One vs. YouI feel like in modern English, we don't say 'one' does something, but rather, it's expressed using 'you' in the sentence without being a personal statement or piece of advice.
Would this be a reasonable translation/interpretation?
Se duerme mejor con la conciencia tranquila.
- One sleeps better with a clear conscience.
- You sleep better with a clear conscience.
The second sentence is not necesarily a personal statement. It can also be said impersonally like a general statement.
I find that when I'm speaking Spanish, I over use 'you' too much in phrases like this because the sentence structure of 'one should...' doesn't occur to me. However, I can recognize the statement is impersonal while I'm saying it.
It would be helpful to know if this is the structure I should be using in these situations.
PS. I'm not referring to passing the quizzes but more for the knowledge of how to use this better in real communication.
Gracias!
Hi Inma,
This lesson says that sometimes haber in the imperfect subjunctive can replace haber in the conditional; but doesn't say when. I had a tutor in Mexico who claimed (that least in some cases) the construction had to be hubiera....hubiera; whereas a Mexican friend said the construction is always hubiera.....habría or vice versa depending on which clause comes first. This lesson seems to say you can replace habría with hubiera in this construction if you feel like it. Can you clarify this for me, please?
Hello, in cases where cuál means what, is there a difference between cuál and lo que ?
Thanks !
It seems like many of these questions can be interpreted either way. In English, the two are often interchangeable in a given sentence depending what the speaker wishes to say. Although we have many things in common... OR Even if we have many things in common...
How do we know which translation to provide--subjunctive or indicative?
I feel like in modern English, we don't say 'one' does something, but rather, it's expressed using 'you' in the sentence without being a personal statement or piece of advice.
Would this be a reasonable translation/interpretation?
Se duerme mejor con la conciencia tranquila.
- One sleeps better with a clear conscience.
- You sleep better with a clear conscience.
The second sentence is not necesarily a personal statement. It can also be said impersonally like a general statement.
I find that when I'm speaking Spanish, I over use 'you' too much in phrases like this because the sentence structure of 'one should...' doesn't occur to me. However, I can recognize the statement is impersonal while I'm saying it.
It would be helpful to know if this is the structure I should be using in these situations.
PS. I'm not referring to passing the quizzes but more for the knowledge of how to use this better in real communication.
Gracias!
Imna, I'm curious to know, how frequently this structure is used in Spanish? Moreover, is it more common in Spain than say in Central and/or South America?
P.S. When I first read this lesson my thoughts were similar to Alan's. I too recognized that there are similar 'past for present' verb structures in English.
Se comió ________ bocadillo. He ate half the sandwich.
medio was the correct answer. I put "el mitad de" which was marked wrong.
EDIT: Maybe because I used "de" instead of "del"? Now it is being marked correct with that answer. If this is the case, shouldn't it show me that "el mitad del" is the correct answer? This is confusing.
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