Breakdown of Aunque cueste un centavo, lo quiero tasar.
un
a, an (masculine)
costar
to cost
querer
to want
lo
it / him (direct object)
aunque
although / even though
tasar
to appraise
el centavo
the cent
Questions & Answers about Aunque cueste un centavo, lo quiero tasar.
Why is cueste in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative (cuesta)?
When aunque is followed by the subjunctive, it translates to "even if" and refers to a hypothetical situation—the speaker doesn't know for sure if it will cost a cent. If they used the indicative (Aunque cuesta un centavo), it would mean "Even though it costs a cent," stating a known fact.
Could I attach lo to the end of the sentence and say quiero tasarlo?
Yes, absolutely! When you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like quiero tasar), you can place the direct object pronoun either right before the conjugated verb (lo quiero tasar) or attached to the end of the infinitive (quiero tasarlo). Both are perfectly natural and mean the exact same thing.
Does tasar mean "to tax"?
No, though it looks similar. Tasar means "to appraise," "to value," or "to price" an item officially. (The word for "tax" is usually impuesto). Here, the speaker wants to determine the official financial value of something, no matter how small.
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