Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Prefiero comprar un producto ecológico aunque sea un poco caro. - I prefer to buy an eco‑friendly product even if it is a bit expensive.

Prefiero = I prefer (1st person singular, present indicative of preferir)
You follow it directly with what you prefer:
- Prefiero café. – I prefer coffee.
- Prefiero comprar un producto ecológico. – I prefer to buy an eco-friendly product.

Using me prefiero would literally be I prefer myself, which is not what is meant here, so it would sound wrong in this context.

Why is it prefiero comprar instead of something like prefiero que compro?

With the same subject, Spanish usually uses verb + infinitive, not a subordinate clause:

Prefiero comprar un producto ecológico.
– I prefer to buy an eco-friendly product.

If you change the subject, then you use prefiero que + subjunctive:

Prefiero que tú compres un producto ecológico.
– I prefer that you buy an eco-friendly product.

So:

Same subject → prefiero + infinitive (comprar)
Different subject → prefiero que + subjunctive (compres)

Why is it un producto ecológico (singular) and not productos ecológicos (plural)?

Both are possible, but they change the nuance:

Prefiero comprar un producto ecológico…
– Focuses on one product in a given situation (for example, the item you’re buying now).
Prefiero comprar productos ecológicos…
– More general preference: eco-friendly products in general, usually or habitually.

In many real-life situations with a specific purchase in mind (e.g. picking one brand in a shop), Spanish will opt for the singular un producto ecológico.

What exactly does producto ecológico mean in Spain? Is it the same as organic?

In European Spanish, producto ecológico is the standard term for what in English is often organic product or eco-friendly product.

Rough guide:

Producto ecológico:
- Usually means certified according to EU regulations (farming/production respecting certain environmental and animal-welfare standards).
- You’ll see official labels (e.g. the green EU leaf logo) on food packaging.
In everyday speech in Spain, people very commonly say:
- comida ecológica, productos ecológicos, tienda ecológica, etc.

In many Latin American countries, orgánico or biológico is more common, but in Spain ecológico is the typical label on packaging and in shops.

Why is it aunque sea and not aunque es?

Here sea is the present subjunctive of ser.

With aunque, Spanish often alternates between indicative and subjunctive, depending on the speaker’s attitude:

Aunque es un poco caro…
– Uses indicative: the fact is presented as known / accepted reality: Even though it is a bit expensive (and we both know that it is)…
Aunque sea un poco caro…
– Uses subjunctive: the fact is treated as hypothetical, possible, or not the main concern:
- Even if it’s (might be) a bit expensive…
- or Even though it is (I accept that), but I downplay it.

In many real contexts, aunque sea can sound like:
> I accept that it’s (or may be) a bit expensive, but that won’t stop me.

So sea is chosen to express that this (being expensive) is not the decisive factor; it’s a concession.

Why sea and not esté? What’s wrong with aunque esté un poco caro?

Both ser and estar can work with caro, but they have different nuances:

ser caro = to be inherently / generally expensive (a characteristic)
- Este producto es caro. – This product is (generally) expensive.
estar caro = to be expensive at the moment, often compared to a normal price or expectation (a temporary or contextual state)
- Ahora la carne está muy cara. – Meat is very expensive right now.

In your sentence:

Aunque sea un poco caro → suggests this type of product is (by nature) a bit expensive, which fits the generic idea of eco products.
Aunque esté un poco caro → would focus more on its current price being high right now, compared to usual.

So sea (from ser) is more natural here because we’re talking about the kind of product rather than a temporary price change.

Why does ecológico come after producto? Could I say ecológico producto?

In Spanish, most descriptive adjectives usually go after the noun:

producto ecológico – eco-friendly / organic product
coche nuevo – new car
casa grande – big house

Ecológico producto is not correct in standard Spanish.

There are adjectives that can go before the noun (and sometimes change meaning when they do), e.g.:

un gran producto (great product) vs un producto grande (physically big product)

But ecológico is a regular descriptive adjective, so it naturally goes after the noun: un producto ecológico.

Why is it caro and not cara or caros?

Adjectives must agree with the gender and number of the noun they refer to:

Noun here: producto → masculine singular.
Therefore the adjectives agree:
- un producto ecológico (masc. sing.)
- un poco caro (masc. sing.)

Other combinations would be:

una chaqueta ecológica, un poco cara – feminine singular
productos ecológicos, un poco caros – masculine plural
casas ecológicas, un poco caras – feminine plural

In your sentence everything is masculine singular, so caro is correct.

What role does un poco play in un poco caro?

Un poco literally means a little / a bit, and here it softens the adjective caro:

caro – expensive
un poco caro – a bit expensive / a little expensive / somewhat expensive

This makes the statement sound less strong and more polite. It’s like saying:

It’s kind of expensive, but not outrageously so.

You’ll also hear:

un poquito caro – even softer, “a little bit expensive”.

The usual order is un poco + adjective:

un poco caro, un poco cansado, un poco aburrido.

Could you drop the un and say prefiero comprar producto ecológico?

In standard Spanish you need the article here:

Prefiero comprar un producto ecológico… ✅

Without un, it sounds ungrammatical or at least very odd in this context.

You do sometimes omit an article with uncountable nouns or in certain generic statements:

Prefiero comprar pan integral. – I prefer to buy wholemeal bread.
Vendo fruta ecológica. – I sell organic fruit.

But producto is a countable noun, and here you’re clearly talking about one item you’re going to buy, so un is required.

Is there any difference between this sentence in Spain and in Latin America?

Grammatically, the sentence is fine everywhere. The main differences are in vocabulary and pronunciation:

In Spain, producto ecológico is the normal term you’ll see in supermarkets, legislation, etc.
In parts of Latin America, people might more often say:
- producto orgánico or producto biológico.

Pronunciation differences (very roughly):

In much of Spain, the c in ecológico (before o) is pronounced like English k: [e-ko-ló-xi-ko]. (The g before i is like a throaty /x/, similar to the j in jalapeño for many speakers.)
The main Spain vs Latin America sound difference won’t affect this particular sentence much; both will be fully understood everywhere.

The sentence as written sounds particularly natural in Spain because of the choice of ecológico.