Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi hermana tuvo suerte y encontró la mejor ubicación para la alfombra. - My sister had good luck and found the best location for the rug.

The preterite narrates completed, one-time events in the past. Here, both “being lucky” and “finding the best location” are seen as finished happenings in a specific moment. Using the imperfect would suggest ongoing background states or repeated actions, which isn’t the idea.

Could I say tenía suerte or encontraba instead?

You could, but it changes the meaning:

Tenía suerte suggests she was in a lucky streak or generally lucky at that time.
Encontraba would suggest habitual or ongoing searching and finding. The original implies a single occasion: she got lucky and found it.

Why use tener in tuvo suerte instead of ser or estar?

Spanish idiomatically uses tener with certain nouns: tener suerte, tener hambre, tener prisa, etc. Alternatives exist:

Estar de suerte (common in Latin America): Mi hermana estuvo de suerte.
Tener la suerte de + infinitive: Tuvo la suerte de encontrar… (slightly more formal/emphatic).

Why is there no article in tuvo suerte? Why not tuvo una suerte?

Suerte is generally uncountable in this expression, so no article is used. You can use the definite article in the set phrase tuvo la suerte de + infinitive when specifying the lucky action: Tuvo la suerte de encontrar…

Does encontró ever mean “met” a person?

Yes, but typically with the reflexive/pronominal form: se encontró con alguien = “ran into/met someone.” Plain encontrar + direct object means “to find” a thing: encontró la mejor ubicación.

Should there be a personal a before la mejor ubicación?

No. The personal a is used with direct objects that are people (and often pets). Ubicación is inanimate, so you just say encontró la mejor ubicación, not encontró a la mejor ubicación.

Why is it la mejor ubicación and not la ubicación mejor?

Adjectives usually follow nouns, but certain adjectives—like mejor, peor, mayor, menor—commonly come before. La ubicación mejor can work in a contrastive/comparative context, but la mejor ubicación is the neutral, most natural phrasing for “the best location.”

Is it okay to say el más bueno lugar or la más buena ubicación?

No. Mejor is the irregular comparative/superlative of bueno and is the correct form: mejor (better/best). Más bueno can appear in colloquial speech to mean “nicer/kinder” (of a person), but not for general “better/best” of things.

What’s the nuance of ubicación vs. lugar or sitio?

Ubicación emphasizes position/placement, often a bit more technical or specific.
Lugar is the most general and common “place.”
Sitio is close to lugar, often informal. In everyday speech many would say el mejor lugar para la alfombra.

Why use para in para la alfombra and not por or de?

Para marks purpose/recipient: the location intended for the rug.
Por would express cause, means, or movement through (not intended here).
De would mean “of the rug” (the rug’s current location), which changes the meaning.

Why is it la alfombra (feminine)? Are there regional words?

Alfombra is feminine; many nouns ending in -a are feminine. In Latin America, you may also hear:

Tapete (very common in Mexico) for “rug.” Avoid the false friend carpeta (it means “folder/binder,” not carpet).

Should it be su alfombra to show it’s her rug?

You can say su alfombra if possession matters. La alfombra implies a specific, context-known rug (e.g., the one in that room). Spanish often uses the definite article when the item is understood, even if English might use a possessive.

Should y change to e before encontró?

No. Y only changes to e before words starting with the “i” sound (including words beginning with silent h + i), e.g., padre e hijo, agua e hielo. Encontró starts with “e,” so y stays y.

Is mejor the superlative here?

Yes. La mejor = “the best.” Mejor serves as both comparative (“better”) and superlative (“best”) depending on context and articles. There’s no need for más.

There are two la’s. Are these pronouns?

No, both are definite articles:

la mejor ubicación (feminine noun ubicación)
la alfombra (feminine noun alfombra) They are not object pronouns in this sentence.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

H is silent: hermana = er-MAH-nah.
Stress the accented syllables: encontró (en-con-TRÓ), ubicación (u-bi-ca-CIÓN).
In much of Latin America, c before i/é sounds like an “s”.
V in tuvo sounds like b: TOO-bo.
Y as a conjunction sounds like “ee.”

Can I drop the subject and say Tuvo suerte y encontró…?

Yes. Spanish allows subject omission. However, 3rd person is ambiguous without context, so keeping Mi hermana may help clarity in isolation.

Is Le encontró el mejor lugar a la alfombra acceptable?

Many speakers would accept this with an indirect object “le” (dative of interest), especially in Latin America: it’s like saying “She found the rug the best spot.” The more neutral version is Encontró el mejor lugar para la alfombra.

Could I add an infinitive for clarity, like para poner la alfombra?

Yes: …encontró el mejor lugar para poner la alfombra makes the purpose explicit (“for placing the rug”). Both versions are fine.

Why not lo mejor ubicación?

Because lo is a neuter article used with adjectives functioning as nouns (e.g., lo mejor = “the best thing”). When modifying a feminine noun (ubicación), use the regular feminine article and adjective: la mejor ubicación.