So many questions... =)

[BeckyDi]

I've been going through the Rosetta Stone program for a few months now, most of the material had been review from high school but I've run across a few snags just this week and I'd be SO grateful for any help you guys and gals can offer!

Question #1
"Debajo de la mesa" and "Debajo la mesa" both mean underneath the table - so why the "de la" and "la"? Are there appropriate times to use one or the other? And why when you say "on the table", it's always just "sobre la mesa" with no "de la"?

Question #2
When you say "Yo quiero a mi esposo", it means "I love my husband", right? But when you leave out the "a", so "Yo quiero mi esposo", does it mean "I want my husband"?

Question #3
I've seen both "Encantado de conocerte" and "Encatado de conocerlo". Translated, these are both "Delighted to meet you", but why does one end in "te" and the other ends in "lo"? I always thought you attached "lo" when talking about something you were referring to as "it".

Question #4
I've seen both "?Como se llama usted?" and "?Como te llamas?" (both said to a single person) and when translated, both mean "As you are called?". Are these used interchangeably or is there a proper place/time to use one or the other?

Question #5
What is the difference between "es" ("it is") and "está" ("it is")?

Question #6
When do you use "tú" and "usted"? I always thought "tú" was used when you were speaking to someone younger than you and "usted" was used when you were speaking to someone with respect, as in someone older than you.

I apologize for coming in and immediately dropping this help bomb of questions - I hope I'll be able to offer some help to others eventually! Thanks in advance for your help! =)

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Welcome to the forums!

Please note that above text boxes in the forums, there is a dropdown menu for you to insert all Spanish characters.

Some comments below.

Escrito originalmente por BeckyDi

Question #1
"Debajo de la mesa" and "Debajo Bajo la mesa" both mean underneath the table - so why the "de la" and "la"? (The prepositions "bajo" and "debajo de" are equivalent.)
Are there appropriate times to use one or the other? And why when you say "on the table", it's always just "sobre la mesa" with no "de la"?
Not always. You could also say "encima de la mesa", and depending on the context, both would be understood as syonyms.

Question #2
When you say "Yo quiero a mi esposo", it means "I love my husband", right? But when you leave out the "a", so "Yo quiero mi esposo", does it mean "I want my husband"? ("Yo quiero mi esposo" is a wrong construction. Check Tomísimo's Grammar Section for the use of "personal a", which is an insertion of the preposition a to make an indirect action on a person, to show some sort of respect, in comparison with objects or animals.)

Question #3
I've seen both "Encantado de conocerte" and "Encatado de conocerlo". Translated, these are both "Delighted to meet you", but why does one end in "te" and the other ends in "lo"? I always thought you attached "lo" when talking about something you were referring to as "it"."Lo" is not "it", but a direct object pronoun. Also, you'll be interested in learning the differences between "tú" (for informal you) and "usted" (for formal treatment). The forums have a few threads on these issues.

Question #4
I've seen both "?Como ¿Cómo se llama usted?" and "?Como ?Como ¿Cómo te llamas?" (both said to a single person) and when translated, both mean "As you are called?". Are these used interchangeably or is there a proper place/time to use one or the other? (Another tú/usted difference.)

Question #5
What is the difference between "es" ("it is") and "está" ("it is")?
Check our thread on When to use "ser" and when to use "estar".

Question #6
When do you use "tú" and "usted"? I always thought "tú" was used when you were speaking to someone younger than you and "usted" was used when you were speaking to someone with respect, as in someone older than you. You can find some answers here, but you can also browse the forums for more answers.

[Rusty]

Escrito originalmente por BeckyDi

Question #1
"Debajo de la mesa" and "Debajo la mesa" both mean underneath the table - so why the "de la" and "la"? Are there appropriate times to use one or the other? And why when you say "on the table", it's always just "sobre la mesa" with no "de la"?
Some Spanish prepositions consist of two words. 'Después de' (after) is one example of this. Without the 'de' you have the adverb 'afterwards'.
'Debajo', without the 'de' is the adverb 'under'. 'Debajo de la mesa' is the correct translation of 'under/underneath the table'. 'Bajo la mesa' means the same thing, if you don't want to use a two-word preposition.

'Sobre' is a preposition, so you don't need 'de' behind it.

There's no reason to think that the article 'la' is a piece of the puzzle. The preposition 'de' is changed to 'del' if the object of the preposition is singular masculine.

Question #2
When you say "Yo quiero a mi esposo", it means "I love my husband", right? But when you leave out the "a", so "Yo quiero mi esposo", does it mean "I want my husband"?
When the direct object is a person, a personal 'a' must appear prior to it.
Quiero a mi esposo. = I love my husband.
When you leave out the personal 'a', you are in essence saying "I want my husband." I would think you didn't want to say that.

