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Old June 18, 2013, 12:30 PM
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AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Mexico City
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Native Language: Mexican Spanish
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a) Not exactly.
· "Hacerle falta algo a alguien" and "faltarle algo a alguien" often have similar meanings, but they are not perfect synonyms.

- Nos hace falta papel para terminar el trabajo. -> We have everything, but paper to finish our work.
- Nos falta papel para terminar el trabajo. -> We had paper, but we need more.

- Me hace falta un vestido nuevo. -> I have dresses but I need one new.
- Me falta un vestido nuevo. -> I had a new dress but I can't find it anymore.

- A mis abuelos les hace falta quién los cuide. -> My grandparents don't have anyone to take care of them.
- A mis abuelos les falta que alguien los cuide. -> None of the people around them takes care of my grandparents.



· "Hacer falta" and "faltar" aren't perfect synonyms either.
- Hace falta comprar frutas. -> We had fruits but not anymore.
- Falta comprar frutas. -> He have bought many things but we still need to buy fruits.

- No hace falta que me lo digas. -> I know what you want to tell me.
- No falta que me lo digas. (I can't think of any casw where you would say this.)

- ¿Qué te hace falta para ser feliz? -> What do you need to be happy?
- ¿Qué te falta para ser feliz? -> You have many things to make you happy but you want something you don't have.



b) Your friend is right:
The pronoun "se" makes no sense in this sentence: "los americanos piensan que no se falta aprender otros idiomas", because neither the verb "faltar" or the combination "hacer falta" can be pronominal. The pronouns that go with them are always indirect object: "A mí me falta...", "a ti te falta...", "a Juan le falta...", "a mis amigos y a mí nos falta...", "a los estadounidenses les falta..."

However, you can say "creen que no les hace falta aprender otros idiomas", which is synonymous of "creen que no es necesario..."
Although if you said "creen que no les falta aprender otros idiomas", it would mean that "they believe they have things that substitute the fact of learning other languages"; that is to say, they don't feel the lack for learning.

Finally, if you ask "¿por qué te falta aprender inglés?", you would be saying that you have accomplished many of your goals but you haven't learnt English yet. In this case, it is not synonymous of "¿por qué necesitas aprender inglés?", which means that something in your life indicates the need to learn the language, even if it wasn't a part of your goals before.



c) If you want to ask "¿Quién le falta?" you would have to know to whom or to what.
- ¿Quién le falta al equipo? -> There are ten people of the team but they should be eleven (for example).
- Profesor, ¿quién le falta en la clase? -> Not all the students are in the classroom where they should be.

"¿Quién falta?" is asking for someone who is absent in a general context.
On the other hand, asking "¿quién hace falta?" implies a specific function to be performed by the person who is not here, but should.


I hope it's better this time.
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