Present progessive with reflexive verbs
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FrannyCakes
June 09, 2010, 11:11 AM
Hola,
Using the word "desmadrarse", I want to say "He is freaking out" (not "He freaks out.").
How do you use the present progressive with reflexive verbs? Could someone give me a quick and easy rundown?
Saludos.
chileno
June 09, 2010, 11:43 AM
Hola,
Using the word "desmadrarse", I want to say "He is freaking out" (not "He freaks out.").
How do you use the present progressive with reflexive verbs? Could someone give me a quick and easy rundown?
Saludos.
Just a question...
Do you know how to use proper English for that expression?
FrannyCakes
June 09, 2010, 01:25 PM
He is discomposed. He is disquieted. He is perturbed. He is in a disorganized and frantic frame of mind.
Will those suffice?
LibraryLady
June 09, 2010, 01:46 PM
Hola,
Using the word "desmadrarse", I want to say "He is freaking out" (not "He freaks out.").
How do you use the present progressive with reflexive verbs? Could someone give me a quick and easy rundown?
Saludos.
Here is my attempt:
se está desmadrando
I have no idea where or not that is the best way to convey "He is freaking out" so you may want to wait for some more posts :)
Rusty
June 09, 2010, 04:55 PM
Although desmadrarse is listed in a couple of dictionaries as 'to freak out', that isn't what I would use. Tell us who your audience is and we'll be able to provide the appropriate wording (most likely slang). Also make sure we have the right context.
"He is freaking out," can be said in Spanish using EITHER the simple present (which you translated as 'He freaks out') and the present progressive tense, which was translated by LibraryLady. The progressive tenses express 'currently-in-progress' actions, and should therefore not be overused. We English speakers have a tendency to overuse the progressive tense in Spanish because we've been taught, incorrectly, that the present progressive should be used to express the "'to be' + VERB-ing" constructs. The Spanish simple present tense can be translated into the English simple present tense, the English present progressive/continuous tense, and it can be used to express the near future.
"Él se desmadra," means:
He goes wild.
He's going wild.
He'll go wild (soon, in a couple of hours).
"Él se está desmadrando," means:
He is going wild (while I speak, at this very second).
chileno
June 09, 2010, 08:03 PM
He is discomposed. He is disquieted. He is perturbed. He is in a disorganized and frantic frame of mind.
Will those suffice?
Yes. I asked you because it is easier om proper words instead of slang.
El se está descomponiendo/perturbando/turbando
By the way, discomposed = descompuesto (participle)
To freak out depends on the context, that's why I asked you.
JPablo
June 12, 2010, 07:46 PM
In some contexts you could use,
Está flipando.
Está que flipa.
Está alucinando.
Está que alucina.
Está friqueando.
Está que friquea.
These are several options. As Rusty says, "desmadrarse" gives the idea of 'going wild'. :)
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