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I was told...An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not readily apparent based on the individual words in the expression. This forum is dedicated to discussing idioms and other sayings. |
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#1
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I was told...
` I was told that ...´
Please what would be the best way to say this in spanish? I thought of `Me dijieron que...´ but I think it translates better as `They told me that...´
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Life´s Beautiful ! It gets even better!!! Jane. Last edited by Jane; May 07, 2008 at 06:45 PM. |
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#2
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Me dijeron que ...
works, but would normally be used if a plural subject exists elsewhere in the sentence, or if one was previously established in the conversation. For example: ¿Qué dijeron los médicos? Me dijeron que todo resultó bien. The English phrase 'was told' is in the passive voice. The subject isn't known or isn't really important to convey. In Spanish, 'I was told' is said 'se dijo' or 'se dijeron'. You could throw the indirect object pronoun me in the middle of each phrase, but that isn't totally necessary. The reflexive looking 'se' can be translated as 'someone,' 'one,' or 'they' in English, to make more sense of the construct. See more information here. |
#3
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I agree with Rusty.
Just like a word or phrase in English can have two (or more) meanings, Me dijeron is the best translation for both I was told and They told me. Another option would be Alguien me dijo (Someone told me). As Rusty said, Se dijo can also be a valid translation in some situations.
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If you find something wrong with my Spanish, please correct it! |
#4
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other option
"me comentaron que iba a realizarse una reducción de personal" Saludos |
#5
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Isn't an imperative nuance conveyed in I was told?
What's the difference between these:
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I welcome all corrections to my English. Salu2 desde Madrid, Alfonso |
#6
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Both sentences mean the same thing.
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#7
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Quote:
Ejemplo de They told me to go con un significado específico: What did John and Mary tell you? They told me to go. Ejemplo de they told me to go es igual a I was told to go y yo no se si una circunstancia así te habia pasado: I went to a party and got so drunk, I got into a fight and they told me to go/I was to to go/I was asked to go/shown the door Gracias por corregirme Poli Last edited by poli; May 08, 2008 at 01:11 PM. |
#8
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Quote:
Entiendo que estableces la diferencia entre un construcción impersonal (they told me to go..., cuando they no se refiere a nadie en concreto) y una construcción personal (cuando they son personas concretas). Lo mismo ocurre en español. No, hasta ahora no me ha pasado. A pesar de mi mala fama, suelo volar siempre sobrio. Gracias por la ayuda, Poli y Rusty.
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I welcome all corrections to my English. Salu2 desde Madrid, Alfonso |
#9
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Quote:
`No, until now it hasn´t happened to me. In spite of my bad image/fame, I usually always fly sober´ Please, what does it mean? Is my translation right?
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Life´s Beautiful ! It gets even better!!! Jane. Last edited by Jane; May 09, 2008 at 06:59 AM. |
#10
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He means he's not an alcoholic despite what others might say in the forum.Anyway I've been told he doesn't have much experience of drinking.
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Take care, María José |
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passive voice |
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