no other information following the verb in this clause, the connector naturally falls at the end of the sentence.

Could I use quand même instead of tout de même here?

Yes, absolutely. You could say mais je l'achète quand même and it would mean exactly the same thing. Tout de même is just slightly more formal, but both are very common and interchangeable in everyday French.

What does the l' stand for in je l'achète?

The l' is a direct object pronoun replacing la pelote. Because the verb acheter (to buy) takes a direct object, you use la. It contracts to l' because achète starts with a vowel.

What kind of ball is a pelote?

A pelote specifically refers to a ball of string, yarn, or wool, such as une pelote de laine. If you were talking about a ball used in a sport or game, you would use un ballon for a large ball or une balle for a small one.