árbol

[DailyWord]

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word for September 16, 2008

árbol - masculine noun (el) - tree. Look up árbol in the dictionary

¿Cuántos años tendrá el árbol más viejo del mundo?
I wonder how old the oldest tree in the world is.

[María José]

[María José]

Una imagen vale más que mil palabras... Pero yo no quería que me saliera tan grande... Bueno, más realista. Es una sequoia (creo que esta es la ortografía inglesa, en español supongo que es sequoya ), ¿no?
Si me he cambiado de árbol, recordad que soy de ciudad de toda la vida...

[CrOtALiTo]

árbol - masculine noun (el) - tree. Look up árbol in the dictionary

¿Cuántos años tendrá el árbol más viejo del mundo?
I wonder how old the oldest tree in the world is.[/QUOTE]

I don't understand the translate in the text, I feel that the text is different the translate in itself text or structure.

¿Cuántos años tendrá el árbol más viejo del mundo?

It' could to be translate so. How years old has the three oldest of the wolrd.?

Only it is a suppose in my own of think, could that I'm bad in my own translate but, I need your help for haven't got more doubt about How I could translate the text of a way correct.[/I]

[Tomisimo]

In my opinion, my translation is the best way to translate the sentence but I'm open to suggestions. Remember, you have to translate what the sentence means, not just the words.

Note the difference:

Ésta es una simple pregunta:
¿Cuántos años tiene el árbol más viejo del mundo?
¿Qué edad tiene el árbol más viejo del mundo?
How old is the oldest tree in the world?

Aquí te pusiste a pensar acerca de los árboles más viejos, y te preguntas ¿Qué edad tendrá el más viejo?¿Cuántos años tendrá el árbol más viejo del mundo?
¿Qué edad tendrá el árbol más viejo del mundo?
I wonder how old the oldest tree in the world is.

[CrOtALiTo]

Why do you use the word Wonder in your own translate, I'm sorry but still don't arrive to understand your translate about it, please you explain me better How is that you have used that words.

I'm sorry that I be very dogged but so I can to learn more English, only there is a way to learn the language is being dogged and asking to much.

[Tomisimo]

No hay problema

El verbo to wonder se usa en inglés de una forma muy similar al uso del futuro en español para especular, deducir or suponer acerca de algo. Por ejemplo:

¿Por qué estará diciendo eso?
¿Por qué habrá dicho eso?
¿Por qué caminará así?
¿Por qué comerá tan rápido?
¿Por qué será que lo hizo así?
¿Por qué se habrá ido tan a prisa?

Con estas frases, estamos especulando acerca de algo, y en español se usa el futuro para hacerlo. En inglés no se puede usar el futuro con este fin. Se suele usar el verb to wonder para hacerlo.

I wonder why he's saying that.
I wonder why he said that.
I wonder why he's walking like that.
I wonder why he's eating so quickly.
I wonder why he did it that way.
I wonder why he left in such a hurry.

Another way of saying this in English would be with the following construction:

Why do you think he's saying that?
Why do you think he said that?
Why do you think he's walking like that?
Why do you think he's eating so quickly?
Why do you think he did it that way?
Why do you think he left in such a hurry?

I hope that helps clear it up for you

[Rusty]

In English, we typically say "I wonder ..." The only way to say the same thing in Spanish is to ask a question using the future tense - "tendrá" in David's example.
He did a superb job with the translation.

Here are other examples:
¿Lloverá esta tarde?
I wonder if it'll rain this afternoon. Here we are admittedly asking ourselves a question, just as much as anybody else who may be listening. Sometimes we don't even expect a reply (it isn't a question, after all).
Will it rain this afternoon? This is a direct question. We are not asking ourselves the question. We want to know what others have to say. We expect an answer.

¿Irá él a la fiesta?
I wonder if he'll go to the party. Me pregunto si él va a ir a la fiesta.
Will he be going to the party?

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by Rusty

He did a superb job with the translation.

Don't make me blush here ...

[sosia]

The oldest trees are not the sequoias, but polar trees.
for years was a pine
4,862 Year Old Tree, Cut Down By Mistake.
now a red fir
abeto rojo con 9550 años de edad
They hibernate in winter, so they live longer

PD: The translation was good. Sometimes is not so good

[Tomisimo]

Right the giant sequoia is the largest tree, not the oldest.

And when the translation isn't very good, please do correct it

[CrOtALiTo]

I'll give you a examples David if I'm mistaken please let me know of simply you correct to me.

Porque mi carro estara sucio?

I wonder my car is verty dirty.?

[Tomisimo]

¿Por qué mi carro estará sucio?
I wonder why my car is dirty.

[María José]

In Spain: Me pregunto por qué mi coche está sucio (or something like that).

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by María José

In Spain: Me pregunto por qué mi coche está sucio (or something like that).

María, in Spain would you use the future tense at all for conjecture? For example:

¿Cuánta gente habrá aquí?
I wonder how many people are here.

Or would you say something more like the following:

Me pregunto cuánta gente está aquí.

[María José]

Originally Posted by Tomisimo

María, in Spain would you use the future tense at all for conjecture? For example:

¿Cuánta gente habrá aquí?
I wonder how many people are here.

Or would you say something more like the following:

Me pregunto cuánta gente está aquí.

Both tenses sound ok to me and I think the difference in meaning must be very small or non-existent. But in your second sentence I would use the verb haber as well : Me pregunto cuánta gente hay aquí, but maybe that's just me.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yeah I agree with my friend Mary the second options is better than the first options, you would use the word Haber.

Haber cuando te conosco Maria Jose, jijijijij.

[María José]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

Yeah I agree with my friend Mary the second options is better than the first options, you would use the word Haber.

Haber cuando te conosco Maria Jose, jijijijij.

No tienes más que montarte en un avión y venirte a Madrid, porque yo con el pánico que me dan los objetos volantes de cualquier tipo... Pero los uso todos los años para ir a Inglaterra, y cuando me toque la lotería seguro que cruzo el charco. A girl can dream...