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Por muy flojo que esté el tejido, el diseño es hermoso.

Por muy flojo que esté el tejido, el diseño es hermoso.
No matter how loose the knitting is, the design is beautiful.
From Lesson 417:No matter how (por muy... que)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Por muy flojo que esté el tejido, el diseño es hermoso.

How does the phrase por muy flojo que translate to "no matter how loose"?
The formula por muy + adjective + que is a common way to express "no matter how [adjective]" or "however [adjective]". Here, plugging the adjective flojo into this structure creates a concession—acknowledging a potential flaw (the looseness) before stating that the design is still beautiful anyway.
Why is esté in the subjunctive here?
In the por muy ... que structure, we use the subjunctive when the information is treated as a possibility, a hypothetical, or a shared fact that isn't the main point of the sentence. By using esté, the speaker is saying "even assuming the knitting is loose" or "despite the fact we both know it's loose," which keeps the listener's focus on the second half of the sentence: the beautiful design.
Why do we use estar for the knitting being loose (esté) but ser for the design being beautiful (es)?
We use estar with flojo because the looseness of the knitting is a physical state or condition (perhaps the creator just knit it too loosely). We use ser with hermoso because being beautiful is an inherent, defining characteristic of the design itself.
Doesn't flojo usually mean "lazy"?
Yes, when describing a person's character, flojo often translates to "lazy." However, when describing physical objects like a knot, a screw, clothing, or in this case, a fabric (el tejido), it means "loose" or "slack."
Can tejido mean things other than "knitting"?
Absolutely. Tejido comes from the verb tejer (to weave or to knit). Depending on the context, el tejido can mean a woven fabric, the weave itself, a knit garment, or even biological "tissue" (like muscle tissue). Here, it refers to the physical material or how it was put together.

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