Question #3
I've seen both "Encantado de conocerte" and "Encantado de conocerlo". Translated, these are both "Delighted to meet you", but why does one end in "te" and the other ends in "lo"? I always thought you attached "lo" when talking about something you were referring to as "it".
In each instance, the suffix is a direct object pronoun. The first - te - is the second-person direct object pronoun. It means 'you', but is used informally. The second - lo - is the third-person direct object pronoun. It can mean 'him', 'it' or 'you'. This time that 'you' is being used formally.
The third-person pronouns always stand the chance of being ambiguous, so you'll often want to clarify who they represent until your audience knows who you're talking about.
If the person is female, 'la' would have been used in the third person. If there is more than one person, the second- or third-person plural forms would be used.

Question #4
I've seen both "¿Cómo se llama usted?" and "¿Cómo te llamas?" (both said to a single person) and when translated, both mean "What do you call yourself/What's your name?". Are these used interchangeably or is there a proper place/time to use one or the other?
The difference is whom you are addressing. If the person is a child, you would use the second person - te llamas. If not, you would use the third person - se llama. Remember, the third person singular form of the verb is also used for the subject pronouns 'he', 'she' and 'it'. Adding 'usted' to your question clarifies who you mean.

Question #5
What is the difference between "es" ("it is") and "está" ("it is")?
Check out the difference between 'ser' and 'estar' here.

Question #6
When do you use "tú" and "usted"? I always thought "tú" was used when you were speaking to someone younger than you and "usted" was used when you were speaking to someone with respect, as in someone older than you.
A lot of your questions above could have been answered by studying the difference between using second- and third-person address. When you're referring to someone else, you're using third person, as well, so you often must clarify which of the four possible subjects you meant.

Welcome to the forums!

I see that AngelicaDeAlquezar already beat me in answering your thread, but another point of view won't hurt. She also pointed out that there's an "Accents" drop-down menu that you can use to insert all the special characters you'll need while typing Spanish.

Please ask only one question per thread in the future and provide a thread title that reflects the content of the thread so it can be searched by others that may have the same question.

[chileno]

"Quiero mi esposo" ¿Eso está mal?

¿No es que se necesita un contexto más preciso?

[Rusty]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

"Quiero mi esposo." ¿Eso está mal?

For the primary translation given, absolutely. For the second translation given by the OP, no. When the personal 'a' is not used, it certainly does mean "I want my husband," but how often would that sentence be of any use to anybody? Would her Spanish course bother to even mention this?
I think that's why we steered the OP back to the more common usage of this verb with a personal direct object.

Hmmm, now where is that cunning little devil smiley.

[micho]

Tiene razón Rusty: "Quiero mi esposo" "Quiero mi hijo"... NO se usan en castellano. Son frases incompletas. Faltan las preposiciones: "Quiero de mi esposo..," "Quiero a mi esposo" "Quiero para mi esposo..." "Quiero que con mi esposo..." "Quiero que mi esposo".

Si se usa: "Quiero esposo" I want a husband.

[chileno]

There was no devil smiley because I really wanted to know.

[aleCcowaN]

"Quiero mi esposo" is 100% correct

Quiero a mi esposo = I want/love him (my husband)<depending on context>
Quiero mi esposo = I want what is mine (my husband) <He deserves better >

Quiero a mi país = I love her (my country)
Quiero mi país = I want what is mine (my country)

Quiero a mi perro/a = I love him/her/it (mi perro)
Quiero mi perro = I want my dog

quiero/miro/grito a mi esposo (a person I'm addressing that look, etc.)
quiero/miro/grito mi esposo (a thing that is wanted, looked or shouted -the last one makes little sense with husbands-)

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por aleCcowaN

"Quiero mi esposo" is 100% correct

Quiero a mi esposo = I want/love him (my husband)<depending on context>
Quiero mi esposo = I want what is mine (my husband) <He deserves better >

Quiero a mi país = I love her (my country)
Quiero mi país = I want what is mine (my country)

Quiero a mi perro/a = I love him/her/it (mi perro)
Quiero mi perro = I want my dog

quiero/miro/grito a mi esposo (a person I'm addressing that look, etc.)
quiero/miro/grito mi esposo (a thing that is wanted, looked or shouted -the last one makes little sense with husbands-)

That's what I thought...


Quiero un esposo. ¿Dónde está mi esposo? ¡Quiero mi esposo, ahora!

[micho]

Escrito originalmente por aleCcowaN

"Quiero mi esposo" is 100% correct

Quiero a mi esposo = I want/love him (my husband)<depending on context>
Quiero mi esposo = I want what is mine (my husband) <He deserves better >

Quiero a mi país = I love her (my country)
Quiero mi país = I want what is mine (my country)

Quiero a mi perro/a = I love him/her/it (mi perro)
Quiero mi perro = I want my dog

quiero/miro/grito a mi esposo (a person I'm addressing that look, etc.)
quiero/miro/grito mi esposo (a thing that is wanted, looked or shouted -the last one makes little sense with husbands-)

Estoy completamente en desacuerdo con esto: Quiero mi esposo es incorrecto. Quiero a mi esposo is I love him or I want him... Es lo mismo que decir: "Quiero mi María", que no tiene sentido a no ser que se refiera a mariguana. Cuando nos referimos a una persona hay que decir "Quiero a mi María".
Sin embargo con perro si es correcto "Yo quiero mi perro ahora mismo", porque por mucho que nos gusten los animales, un perro es un bicho que se posee.


