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If notIf 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. |
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#11
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¿Por qué un libro no puede estar mal? Yo creo que sí, que puede estar mal, estar bien, estar fatal, ser horrible, ser maravilloso, ser bueno, ser malo, etc.
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#12
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Pero nuestro isleño británico no lo ha puesto/calzado en su cabeza todavía.
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#13
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¡Ah! Bueno, lo ha dicho en inglés.
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#14
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#15
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Quote:
Una persona puede acaudular una gran fortuna, pero no se puede ganar una gran reputación en la misma manera.
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#16
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Quote:
My attempt.
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#17
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Quote:
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#18
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Quote:
Grandes fortunas, si no grandes reputaciones, son hechas. ¿Por qué, según tú, está bien "aunque no gran reputación"? |
#19
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@pjt: Can you explain a bit more what the sentence actually would mean to you in English please?
I also thought that this use of "if not" should be similar to "or at least".
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#20
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"Great fortunes, if not great reputations, are made..."
Firstly, the subordinate clause between two commas can be removed to get "Great fortunes are made...", so that is clearly entailed by the original sentence. I take "if not" as creating a contrast. You might expect that along with the great fortunes, great reputations are made: but you would be wrong. If both great fortunes and great reputations are made: Great fortunes, and reputations, are made... Great fortunes, and great reputations, are made... Great fortunes, not to mention reputations, are made... Angélica's version ("Great fortunes, or at least great reputations, are made") means that great reputations are definitely made and the fortunes are uncertain. What I consider to be ambiguous is whether no reputations are made or whether bad reputations are made. Moving on from just that example, I had a look in BNC for the phrase "if not". There is a pattern "N is ADJ, if not ADJ" where the second adjective intensifies the first: e.g. "Their targets are modest, if not downright pessimistic." In this pattern the first is true and the second is hypothetical: sometimes implied to be probable, sometimes merely uncertain. There is a pattern with two verbal phrases covering both sides of a conditional: "If you see Fred tomorrow, ask him to phone me. If not, don't worry: I'll see him on Saturday." There is the straightforward condition - similar but without the "if" clause. "Heirs to large estates, if not minors, are noteworthy enough for an obituary." Y hay varios más, pero es hora de acostarme y analizarlos me está costando. |
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