Breakdown of Esta no es una réplica barata, es cara cara.
ser
to be
no
no, not
una
a, an (feminine)
caro
expensive
Questions & Answers about Esta no es una réplica barata, es cara cara.
Why is cara repeated as cara cara?
Repeating an adjective like this is called lexical reduplication. In everyday spoken Spanish, repeating the word emphasizes the maximum degree or the true essence of that adjective. It means the item isn't just somewhat pricey, it is extremely or genuinely expensive.
Does cara cara have a different nuance than saying carísima?
Yes, slightly. While carísima means extremely expensive, cara cara is more conversational and colloquial. It often implies that the object is the absolute perfect example of being expensive—it is genuinely expensive, not just a little overpriced.
If the noun were masculine or plural, would both repeated words change?
Why is there no accent mark on the first word, Esta, since it is acting as a pronoun here?
In the past, Spanish required an accent mark on demonstrative pronouns (ésta) to distinguish them from demonstrative adjectives (esta). However, the modern rules from the Royal Spanish Academy state that these pronouns no longer take an accent mark, even when replacing a noun.