Aunque mi amiga es pesimista con el clima, yo sigo optimista y creo que podremos practicar yoga al aire libre.

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Questions & Answers about Aunque mi amiga es pesimista con el clima, yo sigo optimista y creo que podremos practicar yoga al aire libre.

Why is es used after aunque? Why not sea?

Aunque can take either the indicative or the subjunctive:

  • Indicative (as in the sentence: aunque mi amiga es pesimista): the speaker treats the information as a real, known fact.

    • Aunque es caro, lo voy a comprar. (It is expensive and I know it.)
  • Subjunctive (aunque mi amiga sea pesimista): the speaker presents it as hypothetical, uncertain, or not the main focus as a fact.

    • Aunque sea caro, lo voy a comprar. (Even if it turns out to be expensive.)

In your sentence, the friend really is pessimistic about the weather (this is taken as an established fact), so the indicative es is the natural choice.


Could I say aunque mi amiga está pesimista? What is the difference between es pesimista and está pesimista?

Yes, está pesimista is possible, but the meaning changes:

  • es pesimista (with ser): describes a more general trait or usual attitude. She tends to be a pessimistic person (at least about the weather).
  • está pesimista (with estar): describes a temporary mood or state. She is feeling pessimistic right now or these days.

Your sentence suggests a general, recurring attitude about the weather, so es pesimista fits better.


Why is it pesimista with amiga? Shouldn’t the adjective change to something like pesimista / pesimisto?

Adjectives ending in -ista are invariable in gender: they are the same for masculine and feminine. Only the plural -s is added when needed.

  • un amigo pesimista
  • una amiga pesimista
  • unos amigos pesimistas
  • unas amigas pesimistas

Same pattern with optimista, realista, egoísta, idealista, etc.

So mi amiga es pesimista is correct; pesimisto does not exist.


Why is it pesimista con el clima? Could I say sobre el clima or del clima? And in Spain, shouldn’t it be tiempo instead of clima?

There are a few things here:

  1. Preposition: con
    Ser optimista/pesimista con X is common to express your attitude toward something:

    • Soy optimista con el futuro.
    • Es pesimista con los estudios.

    Sobre tends to mean about, regarding (as a topic), especially in speech or writing about something:

    • Un artículo sobre el clima. (an article about the climate)

    Del clima would usually sound like “of the climate”, more possessive than attitudinal.

  2. Clima vs. tiempo (Spain)

    • el tiempo = the weather (day-to-day)
      • En España hace buen tiempo hoy.
    • el clima = climate, or “the general weather patterns”

    In everyday Peninsular Spanish, con el tiempo is more common for everyday weather.
    Con el clima is not wrong, but it sounds a bit more like “with the climate (in general)” than “with today’s weather” and is heard more in some Latin American varieties or in slightly more formal contexts.

So in Spain many people would naturally say:
Aunque mi amiga es pesimista con el tiempo…


Why is yo written? I thought subject pronouns are usually dropped in Spanish.

Subject pronouns (yo, tú, él…) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject. But they are frequently used for emphasis or contrast.

Here, yo contrasts with mi amiga:

  • Aunque mi amiga es pesimista…, yo sigo optimista…
    My friend is pessimistic, but *I, on the other hand, remain optimistic.*

If you drop yo (…es pesimista con el clima, sigo optimista…), it is still grammatical, but you lose some of that explicit contrast.


What exactly does sigo optimista mean? Why not soy optimista or sigo siendo optimista?
  • seguir + adjective = to remain / to continue to be in that state.

    • Sigo optimista.I remain optimistic / I’m still optimistic.
  • soy optimista = I am an optimistic person (a more general personal trait, without the idea of change or persistence over time).

  • sigo siendo optimista is also correct and very common; it just makes the idea of continuing a bit more explicit:

    • A pesar de todo, sigo siendo optimista.

In your sentence, sigo optimista highlights that, despite your friend’s pessimism, you are still optimistic (you haven’t lost that optimism because of the situation).


Why is the future podremos used? Could I say podemos or podamos instead?

Creo que podremos practicar… expresses a future expectation:

  • I think we’ll be able to practice…

Alternatives:

  • Creo que podemos practicar yoga al aire libre.
    This sounds more like I think we can (it seems possible now / in general). Less clearly future-oriented, more like a current assessment.

  • Creo que podamos practicar…
    This is not natural in standard Spanish.
    After creo que (affirmative), you normally use the indicative (creo que podemos / podremos).
    You’d use the subjunctive (podamos) after expressions of doubt, possibility, or desire, e.g.:

    • Es posible que podamos practicar yoga al aire libre.
    • Dudo que podamos practicar yoga al aire libre.

So creo que podremos is a natural way to talk about what you think will happen in the future.


Why practicar yoga? Could I also say hacer yoga or practicar el yoga?

All of these are possible, but with slightly different frequencies:

  • hacer yoga – very common and natural in Spain for the activity/hobby:

    • Mañana voy a hacer yoga.
  • practicar yoga – also correct; sounds slightly more “activity/sport” oriented:

    • Me gusta practicar yoga tres veces por semana.
  • practicar el yoga – grammatically fine, but the article el tends to make it feel a bit more formal / “discipline-like” (less everyday).

In everyday speech in Spain, many people would probably say hacer yoga al aire libre, but practicar yoga al aire libre is perfectly correct and clear.


What does al aire libre literally mean, and how is it different from afuera or fuera?

Al aire libre is a fixed expression meaning outdoors / in the open air.

  • Literally: a + el aire libre → al aire libre
    in the free air / in the open air

It is used especially for activities:

  • comer al aire libre – eat outdoors
  • hacer deporte al aire libre – do sports outdoors

Afuera / fuera are adverbs, like outside:

  • Quiero estar fuera. – I want to be outside.
  • Voy a estudiar afuera.

You could say practicar yoga afuera, but in standard Peninsular Spanish practicar yoga al aire libre is more idiomatic in this context.


Is the comma after clima necessary? Could I change the order of the two parts of the sentence?

When the subordinate clause comes first, as with aunque…, a comma before the main clause is standard and recommended:

  • Aunque mi amiga es pesimista con el clima, yo sigo optimista…

If you reverse the order, you typically still use a comma, but it’s a bit more flexible:

  • Yo sigo optimista y creo que podremos practicar yoga al aire libre, aunque mi amiga es pesimista con el clima.

Without the comma it’s not “wrong,” but the comma helps mark the contrast introduced by aunque and is what you’ll usually see in careful writing.


Why is there no a before mi amiga? When do I need the “personal a”?

The “personal a” is used before a direct object that is a specific person (or pet):

  • Veo a mi amiga.
  • Voy a llamar a mi amiga.

In your sentence, mi amiga is not a direct object; it’s the subject of the verb es:

  • Mi amiga es pesimista…My friend is pessimistic…

Subjects never take the personal a. That’s why there is no a here.


Could I use pero instead of aunque? What’s the difference?

You can reformulate the sentence with pero, but it changes the structure a bit.

  • With aunque (concessive subordinate clause):

    • Aunque mi amiga es pesimista con el clima, yo sigo optimista…
      Even though my friend is pessimistic…, I remain optimistic…
  • With pero (coordinating conjunction):

    • Mi amiga es pesimista con el clima, pero yo sigo optimista y creo que podremos practicar yoga al aire libre.
      My friend is pessimistic about the weather, but I remain optimistic…

Meaning difference:

  • aunque emphasizes a concession (“in spite of the fact that…”).
  • pero gives a more neutral contrast (“X is true, but Y is also true”).

Both are correct but they don’t appear in exactly the same position: aunque starts a subordinate clause, while pero connects two main clauses.