Mi mamá estaba a punto de cancelar la suscripción, aunque el precio fuera bajo.

to be

Breakdown of Mi mamá estaba a punto de cancelar la suscripción, aunque el precio fuera bajo.

• mi: my
• estar: to be
• la mamá: the mom

Questions & Answers about Mi mamá estaba a punto de cancelar la suscripción, aunque el precio fuera bajo.

Why is it fuera and not era after aunque?

Fuera is the imperfect subjunctive of ser, and it’s used here because of aunque, which often triggers the subjunctive.

• Aunque el precio era bajo = Although the price was low (the speaker presents the low price as a plain fact).
• Aunque el precio fuera bajo = Even though / although the price was low but with a stronger sense of:
  • concession (it doesn’t matter that it was low), or
  • something that goes against what you’d expect (you’d expect her not to cancel if it was low).

So fuera adds a nuance of “even though / no matter that,” instead of just reporting a fact. Grammatically, both are possible; the writer chose subjunctive for that concessive, slightly more “even though” feel.

What exactly does estaba a punto de cancelar mean, and how is it different from a simpler iba a cancelar?