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-   -   Asking a question or statement (https://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=20788)

Asking a question or statement


Stu December 22, 2015 06:36 AM

Asking a question or statement
 
The tune Speedy Gonzalez has this line which looks like a question.
Why "decir" and not "preguntar", does not "si" suggest a question?

Y le pudieron decir si con Rosita se casaba

Rusty December 22, 2015 08:00 AM

It's a statement.
"And they could tell you/him/her if he was marrying Rosita."

Stu December 23, 2015 04:55 AM

Thank you

Hiperbólico December 27, 2015 07:26 PM

On a side note, the line can be presented as a question. No?

Quote:

¿Y le pudieron decir si con Rosita se casaba?
And were they able to tell you/him/her if he was marrying Rosita?

Rusty December 27, 2015 10:06 PM

In the song, Speedy was awakened after he fainted. And when they could say something to him (le pudieron decir), they asked him a question, but we are hearing a recounting of the event, written as a statement.

Stu December 28, 2015 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty (Post 158143)
In the song, Speedy was awakened after he fainted. And when they could say something to him (le pudieron decir), they asked him a question, but we are hearing a recounting of the event, written as a statement.

Okay so the "they asked" is just understood or implied by the "si"
Is that usual in Spanish to just omit something like that?

Rusty December 28, 2015 06:39 AM

The way the lyrics were written seems like a usual way to say that a question was asked.
The verb preguntar could also have been used, but it probably didn't fit the meter of the song.
In either case, no question appears in the sentence. It is a recounting of what was said.

Stu December 31, 2015 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty (Post 158146)
The way the lyrics were written seems like a usual way to say that a question was asked.
The verb preguntar could also have been used, but it probably didn't fit the meter of the song.
In either case, no question appears in the sentence. It is a recounting of what was said.

Thank you
Great


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