Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Ese libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil. - That book is interesting, but ours is easier.

In this sentence, ese libro is used because the book is understood as not right here with the speaker, but also not especially far away. In many real situations, ese is the default for “that” in Latin America when the thing is not immediately next to you.

All three forms are grammatically correct; which one you choose depends on distance (physical or mental) and what you want to emphasize.

Why is there an article before nuestro: el nuestro and not just nuestro?

Here nuestro is not being used as an adjective (our book), but as a possessive pronoun meaning “ours”.

In Spanish, possessive pronouns normally need a definite article:

el mío – mine
el tuyo – yours
el suyo – his / hers / yours / theirs
el nuestro – ours
el vuestro – yours (plural, mainly Spain)

So, el nuestro literally means “the one that is ours”.
You cannot normally drop the article here; *nuestro es más fácil is ungrammatical.

Why can we say el nuestro without repeating libro? Shouldn’t it be nuestro libro?

We already mentioned libro in ese libro, so in the second part we avoid repetition by using a possessive pronoun:

ese libro es interesante, pero nuestro libro es más fácil
→ correct but repetitive
ese libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil
→ more natural; el nuestro = our book

The noun (libro) is understood from context, so it’s dropped and replaced by the pronoun el nuestro. That’s exactly what possessive pronouns are for.

Why is nuestro masculine and singular here? Could it be nuestra / nuestros / nuestras?

Possessive pronouns agree in gender and number with the thing possessed, not with the people who own it.

The implied noun is libro, which is:

masculine (el libro)
singular

So we use:

el nuestro (masculine singular) → “ours” (masc. sg.)

Other examples:

esa casa es vieja, pero la nuestra es nueva
(that house is old, but ours is new)

Here casa is feminine singular, so we say la nuestra.

What kind of word is nuestro in this sentence? Is it an adjective or a pronoun?

In ese libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil:

nuestro is a possessive pronoun, because it replaces a noun:
- el nuestro = our one / our book

If you say nuestro libro, then nuestro is a possessive adjective (or determiner), because it comes before a noun:

nuestro libro es más fácil – our book is easier

So:

With a noun: possessive adjective → nuestro libro
Without a noun, with article: possessive pronoun → el nuestro

Why is interesante placed after libro? Could it be interesante libro?

The neutral word order is:

noun + adjective → libro interesante (interesting book)

This pattern is by far the most common, especially with descriptive adjectives.

Many adjectives can go before the noun, but then the nuance often changes or it sounds more literary, emotional, or idiomatic. Interesante libro is grammatically possible but:

sounds more stylized or emphatic (e.g., in a review or literary style)
is much less common in everyday speech

So ese libro es interesante is the natural, standard way to say it.

Why is it es interesante and not está interesante?

Both ser and estar can be used with some adjectives, but they change the meaning:

ser interesante = to be (in general) interesting as a permanent or inherent quality
estar interesante = to be interesting right now / at this point, as a more temporary state or current impression

In the sentence, the speaker is describing the book’s general quality, so es interesante is the normal choice.

You might hear está interesante in contexts like:

El libro está interesante ahora, pero al principio era aburrido.
(The book is interesting now, but at the beginning it was boring.)

Here we focus on the current stage of the reading, not the permanent nature of the book.

Why do we say más fácil and not just fácil?

Más is needed to express a comparison: “easier”.

fácil = easy
más fácil = easier (more easy)

Spanish doesn’t add an ending to the adjective like English does (-er). Instead it uses:

más + adjective = more + adjective / -er
- más fácil – easier
- más interesante – more interesting
- más grande – bigger

So es más fácil = is easier.

Why is there no que after más fácil (like más fácil que…)?

The full comparison would be:

Ese libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil que ese libro.

However, Spanish (like English) often omits the second term of comparison when it’s obvious from context:

English: That book is interesting, but ours is easier (than that one).
Spanish: Ese libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil (que ese).

So que + [other thing] is understood and can be left out when it’s clear.

Why do we need pero here, and not sino?

Both pero and sino can translate to “but”, but they’re used differently.

pero = “but”, to add contrast
sino = “but rather / but instead”, after a negation, to correct or replace something

In our sentence:

Ese libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil.
→ There is no negation, we just add a contrast (interesting vs. easier).
→ So pero is correct.

Examples with sino:

No es interesante, sino aburrido.
(It’s not interesting, but rather boring.)
No quiero ese libro, sino el nuestro.
(I don’t want that book, but rather ours.)

Because the first clause of our sentence is not negated, sino would be wrong here.

Why is there a comma before pero?

In Spanish, as in English, pero often connects two clauses that could stand as separate sentences:

Ese libro es interesante. El nuestro es más fácil.

When you join them with pero, you normally put a comma before it:

Ese libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil.

It’s standard punctuation to show the pause and the contrast between the two ideas.

Is this sentence used in Latin America the same way as in Spain, or is there any regional difference?

This particular sentence:

Ese libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil.

is perfectly natural and fully understood in both Latin America and Spain. There is no region-specific grammar or vocabulary here.

Minor regional variations might appear in pronunciation or intonation, but the structure and word choice are standard throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Could we replace ese with ese de allá or aquel? Would the meaning change?

You could say:

Ese libro de allá es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil.
Aquel libro es interesante, pero el nuestro es más fácil.

Both are correct. The nuance:

ese = that (not here, but not especially far)
ese de allá / aquel = that (further away, “over there”)

So the meaning is basically the same, but ese de allá / aquel suggests greater distance or a bit more emphasis on “that one over there.”