Breakdown of Conservaron la estructura vieja. No obstante, el edificio es seguro.
ser
to be
viejo
old
el edificio
the building
seguro
safe
no obstante
nevertheless
conservar
to preserve
la estructura
the structure
Questions & Answers about Conservaron la estructura vieja. No obstante, el edificio es seguro.
Why use no obstante here instead of pero or sin embargo?
No obstante translates to nevertheless or however and introduces a partial opposition, just like sin embargo. In this sentence, keeping an old structure usually implies it might be unsafe, but the second clause contrasts this by saying it is actually safe. Both no obstante and sin embargo work perfectly here, though no obstante sounds a little more formal. It is very common to see it followed by a comma when it starts a new clause.
Why does the sentence use es seguro instead of está seguro?
The adjective seguro changes meaning entirely depending on the verb you use it with. When you use ser seguro, it describes the inherent characteristic of being safe or reliable, which fits the physical state of our building here. If you used estar seguro, it would mean to be certain or to be sure, which is a state of mind we only use for people. For example, estoy seguro means I am sure.
Why is conservaron in the preterite tense instead of the imperfect?
The preterite tense conservaron is used because the action of keeping the old structure is viewed as a single, completed decision in the past, likely during a specific renovation project. If the speaker used the imperfect tense conservaban, it would sound like an ongoing background description, translating closer to they used to keep it or they were keeping it, rather than a completed historical fact.
Could I say la vieja estructura instead of la estructura vieja?
Yes, but it changes the nuance. Placing the adjective after the noun, as in la estructura vieja, objectively describes its physical age. If you put it before the noun, la vieja estructura, it sounds slightly more poetic or emphasizes that it is a long-standing, familiar structure to the speaker. In a practical context like building renovation, placing it after the noun is the most natural, objective choice.
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