Ask a Question

(Create a thread)
Go Back   Spanish language learning forums > Spanish & English Languages > Translations


A convoluted sentence

 

If you need help translating a sentence or longer piece of text, use this forum. For translations or definitions of a single word or idiom, use the vocabulary forum.


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old November 10, 2021, 07:56 AM
yaynay yaynay is offline
Opal
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 3
yaynay is on a distinguished road
A convoluted sentence

Me gustaría más bien comenzar para poder llegar a este nivel tengo que ir es desarrollando cómo se llega a trabajar en las escuelas. ¿Puedo?

This sentence is driving me nuts. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Reply With Quote
   
Get rid of these ads by registering for a free Tomísimo account.
  #2  
Old November 10, 2021, 11:02 AM
Rusty's Avatar
Rusty Rusty is offline
Señor Speedy
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 11,299
Native Language: American English
Rusty has a spectacular aura aboutRusty has a spectacular aura about
Quote:
Originally Posted by yaynay View Post
Me gustaría más bien comenzar. Para poder llegar a este nivel, tengo que (ir es desarrollando) cómo se llega a trabajar en las escuelas. ¿Puedo?
I've added some possible punctuation marks as an aid, but the author has made a mistake (highlighted in purple and embedded in parentheses). We'll need more context, in order to help make sense of it.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old November 10, 2021, 11:24 AM
yaynay yaynay is offline
Opal
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 3
yaynay is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty View Post
I've added some possible punctuation marks as an aid, but the author has made a mistake (highlighted in purple and embedded in parentheses). We'll need more context, in order to help make sense of it.
Thanks for the reply. The speaker is a construction worker, who is about to tell how he reached the current position he is in at his construction job. He was asked a simple question about how he got to work in the construction or demolition of schools. Most likely in the sentence in question he doesn't want to answer the question straight away, but is maybe asking permission to recount how he started and got to the point in his career where he is now, culminating with how he now gets his school projects.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old November 10, 2021, 12:55 PM
Rusty's Avatar
Rusty Rusty is offline
Señor Speedy
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 11,299
Native Language: American English
Rusty has a spectacular aura aboutRusty has a spectacular aura about
Thanks for the extra information.

My guess is that the speaker is saying, in the beginning sentence (using my idea of where punctuation should have been used), that he'd rather just start. It then looks like he goes on to restate what he thinks is the simple question he was asked, but throws in some wording that trips me up. I believe the question at the end is "Can I start?" but it's hard to tell whether he's asking permission to answer the question or to start working.

I'm still unsure about the stuff appearing in parentheses.

tengo que ir = I have to go (leave)
This could be an interjection or a filler of some sort. I can't tell.

es = is
desarrollando = developing
'es desarrollando' could begin an adverbial clause, which seems out of place here, unless 'tengo que ir' is a filler of some sort, or a break in his train of thought, and he starts up again. But I can't tell. He may have been confused, and the final question could have meant, "Am I right?"

Is there anything specific in the sentences that you don't understand, other than the stuff in parentheses?
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old November 10, 2021, 03:22 PM
yaynay yaynay is offline
Opal
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 3
yaynay is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty View Post
Thanks for the extra information.

My guess is that the speaker is saying, in the beginning sentence (using my idea of where punctuation should have been used), that he'd rather just start. It then looks like he goes on to restate what he thinks is the simple question he was asked, but throws in some wording that trips me up. I believe the question at the end is "Can I start?" but it's hard to tell whether he's asking permission to answer the question or to start working.

I'm still unsure about the stuff appearing in parentheses.

tengo que ir = I have to go (leave)
This could be an interjection or a filler of some sort. I can't tell.

es = is
desarrollando = developing
'es desarrollando' could begin an adverbial clause, which seems out of place here, unless 'tengo que ir' is a filler of some sort, or a break in his train of thought, and he starts up again. But I can't tell. He may have been confused, and the final question could have meant, "Am I right?"

Is there anything specific in the sentences that you don't understand, other than the stuff in parentheses?
I think the real culprit here is the lack of proper punctuation by whoever transcribed whatever the speaker was saying. With that in mind, I added what I think would be the correct punctuation at correct places given how the full sentences is just convoluted mess of multiple things. I came up with this:

I would rather start-- To be able to reach this level that I’m at-- I have to elaborate it- how you get to work in schools. Can I?

The question was this: How do you get into the school side of the construction business?

So instead of answering the question directly, he is asking for permission to describe his whole story from the beginning (which is what he does after the asker says yes). "desarrollando" or "developing" here I take as he wants to develop the answer from the beginning, so I think the word "elaborate" would be most fitting here.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old November 29, 2021, 04:12 AM
ROBINDESBOIS's Avatar
ROBINDESBOIS ROBINDESBOIS is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,040
ROBINDESBOIS is on a distinguished road
In my opinion he is just trying to give a badly expressed introduction of how he started working and how it evolved the situation until he started working demolishing schools.
Reply With Quote
Reply

 

Link to this thread
URL: 
HTML Link: 
BB Code: 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Site Rules

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Help with this sentence ducviloxi Grammar 2 July 06, 2015 10:04 PM
Sentence southUS Translations 8 January 04, 2012 09:34 AM
Help with a sentence, please irmamar Translations 4 November 15, 2010 01:14 PM
Help with this sentence Jimmy9 Grammar 11 March 12, 2010 10:20 PM
Just one sentence Here4good Translations 21 February 24, 2010 02:32 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:55 PM.

Forum powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

X