Mi hermana siempre lleva una horquilla extra por si el viento le mueve el pelo.

My sister always carries an extra hairpin in case the wind moves her hair.

Breakdown of Mi hermana siempre lleva una horquilla extra por si el viento le mueve el pelo.

• mi: my
• siempre: always
• una: an
• la hermana: the sister

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana siempre lleva una horquilla extra por si el viento le mueve el pelo.

Why is it lleva here, not tiene or trae?

Llevar often means to carry / to have on you / to take with you.

So Mi hermana siempre lleva una horquilla extra means she habitually carries an extra hairpin with her.

• tener = to have, in a general sense
• llevar = to be carrying, wearing, or taking
• traer = to bring

Here, the idea is not just that she owns an extra hairpin, but that she keeps one with her, so lleva is the natural choice.

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Why is it una horquilla extra and not una extra horquilla?

In Spanish, most descriptive adjectives normally come after the noun, especially when they simply classify or describe something.

So:

• una horquilla extra = an extra hairpin

That sounds natural. Putting extra before the noun would sound unusual here.

Also, extra is commonly used as an invariable adjective, so it does not change form:

• una horquilla extra
• dos horquillas extra

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What does por si mean, and why is it used here?