The invisible 'demasiado'

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

No - that is just not English. The only translations which makes sense in context are "I'm too old..." or "I am old enough not to... "

Then that's the one!

Also, you say it is not English because it isn't used, or is a bad phrase construction?

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by chileno

"Mom, I am already of age/old to be reporting to you"?

Originally Posted by chileno

Also, you say it is not English because it isn't used, or is a bad phrase construction?

It is bad English, it doesn't make sense. There is a big difference between

I am already old enough to be reporting to you and
I am too old to be reporting to you

And your sentence does not make clear which of the two you mean. In my context, the meaning has to be I'm already too old or I'm already old enough not to....

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Perikles: "Ya" is the magic word that makes "demasiado" or "suficientemente" unnecessary, I think.

The sentence is actually saying "ya no tengo que rendirte cuentas (porque tengo 30 años/porque soy suficientemente viejo)".

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

It is bad English, it doesn't make sense. There is a big difference between

I am already old enough to be reporting to you and
I am too old to be reporting to you

And your sentence does not make clear which of the two you mean. In my context, the meaning has to be I'm already too old or I'm already old enough not to....

Like Angelica pointed, isn't it "already" means in this case "enough" or "sufficiently??

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by chileno

Like Angelica pointed, isn't it "already" means in this case "enough" or "sufficiently??

Yes, thanks everyone, the sense is perfectly clear. The ya makes a demasiado unnecessary, but you still have to rearrange it and insert a negative to make grammatical sense in English. If the demasiado were in there, you could translate literally in English.

[chileno]

So, "I already am a grown up, mother!", would not be ok?

Don't even think of bringing up the "I already am" issue!

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by chileno

So, "I already am a grown up, mother!", would not be ok?

That is OK on its own, but the second half then makes no sense, and would have to be re-written:

I am already a grown-up, mother, so I don't have to....

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Perikles: "Ya" is the magic word that makes "demasiado" or "suficientemente" unnecessary, I think.

¿Te suena raro "Estoy viejo para rendirte cuentas"? Me parecía que "ya" sirve para énfasis y no es necesario.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@pjt: No, no me suena raro en absoluto (aunque el "ya" me resulta lo más natural en ese tipo de enunciado --no innecesario), pero traté de responder la pregunta de Perikles con respecto a la falta de un "demasiado" que falta en la frase "ya estoy viejo para rendirte cuentas".

Mi elección personal para una frase sin "ya", tratándose de un hijo de 30 años, sería "estoy suficientemente viejo para rendirte cuentas".
Si la frase dijera "estoy demasiado viejo para rendirte cuentas", me sonaría a que el hijo es o se siente mucho mayor (de unos 50 años).

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

That is OK on its own, but the second half then makes no sense, and would have to be re-written:

I am already a grown-up, mother, so I don't have to....

That's a given. It depends on context, situation etc.