Translations using the expression "... in the process of ..."Looking at the questions asked by Huw and by Ian - I wondered if it might be worth using an expression like "in the process of …" to distinguish between the two cases.
e.g. "Los libros estaban siendo colocados en las estanterías" >
> means (more or less?): "the books were in the process of being placed on the shelves"... It really does need some kind of special treatment, because there is not always a directly translatable equivalent in English (although here, we could actually say: "the books were being placed on the shelves"). The above sentence could usefully be compared with
Los libros fueron colocados en las estanterías
and
Los libros eran colocados en las estanterías
and
Los libros han sido colocados en las estanterías.
and [maybe !]
Los libros habían sido colocados en las estanterías.
Of course, each of those^ alternatives carries a different meaning.
[… What about: "Los libros estuvieron siendo colocados en las estanterías"? !]
-----------------
In your example: "The strawberries had been in the process of being collected" is probably a better illustration for my suggestion.
Looking at the questions asked by Huw and by Ian - I wondered if it might be worth using an expression like "in the process of …" to distinguish between the two cases.
e.g. "Los libros estaban siendo colocados en las estanterías" >
> means (more or less?): "the books were in the process of being placed on the shelves"... It really does need some kind of special treatment, because there is not always a directly translatable equivalent in English (although here, we could actually say: "the books were being placed on the shelves"). The above sentence could usefully be compared with
Los libros fueron colocados en las estanterías
and
Los libros eran colocados en las estanterías
and
Los libros han sido colocados en las estanterías.
and [maybe !]
Los libros habían sido colocados en las estanterías.
Of course, each of those^ alternatives carries a different meaning.
[… What about: "Los libros estuvieron siendo colocados en las estanterías"? !]
-----------------
In your example: "The strawberries had been in the process of being collected" is probably a better illustration for my suggestion.
In the exercise we are asked to translate: "Also, they would teach them a new language and accompany them in their daily games." The answer given is "También, les enseñaría un idioma nuevo y los acompañaría en sus juegos diarios." but this should be enseñarían.
The problem seems to be that the hint in the exercise doesn't match the actual text: "También, el robot les enseñaría un idioma nuevo y los acompañaría en sus juegos diarios."
One question was ____________ mucha niebla. Hay or esta. I used esta wrong. In fact mucha is never even translated. So why is it Hay, not esta and why isn’t mucha translated
Voy a perderme el viaje a Cuba a menos que ________ un milagro. Why is the answer " occura" if it follows an adverbial clause. Shouldn't it be in the subjunctive form?
Hola,
I was wondering what the English term is for "madre de día". I have searched online and didn't find anything that would fit well.
I believe it would be "day care worker"?
Thank you and I hope you and yours and the team and their families are all doing well in these difficult times.
Nicole
How could we get to know that this exact word is a stem changing verb? Isn’t there any recognition for them?
Buenas tardes,
Sólo quiero decir gracias a Shui por todos los ejercicios- 'Daily dose of Positivity'- que nos da.
Son una buena distracción durante este tiempo difícil.
¡Gracias Shui!
Hola! Tengo una pregunta sobre la otra traducción para esa frase. Podríamos decir que "más que" significa como "more than" en inglés? Como "Te extraño más que nunca" --> "I miss you more than ever"? O no tengo razón en esa traducción (en inglés)?
Muchísimas gracias y que tenga un buenísimo día!
Find your Spanish level for FREE
Test your Spanish to the CEFR standard
Find your Spanish level