Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi amiga dice que no es que el coro sea perfecto; aun así, cada ensayo la hace feliz. - My friend says it’s not that the choir is perfect; even so, each rehearsal makes her happy.

No es que el coro sea perfecto, pero canta bastante bien.
It’s not that the choir is perfect, but it sings quite well.
No es que no quiera ir, es que estoy cansado.
It’s not that I don’t want to go; it’s that I’m tired.

So no es que el coro sea perfecto is a fixed, idiomatic type of structure that requires the subjunctive (sea), not the indicative (es).

What exactly does the structure no es que + subjunctive mean here?

It adds a nuance of partial denial or clarification.

No es que el coro sea perfecto doesn’t just mean “the choir is not perfect.”
It’s more like:

It’s not that the choir is perfect (as some might think / as it might seem)…

It suggests:

There is an idea or expectation in the air (e.g., “maybe you think she loves the choir because it’s perfect”).
The speaker wants to correct or qualify that idea.

Then the second part gives the real point:
aun así, cada ensayo la hace feliz
even so, each rehearsal makes her happy.

So overall: My friend says it’s not that the choir is perfect; even so, each rehearsal makes her happy.

Why do we say aun así here, and how is it different from aunque or sin embargo?

Aun así is a connector meaning roughly “even so / nevertheless / despite that.”

It refers to what was just said and introduces a somewhat contrasting idea.
It often comes at the beginning of the clause, like here: Aun así, …

Comparison:

aun así ≈ even so
Emphasizes: despite what we just said…
aunque ≈ although / even though
Normally introduces a subordinate clause:
- Aunque el coro no es perfecto, cada ensayo la hace feliz.
  Although the choir isn’t perfect, each rehearsal makes her happy.
sin embargo ≈ however / nevertheless
Slightly more formal; also contrasts with previous idea:
- No es que el coro sea perfecto; sin embargo, cada ensayo la hace feliz.

All three express contrast, but:

aun así directly picks up the previous statement and says: Even so…
aunque is used to start a subordinate clause, not as a free-standing connector.
sin embargo is more formal and closer to however.

What’s the difference between aun and aún in Spanish, and which one is this?

In the sentence we have aun así (without accent).

Traditionally:

aún (with accent) ≈ “still / yet” (time):
- Aún vive en Madrid. – He still lives in Madrid.
- No ha llegado aún. – He hasn’t arrived yet.
aun (no accent) ≈ “even / including / also” or in fixed phrases like aun así:
- Aun los expertos se equivocan. – Even experts make mistakes.
- Aun así, fue una buena experiencia. – Even so, it was a good experience.

In modern usage, many native speakers don’t always respect this distinction strictly, but aun así is a very common set expression and is essentially always written aun (no accent).

In cada ensayo la hace feliz, what does la refer to, and why is it there?

La is a direct object pronoun referring to mi amiga (which is feminine singular).

Breakdown:

cada ensayo – each rehearsal (subject)
la – her (direct object pronoun = “makes her”)
hace feliz – makes [someone] happy

So literally:
cada ensayo la hace feliz = each rehearsal makes her happy.

Why is it needed?

Spanish doesn’t normally omit object pronouns like English can:

English: Each rehearsal makes Ø happy. (We can leave out “her” if it’s obvious from context.)
Spanish: You need to mark who is made happy: la (her), lo (him), etc.

It could be made even more explicit as:

Cada ensayo la hace feliz a ella.
Each rehearsal makes her happy (her in particular).

But a ella is optional; la is obligatory here.

Why is it la hace feliz and not hace la feliz?

Spanish clitic pronouns like me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las follow strict placement rules:

With a simple conjugated verb (like hace), the pronoun goes before the verb:
- la hace feliz – correct
- hace la feliz – incorrect (sounds foreign)
With infinitives and gerunds, it can attach after:
- hacerla feliz – to make her happy
- haciéndola feliz – making her happy
With affirmative commands, it also attaches after:
- Hazla feliz. – Make her happy.

So in this sentence (normal present tense), the only correct order is la hace feliz.

Why is it el coro and not la coro? How do I know the gender?

In Spanish, coro is a masculine noun, so it takes el:

el coro – the choir

Unfortunately, grammatical gender often has to be memorized with each noun. There are some general tendencies:

Many nouns ending in -o are masculine: el libro, el perro, el coro
Many ending in -a are feminine: la casa, la mesa, la orquesta

But there are exceptions, so with each new noun it’s best to learn it together with el or la:

el coro (choir)
la orquesta (orchestra)

Once you know el coro is masculine, adjectives and articles will agree in gender if used:

el coro perfecto – the perfect choir

Could we say Mi amiga dice que el coro no es perfecto; aun así, cada ensayo la hace feliz instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct, but the nuance changes slightly.

el coro no es perfecto – straightforward factual statement: the choir is not perfect.
no es que el coro sea perfecto – It’s not that the choir is perfect…
This sounds more nuanced and conversational, as if you’re responding to an implied assumption like “Maybe you think she loves it because it’s perfect.”

So:

Mi amiga dice que el coro no es perfecto…
→ She directly states that the choir isn’t perfect.
Mi amiga dice que no es que el coro sea perfecto…
→ She’s softening or qualifying the idea: “It’s not that the choir is perfect (far from it), but…”

The original version with no es que… sea is more idiomatic when you want to contrast “it’s not for this reason” with “but still, she’s happy.”