Three questions from a podcast...

Three questions from a podcast...
 

In this particular podcast, sentences are given in English with a pause, in which you are supposed to attempt to translate the sentence to Spanish, then a native Spanish speaker gives the translation in Spanish with another pause in which you can repeat the correct Spanish.

The sentences are not very difficult, but challenging enough that they really make me think.

I have questions about the following:

1) Several of the sentences in English are given in the form "Usually [we/I/he] could...." and the Spanish translation given is "Podía...." Is it common to translate "usually + verb" with the imperfect, but not with "normalmente", etc.?

2) "The police haven't broken up the demonstration yet." = "La policía no ha disuelto la manifestación todavía." ... is this a common use of the word "disolver"?

3) "You have supposed the same thing as I." = "Ustedes se han supuesto lo mismo que yo." I was surprised by the reflexive pronoun here. Is it "suponerse" or just "suponer" and I've missed the meaning?

Thanks so much for any suggestions you can give me!!

#2 and 3 are the past participle and are correct for disolver and suponer.

#1 I am not sure what you are asking.

I understand the past participles. I have reiterated my questions here.

Good.

Now, let's see. :)

Can you give a precise example for this?


Yes. Check meanings #2 and #3 for "disolver" in the DRAE.


At least in Mexican Spanish, this use of the pronominal for "suponer" is rather colloquial.

·Me supongo que Juan va a venir a visitarme. -> Supongo que Juan va a venir a visitarme.
·Se supusieron lo mismo que yo. -> Supusieron lo mismo que yo.

The examples given in the podcast were as follows (they gave both the English & Spanish):
I could usually leave it for that Thursday.
Podía dejarlo para ese jueves.

I could usually do it for that Thursday.
Podía hacerlo para ese jueves.

I could usually do it for that day.
Podía hacerlo para ese dia.

I was usually able to do it for another day
Podía hacerlo para otro dia.

I find that really interesting because it would make more sense to me to say something like "La manifestación no ha disuelto todavía." I would probably never think to say that the police are the ones DOING the action of dissolving the crowd. Interesting.....

Thanks, Malila!

You've converted the sentence to the passive voice instead of the active voice. While the Spanish passive voice could be used, I chose to correct your sentence using 'la pasiva refleja'. This would be the more common way to express the Spanish equivalent of "The demonstration hasn't been resolved yet."

En este caso creo que la respuesta que has dado al principio es totalmente correcta: "La policía no ha disuelto la manifestación todavía". La palabra disolver es de uso normal en este tipo de frases, en las que se habla de manifestaciones, grupos reivindicativos o agresivos, bandas terroristas, etc.

En el caso: 3) "You have supposed the same thing as I." = "Ustedes se han supuesto lo mismo que yo." I was surprised by the reflexive pronoun here. Is it "suponerse" or just "suponer" and I've missed the meaning?.
El uso del "se" es optativo. La frase tiene el mismo sentido sin el "se".

Rusty: "La manifestación no se ha disuelto". I think the explanation is "disuelto" here is a participle, not an adjective. But "la manifestación fue disuelta".

Lapaelba:
I agree with micho and would use "podría". On the other hand, I wonder why they don't translate "usually". I think in this case it means something like "if there are no problems". I could say:

Normalmente podría dejarlo para ese jueves.

But it sound to me as an incompleted sentence that will be followed by an excuse (pero no podré dejarlo porque...). I don't know if it is the same in English.

So I wonder if it could be a better translation:

Si no hay problemas/si no surgen imprevistos/ si todo marcha bien, podría dejarlo para el jueves.

You're right! Thanks.

He revisado mi entrada previa sobre el uso del "se" y tengo dudas de si he acertado o no.

El se imagina que voy a hacerlo. El imagina que voy a hacerlo
EL se piensa que voy a hacerlo. El piensa que voy a hacerlo.
EL se supuso que yo iba a hacerlo. El supuso que yo iba a hacerlo.
Se trajo un libro para el viaje. Trajo un libro para el viaje.
Se lo creyó (un cuento). Lo creyó (un cuento).


Sin embargo no funciona con:
El se vino abajo. Se movió un poco. Se metió en un lío. Se alegró mucho.