Lo compré ayer; el material es bastante flexible, aunque el cartel es enorme.

to be

Breakdown of Lo compré ayer; el material es bastante flexible, aunque el cartel es enorme.

• yo: I
• comprar: to buy
• lo: it
• ayer: yesterday
• el material: the material
• enorme: enormous
• bastante: quite
• flexible: flexible
• aunque: even though

Questions & Answers about Lo compré ayer; el material es bastante flexible, aunque el cartel es enorme.

Why is the direct object pronoun lo used in Lo compré ayer?

In Spanish, lo is the masculine singular direct object pronoun (also sometimes used neutrally). Since el cartel is masculine (and you’re referring to “the poster” or “the sign”), lo serves as the appropriate pronoun here—“I bought it yesterday.”

Could you say La compré ayer instead?

You wouldn’t say la unless the thing you purchased was a feminine noun (like la mesa or la revista). Because el cartel is masculine, lo is correct.

What does bastante mean in this context?

Bastante generally means “quite” or “fairly” and can also mean “enough.” In this sentence, el material es bastante flexible would be equivalent to saying “the material is quite flexible” in English.

Why use aunque here instead of pero?

Aunque translates to “although” or “even though” and highlights a contrast—“the material is pretty flexible, although (even though) the sign is huge.” Pero is more like “but” and doesn’t necessarily convey the same idea of concession or contrast that aunque does.

What’s the difference between es enorme and está enorme?

• Es enorme is the standard way to describe a characteristic that is inherent or typical: “it is huge.”
• Está enorme can suggest a temporary state or emphasize surprise at its size, but in many contexts es enorme is the natural choice for something’s fixed size.

What is the typical word order for time expressions like ayer?

Spanish has flexibility with adverbs of time. You’ll often see them at the end or beginning of a sentence (Ayer lo compré or Lo compré ayer). Both are grammatically correct. Placing ayer at the end emphasizes when it happened; at the beginning, it sets the time tone immediately.