4 Simultaneous Verbs

4 Subsequent Verbs
 

How do I translate this sentence:

"We think that the exporters have been able to buy from the farmers...."

is it correct to say "Pensamos que los exportadores hayan estado poder comprar de los agricultores..."

Never seen this before!

Thanks ! :)

:):):)

As chileno demonstrates, the English verb "to be able to" cannot be rendered in Spanish as "estar poder". The common translations are either "poder" (which also often translates the modal auxiliaries "can" and "could") or "ser capaz de" (which also translates as "to be capable of").

In Spanish the only verb forms that can follow the verb 'estar' are (a) the -ndo form (gerundio) as part of a progressive tense [estoy estudiando = "I am studying (right now)"], or (b) the -do form (participio) in its common function as an adjective [estoy cansado/a = "I am tired"].

In Spanish there's only one conjugated verb -then a proper verb- per unit, no matter how complicated it could be. The rest are just verboides (gerundio, participio, infinitivo):

(han podido/han sido capaces) de comprar = they have been able to buy
los han estado engañando haciéndoles pensar eso = they have been deceiving them by making them think that

Do you use the concept of a finite verb (= your conjugated verb)? Other bits are non-finite, one of which is the infinitive. A clause must contain exactly one finite verb. Without a finite verb it is a phrase.

Formas personales (a.k.a. "formas finitas")
verboides (a.k.a. "formas no finitas")