Mi hermana ahorra para unos vaqueros, y el descuento es buenísimo para ella.

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Questions & Answers about Mi hermana ahorra para unos vaqueros, y el descuento es buenísimo para ella.

Why is vaqueros plural in Spanish when jeans feels singular in English?

In Spanish, los vaqueros (or unos vaqueros) is grammatically plural. It literally refers to the garment as a pair of pants, similar to English trousers:

  • unos vaquerosa pair of jeans
  • los vaquerosthe jeans

So you almost always talk about jeans in the plural in Spanish. Saying un vaquero would normally be understood as a cowboy, not a pair of jeans.

What does unos add in para unos vaqueros? Why not just para vaqueros?

Unos is an indefinite article meaning some or a pair of here. It does two things:

  1. It shows that the noun is indefinite / not specific:
    • unos vaqueros = some jeans / a pair of jeans (not a specific pair already known)
  2. Without unos, para vaqueros sounds incomplete or more like for cowboys in general, not for jeans as an object.

Natural options are:

  • ahorra para unos vaqueros = she’s saving for some jeans
  • ahorra para unos pantalones vaqueros = she’s saving for some jeans (more explicit)

Simply para vaqueros is not idiomatic here if you mean the clothing.

Could I say pantalones vaqueros instead of just vaqueros?

Yes:

  • unos vaqueros
  • unos pantalones vaqueros

Both are correct and common in Spain. Vaqueros alone is very normal and colloquial; pantalones vaqueros is a bit more explicit and slightly more formal/neutral. The meaning is the same: jeans.

Why is it ahorra para unos vaqueros and not ahorra por unos vaqueros?

The verb ahorrar (to save money) almost always takes para when talking about what you are saving for:

  • ahorrar para algo = to save for something (goal/purpose)

Para expresses purpose or goal:

  • Ahorra para unos vaqueros. = She’s saving in order to buy jeans.

Using por here would sound wrong or, at best, very odd. Por is not used to introduce the goal of saving in this context.

Why doesn’t it say para comprar unos vaqueros? Isn’t something missing?

Spanish often omits verbs like comprar when the meaning is obvious:

  • Mi hermana ahorra para unos vaqueros.
    Mi hermana ahorra para comprar unos vaqueros.

The idea of buying is understood: you save money for the thing you want. So both versions are correct; the shorter one is just more concise and very natural.

Why is it ahorra and not está ahorrando if the saving is happening right now?

Spanish uses the simple present much more frequently than English to talk about current, ongoing actions:

  • Mi hermana ahorra para unos vaqueros.
    = She is saving for some jeans. / She saves for some jeans.

Está ahorrando is also correct and emphasizes right now / at this moment, but:

  • The simple present ahorra already covers is saving very well.
  • In neutral narration, Spaniards often prefer the simple present.

Both are possible; ahorra sounds perfectly natural and not at all incomplete.

Why is it Mi hermana without an article? Why not La mi hermana?

In Spanish, possessive adjectives like mi, tu, su, nuestro already include the idea of definiteness. You do not add an article:

  • mi hermana = my sister
  • tu hermano = your brother
  • su madre = his/her/their mother

La mi hermana is incorrect in standard Spanish. (That structure does exist in some older or dialectal varieties, but not in normal modern usage.)

Why el descuento and not un descuento?

Using el descuento suggests that both speaker and listener know which discount is being talked about: a specific sale, coupon, promotion, etc.

  • el descuento = the (specific) discount
  • un descuento = some (unspecified) discount

If the context is a known sale (for example, a store that has a particular discount right now), el descuento is natural. With no context, un descuento could also be correct; it just sounds less specific.

What does buenísimo mean exactly, and how is it different from muy bueno?

Buenísimo is the absolute superlative of bueno:

  • bueno = good
  • muy bueno = very good
  • buenísimo = extremely good / really great / fantastic

Nuance:

  • muy bueno: neutral emphasis, very good.
  • buenísimo: stronger, more expressive, often a bit more emotional or colloquial: really, really good.

So:

  • El descuento es muy bueno. = The discount is very good.
  • El descuento es buenísimo. = The discount is absolutely great / really amazing.
Why is it buenísimo and not buenísima, even though hermana and ella are feminine?

Adjectives agree with the noun they describe, not with the person who benefits.

In el descuento es buenísimo, the adjective describes el descuento:

  • descuento is masculine singular → buenísimo (masc. sing.)

The phrase para ella is just an indirect phrase showing who benefits; it doesn’t control agreement:

  • El descuento es buenísimo para ella.
  • La oferta es buenísima para ella. (here oferta is feminine, so buenísima)
Is para ella necessary? Could I just say …y el descuento es buenísimo?

You can drop para ella if the context makes it obvious who the discount benefits:

  • El descuento es buenísimo. = The discount is really great (in general).

Adding para ella does two things:

  1. It clarifies whose point of view / benefit we are talking about.
  2. It contrasts with other possible viewpoints (maybe it’s not so good for someone else).

So:

  • Without para ella: a general evaluation of the discount.
  • With para ella: it’s especially / particularly good for her.
Could I replace para ella with an indirect object pronoun, like le?

Yes, in a slightly different structure:

  • El descuento es buenísimo para ella.
  • El descuento le viene buenísimo. (very natural in Spain)

In le viene buenísimo:

  • le = to/for her (indirect object pronoun)
  • viene here means something like suits / works out / comes in handy

But you cannot simply say el descuento es buenísimo le; that is incorrect. With es, you need para ella (or para él / para ellos, etc.).

Is it okay to change the word order and say …y para ella el descuento es buenísimo?

Yes, that word order is also correct:

  • …y el descuento es buenísimo para ella.
  • …y para ella el descuento es buenísimo.

The second version:

  • Puts para ella first for emphasis (highlighting for her).
  • Is slightly more emphatic or contrastive: for her, the discount is fantastic (maybe for others it isn’t).

Both are grammatically fine and natural.