¿Cómo quieres que no lo estemos?

[michaelbr]

La frase es
"Qué os pasa? Seguís de mal humor?
Cómo quieres que no lo estemos? Nadie nos habla."

[Julvenzor]

¿Cuál es la duda exactamente?: ¿El uso del subjuntivo? ¿El "lo"?

Un saludo.

[pjt33]

The obvious translation is "What do you expect?"

[michaelbr]

¿Cuál es la duda exactamente?: ¿El uso del subjuntivo? ¿El "lo"?

Un saludo.
Sorry, I'd like to know the meaning of Cómo quieres que no lo estemos? It's confusing to me since I understand each word, but the whole sentence does not make sense to me.

The obvious translation is "What do you expect?"
Thanks for your reply, is this an idiom? Do you conjugate the verbs for singular/plural?

[Julvenzor]

How do you *insert verb here* that we are not (angry)?

A veces, el verbo "querer" se emplea como sinónimo de "pretender".

What do you expect? => ¿Qué esperas?

Un saludo cordial.

[pjt33]

Thanks for your reply, is this an idiom? Do you conjugate the verbs for singular/plural?
Both of these questions are ambiguous as to whether you're asking about the Spanish or my translation. However, I don't think that either the Spanish or my translation is really an idiom. The information which provides the subtext comes as much from the tone of voice as from a mental dictionary of phrases. Both ¿Cómo quieres que no? and What do you expect? would be used with non-verbal cues of frustration and/or anger to convey Of course, and you must be stupid or emotionally insensitive to think that I wouldn't be!

¿Cómo quieres que no lo estemos? has two verbs which conjugate independently. What do you expect? has a modal verb + infinitive structure, in which only the modal verb conjugates.

How do you pretend that we are not (angry)?

A veces, el verbo "querer" se emplea como sinónimo de "pretender".
Pretender :ne: pretend. Pretend is fingir. Pretender can be aspire, intend, try, expect.

[Julvenzor]

Pretender :ne: pretend. Pretend is fingir. Pretender can be aspire, intend, try, expect.


Gracias por la corrección, sabía que signifcaba "fingir"; pero creía que también podía significar "pretender". Grata explicación.

Un saludo cordial.

[Hiperbólico]

¿Cómo quieres que no lo estemos?

I think the closest meaningful translation is...

How could you possibly think that we're not (whatever)?. The lo is the "whatever" and could refer to anger or disbelief.

-- ¿Estás enojado?
-- ¡Estoy furioso! ¿Cómo quieres que no lo esté?

As per other suggestions, it conveys the meaning of "What do you expect?" or "What do you think?" and can be expressed in different tones.

-- Le importa más a él el dinero que el ambiente.
-- ¿Cómo quieres que no lo esté? Es un político.

(pretty sure about this, but not 100%. please correct misconceptions if any)

[michaelbr]

Both of these questions are ambiguous as to whether you're asking about the Spanish or my translation. However, I don't think that either the Spanish or my translation is really an idiom. The information which provides the subtext comes as much from the tone of voice as from a mental dictionary of phrases. Both ¿Cómo quieres que no? and What do you expect? would be used with non-verbal cues of frustration and/or anger to convey Of course, and you must be stupid or emotionally insensitive to think that I wouldn't be!

¿Cómo quieres que no lo estemos? has two verbs which conjugate independently. What do you expect? has a modal verb + infinitive structure, in which only the modal verb conjugates.


Pretender :ne: pretend. Pretend is fingir. Pretender can be aspire, intend, try, expect.
Thanks for your reply and explanation. Sorry I wasn't clear, I was asking about the Spanish, after such detailed explanation, it's clearer now. There are some subtle differences between Portuguese X Spanish. For instance, in Portuguese we say Estoy furioso!, but in Spanish we say ¡Soy furioso!, so I have to remember those differences. I was confused about the lo, what it was referring to, now it's clear.

I think the closest meaningful translation is...

How could you possibly think that we're not (whatever)?. The lo is the "whatever" and could refer to anger or disbelief.

-- ¿Estás enojado?
-- ¡Soy furioso! ¿Cómo quieres que no lo esté?

As per other suggestions, it conveys the meaning of "What do you expect?" or "What do you think?" and can be expressed in different tones.

-- Le importa más a él el dinero que el ambiente.
-- ¿Cómo quieres que no lo esté? Es un político.

(pretty sure about this, but not 100%. please correct misconceptions if any)
Thanks, after the explanations, now is clearer.

[Hiperbólico]

There are some subtle differences between Portuguese X Spanish. For instance, in Portuguese we say Estoy furioso!, but in Spanish we say ¡Soy furioso!, so I have to remember those differences.

If you inferred that from my post, please erase that notion from your mind! The correct Spanish is “Estoy furioso”. I might have been typing too fast, but I should have caught it regardless. Apologies.

[michaelbr]

If you inferred that from my post, please erase that notion from your mind! The correct Spanish is “Estoy furioso”. I might have been typing too fast, but I should have caught it regardless. Apologies.
One less rule to remember!!! Thanks.

[chileno]

So, "How do you expect us not to be...." is wrong, right?

[Rusty]

I think it's right. The more colloquial 'what do you expect' is heard more often, but your more literal translation is also used.

[chileno]

Ah, OK. Thank you. I agree that just a simple "What do you expect?" is enough.

[Hiperbólico]

I think it's right. The more colloquial 'what do you expect' is heard more often, but your more literal translation is also used.

In that case, would it be considered a kind of expression? Not that it's actually an idiom per se, but it conveys something more than the literal.

[Rusty]

It seems like a cliché to me.