Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Siempre llevo un plano urbano en papel, aunque también tenga veinte aplicaciones en el móvil. - I always carry a paper city map, although I also have twenty apps on my phone.

Siempre tengo un plano urbano en papel
= I always have a paper city map (I own one / I possess one, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I physically have it with me).

So:

llevar → to carry, to have with you:
- Siempre llevo gafas de sol en el bolso.
  “I always carry sunglasses in my bag.”
tener → to possess / have:
- Siempre tengo gafas de sol.
  “I always have (own) sunglasses.”

Here, the idea is “I carry it around”, so llevo is the natural choice.

Why is it un plano urbano and not un mapa? What’s the difference?

In everyday Peninsular Spanish:

plano = map of a city, town, building, subway system.
It’s usually flat, small-scale, detailed, more “street-level”.
mapa = map of countries, regions, the world, a continent, etc.

So:

un plano urbano = a city map, specifically.
un mapa de España = a map of Spain.
un mapa del mundo = a world map.

You can say un mapa de la ciudad and people will understand, but plano (urbano / de la ciudad) is more precise and natural for a street map.

Why is urbano after plano, not before it? Could I say urbano plano?

Most adjectives in Spanish usually go after the noun:

un plano urbano
un café solo
una casa grande

Some adjectives can go before or after with a slightly different nuance, but urbano is not used before plano in this sense.
Urbano plano is not correct here.

Other possible, natural orders:

un plano de la ciudad (same idea, more neutral)
un plano urbano en papel (original)

But the adjective position here (after the noun) is the standard one.

What does en papel literally mean? Why not de papel?

en papel = literally “on paper”, meaning a printed / physical format.
- Siempre guardo una copia en papel.
  “I always keep a paper copy.”
de papel = literally “made of paper”, focusing on the material.
- Una bolsa de papel. = “A paper bag.”
- Un vaso de papel. = “A paper cup.”

In this sentence we’re not emphasising the material, but the contrast of format:

en papel (on paper)
vs
en el móvil (on the phone)

So en papel is the natural choice.

Why is it aunque también tenga with tenga (subjunctive), not tengo?

Aunque can be followed by indicative or subjunctive, with a nuance difference.

Aunque tengo veinte aplicaciones en el móvil…
→ The speaker states this as a straight fact (I definitely have 20 apps).
Aunque también tenga veinte aplicaciones en el móvil…
→ Subjunctive (tenga) adds a more concessive / contrastive tone:
“even though I (also) have twenty apps on my phone”.
It slightly downplays the apps as something that doesn’t change the main point (I still carry a paper map).

In spoken Peninsular Spanish, people very often use the subjunctive after aunque when they want this “yes, but still…” feeling.

Grammatically, aunque también tengo is not wrong, but tenga sounds more natural and emphatically concessive here.

What exactly does aunque mean here – “although” or “even though”?

In this context, aunque is best understood as “even though” or “although”:

Siempre llevo un plano urbano en papel, aunque también tenga veinte aplicaciones en el móvil.
= “I always carry a paper city map, even though I also have twenty apps on my phone.”

Because of the subjunctive tenga, the nuance is stronger:

It doesn’t matter that I have all those apps; I still carry a paper map.

So “even though” captures the feeling very well in English.

Why is it en el móvil and not en mi móvil? Don’t we need “my”?

In Spanish, you don’t always need a possessive where English does.

With things that are obviously the speaker’s own, Spanish often uses just the article:

Tengo el móvil en la mochila.
Literally: “I have the phone in the backpack.”
Meaning: “I have my phone in my backpack.”

Here:

veinte aplicaciones en el móvil
→ Naturally understood as “twenty apps on my phone”.

You can say en mi móvil, and it’s not wrong, just more explicit than necessary in a neutral context. En el móvil is very idiomatic in Spain.

Why is móvil used? I’ve also seen celular or teléfono. Are they different?

This is mostly a regional difference:

Spain (Peninsular Spanish):
- el móvil = mobile phone / cell phone
- el teléfono = phone in general (landline or mobile, depending on context)
Latin America (many countries):
- el celular = cell phone
- el móvil is rare or sounds foreign in this sense.

So this sentence is in European Spanish:

veinte aplicaciones en el móvil
= “twenty apps on my phone / cell phone”.

If you want Latin-American Spanish, you’d typically say:

veinte aplicaciones en el celular.

Is the word order with siempre llevo fixed? Could I say llevo siempre?

The word order is flexible, with a small nuance difference:

Siempre llevo un plano urbano en papel…
→ Most common; siempre before the verb is very natural.
Llevo siempre un plano urbano en papel…
→ Also correct; slightly more emphasis on the habit of carrying it.

Both are fine in everyday speech.
You wouldn’t normally say:

Llevo un plano urbano en papel siempre
(possible, but sounds less natural / a bit clunky here).

So: Siempre llevo… and Llevo siempre… are both good; the version with siempre before the verb is the most typical.

Why is tengo in the present tense, not something like “estoy teniendo” for “I am having”?

In Spanish, the present simple often covers both:

English “I have”
and habitual ideas like “I usually / always have”.

You almost never say estoy teniendo for possession or apps:

Tengo veinte aplicaciones en el móvil.
= “I have twenty apps on my phone.”
(NOT Estoy teniendo veinte aplicaciones… – that sounds wrong.)

Estar + gerundio (estoy teniendo) is used for ongoing actions, not for general possession:

Estoy comiendo. = “I am eating (right now).”
Estoy leyendo. = “I am reading (right now).”

So tengo is the normal, correct form here.

Does también have to go before tenga? Could we move it?

You have some freedom with también:

…aunque también tenga veinte aplicaciones en el móvil.
…aunque tenga también veinte aplicaciones en el móvil.

Both are correct. The most natural here is:

también tenga (adverb before the verb).

Placing it after the verb (tenga también) can slightly emphasise the “also”:

…aunque tenga también veinte aplicaciones en el móvil.
→ “even though I have twenty apps as well on my phone.”

But in everyday conversation, también tenga is probably the most common.

Why is there a comma before aunque? Is it required?

The comma before aunque here separates two clauses:

Siempre llevo un plano urbano en papel,
aunque también tenga veinte aplicaciones en el móvil.

In writing, this comma is standard and recommended because:

The second clause introduces a contrast (“even though…”).
The pause makes the sentence clearer.

In very simple or short sentences you might sometimes see no comma, but with this kind of concessive clause (aunque + subjunctive), the comma is the norm in careful writing.

Could I say the same idea more simply, in a way that’s still natural in Spain?

Yes. Some natural variants in Peninsular Spanish:

Siempre llevo un plano de la ciudad, aunque tenga muchas aplicaciones en el móvil.
(“I always carry a city map, even though I have many apps on my phone.”)
Siempre llevo un mapa en papel, aunque tenga un montón de apps en el móvil.
(more colloquial, with un montón de and apps borrowed from English)
Aunque tengo muchas aplicaciones en el móvil, siempre llevo un plano urbano en papel.
(same idea, with aunque + indicativo; fully correct, slightly different nuance)

All of these would sound natural to a speaker from Spain.