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Context: 3rd person vs Usted
Since the 3rd person conjugation and the Usted form are the same how do you usually determine which one it is?
¿Comiste todas las frutas? : This is clear that the person is addressing YOU Say in a hall full of people someone came up to you and said: ¿Comió todas las frutas? : Hay dos posibilidades - Ella comió o Usted comió, ¿como puedo saber cual es correcto? Is it: Did HE/SHE eat all the fruits? Or: Did YOU (Usted) eat all the fruits? Do speakers generally say (Ella/Usted) before the verb in this case to provide clarity? |
You've left out 'él' as a possible subject pronoun for the third person. ;)
If the subject is unclear in the third person, it is always said. If someone came up to me in a hall full of people and asked me the question you proposed, I would assume that she/he is talking to me (using formal address). If their body language indicated otherwise, I would assume different. The speaker should make the meaning clear if there is any chance of misinterpretation. |
Quote:
¿Comió todas las frutas?For example, in our Colombian culture if we are talking about someone that is not present in the conversation, we always add the subject; also, we add a "se" after the subject. For example: "¿Ella se comió todas las frutas?" knowing who "ella" is. By the other hand, we could just say: "¿Se comió todas las frutas?" previously knowing the subject, or in most of the cases, we replace the "se" by "sí"= "¿Sí comió todas las frutas?" But this is something more cultural. If you say "¿Se comió todas las frutas?" it's a good sentence. |
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