One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por Perikles

No it isn't. I need not have gone to university just to know this.

a

OK, please translate the following to English:

No debiera ir a la universidad pasa saber (sólo) esto.

No debería ir a la universidad para saber (sóolo) esto.

Don't bang your head that way, and I am sorry for being hardheaded.

[Chris]

So in an English sentence "I just HAD to HAVE it!" the verb haber would be HAD and tener would be HAVE?

EDIT: Or "I have to go to the bathroom." I would use haber instead of tener right?

He a ir al baño.

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por Chris

So in an English sentence "I just HAD to HAVE it!" the verb haber would be HAD and tener would be HAVE?

No, in Spanish both are tener.

Tener/deber as in must/should.

Of in Spanish you can say:

Debo/tengo que tenerlo = I have/must have it.

Should = debiera/debería.

Escrito originalmente por Chris

So in an English sentence "I just HAD to HAVE it!" the verb haber would be HAD and tener would be HAVE?

EDIT: Or "I have to go to the bathroom." I would use haber instead of tener right?

He a ir a el baño.

He de ir al baño = I must/shall go to the bathroom

Tengo que ir al baño = I have to go to the bathroom.

[Perikles]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

No debiera ir a la universidad pasa saber (sólo) esto.

No debería ir a la universidad para saber (sóolo) esto.

Don't bang your head that way, and I am sorry for being hardheaded.

Sorry. I would not have to go to university (just) to know that (for both of them - I can't think of a way to differentiate.)

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

He de ir al baño = I must/shall go to the bathroom

Tengo que ir al baño = I have to go to the bathroom.

Escrito originalmente por Perikles

Sorry. I would not have to go to university (just) to know that (for both of them - I can't think of a way to differentiate.)

That I would translate it as:

No tendría que ir a la universidad (sólo) para saber eso.

So no more ideas?

Let me tell you a secret, here the problem is English not Spanish, don't tell anyone though...

[Perikles]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

Let me tell you a secret, here the problem is English not Spanish, don't tell anyone though...

I agree - it's English that is out of line with other European languages. The negatives of auxiliary verbs are difficult. Not my fault.

PD - I'm logging off - it's late, and the Spanish wine has gone to my head. Goodnight all.

[Perikles]

For a typical use of the expression 'rocket science' see this clip. (Can somebody tell me how to embed it?)

This girl is not a rocket scientist. Nothing to do with hair colour.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

En México se dice mucho "(tal cosa) no es la gran ciencia" o "no se necesita la gran ciencia para (saber algo)".

También es común:
- No se necesita ser muy inteligente para (saber algo).
- No hace falta ser un intelectual para saber (algo).

"No se necesita ser un Einstein" no es una expresión común, pero se entiende bien.

[JPablo]

Bueno... (¡Qué bueeeeno, Daniel! Como dicen Les Luthiers...) Muchas gracias a todos por el input y el feedback...

Quizá no sean científicos de la NASA, pero dominan el idioma como buenos nativos... un placer conocer sus puntos de vistas, usos, comprensiones, idiosincrasias, y derivaciones...

[irmamar]

Easier (and more common):

Uno no tiene por qué...