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No one was supposed to be thereTranslate a sentence or longer piece of text. For single words or idioms, use the vocabulary forum. |
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#2
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Remember that in Spanish we need the double negative:
- Se suponía que no había nadie allí. I'd propose: - Se suponía que no debía haber nadie allí. I used "deber" because if you say "se suponía que no había nadie allí", you are saying nobody thought there was anyone there, but maybe there was. With "deber", there is a reason why people shouldn't be in that place. When you say "se suponía que nadie estaría ahí", you mean nobody was going to be there, but someone actually considered going and/or went. Also, the place of "no" is important. If you use it before "suponer", then you are saying that you don't assume something. - No supuse que estarías aquí. -> I didn't assume you'd be here. - No se suponía que cobraran la entrada. -> I didn't expect they would charge the admission. Your proposal "se suponía que nadie debía estar ahí" is correct, although it implies the idea that people were forbidden to be there, while "no debía haber nadie ahí" is for me that they could choose, but most of them preferred not to be there.
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♪ ♫ ♪ Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the Rock'n'Roll plays... ♪ ♫ ♪ |
#3
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Thank you, AngelicadeAlquezar. That really helped.
The concept of "supposed to" / "not supposed to" is a difficult construction in Spanish for me because it's not a direct translation. Your explanations give me a lot to work with. Thank you for taking the time to respond. |
#4
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True. We normally wouldn't use that construction the same way it is done in English.
Anyway, keep asking questions; that's the only way to get used to some formulas. ![]()
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♪ ♫ ♪ Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the Rock'n'Roll plays... ♪ ♫ ♪ |
#5
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Actually, I did ask another question about a week ago entitled "Están vs. Son" in the Grammar section that may have gotten overlooked.
Getting an answer to that question would also be a great help. I would like to clear that one up as well. |
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What/When/How Was I Supposed to...... | Bobbert | Grammar | 4 | July 16, 2020 06:49 PM |
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