En la frase "Quiero mi pais": I want (all) my country. Suena a posesión de reyes o dictadores.

"Quiero/miro/grito mi esposo" es incorrecto en todos los contextos.

Saludos

[Perikles]

Escrito originalmente por Rusty

When the personal 'a' is not used, it certainly does mean "I want my husband," but how often would that sentence be of any use to anybody? Would her Spanish course bother to even mention this?

Surely the Spanish course would mention this as a contrast to the usage with 'a', just to stress the difference. I don't think it is necessarily as hypothetical as you say - I can imagine a situation, say after a car crash, traumatized and injured, a woman needing her husband to turn up to comfort her and take her home. Would she use an alternative to 'quiero mi marido'?

[Don José]

Escrito originalmente por Perikles

Surely the Spanish course would mention this as a contrast to the usage with 'a', just to stress the difference. I don't think it is necessarily as hypothetical as you say - I can imagine a situation, say after a car crash, traumatized and injured, a woman needing her husband to turn up to comfort her and take her home. Would she use an alternative to 'quiero mi marido'?

If I were that woman, I wouldn't say "quiero mi marido", but "quiero que venga mi marido" or something like that.

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por micho

En la frase "Quiero mi pais": I want (all) my country. Suena a posesión de reyes o dictadores.

"Quiero/miro/grito mi esposo" es incorrecto en todos los contextos.

Saludos

Miro/grito son incorrectas para mí. No hay contexto posible. Y como dices, quiero mi país suena a posesión, ¿no?

[micho]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

Miro/grito son incorrectas para mí. No hay contexto posible. Y como dices, quiero mi país suena a posesión, ¿no?

Quiero mi marido ¿que quiero?: A él. Entonces es "quiero a mi marido" ya sea por amor o por sentido de posesión.
¿alguien puede decir que es correcto "quiero mi Juan"? NO. la frase correcta es "quiero a mi Juan", ya sea, porque lo quiero, o porque lo quiero tener conmigo ahora.

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por micho

Quiero mi marido ¿que quiero?: A él. Entonces es "quiero a mi marido" ya sea por amor o por sentido de posesión.
¿alguien puede decir que es correcto "quiero mi Juan"? NO. la frase correcta es "quiero a mi Juan", ya sea, porque lo quiero, o porque lo quiero tener conmigo ahora.

O sea, no se puede decir en vez de "quiero un auto"?

Quiero mi auto ahora! No tienes uno, pero quieres uno.

[aleCcowaN]

Escrito originalmente por micho

Estoy completamente en desacuerdo con esto: Quiero mi esposo es incorrecto. Quiero a mi esposo is I love him or I want him... Es lo mismo que decir: "Quiero mi María", que no tiene sentido a no ser que se refiera a mariguana. Cuando nos referimos a una persona hay que decir "Quiero a mi María".
Sin embargo con perro si es correcto "Yo quiero mi perro ahora mismo", porque por mucho que nos gusten los animales, un perro es un bicho que se posee.


En la frase "Quiero mi pais": I want (all) my country. Suena a posesión de reyes o dictadores.

"Quiero/miro/grito mi esposo" es incorrecto en todos los contextos.

Saludos

Acuerdos o desacuerdos no vienen al caso. Yo me limité a indicar los errores metodológicos con que se estaba abordando el tema.

Tú mismo lo has implicado: sin "a" se trata de una cosa, con "a" se trata de una persona. Si una persona o personificación es tratada sin la "a", es entonces cosificada, con las repercusiones que eso implica.

Es muy claro lo que significa "quiero mi marido" (por eso puse "he deserves better"). Lo que ocurre es que muchos, en aras de una aparente corrección gramatical que no es tal, quieren editar las opiniones de los demás con la excusa de una supuesta codificación de una aún más supuesta lengua común. Las personas que dicen "quiero mi marido" son transparentes y no se equivocan; transmiten claramente la imagen mental que tienen de cosas y personas, y utilizan correctamente la lengua en todo su potencial. A los estudiantes de castellano como lengua extranjera esto les sirve para comprender la importancia de la "a" personal, y la visión particular que conlleva. Ponerla o no ponerla comunica diferentes cosas y desde mucho antes del famoso "colourless green ideas sleep furiously" sabemos que la gramática solo provee los medios para el parsing, y que, sin restarle importancia, "corrección gramatical" es un término limitado, no aplicable a este caso.