From a Mexican Movie Featuring Cantinflas

[Bobbert]

The following is from a movie featuring Cantinflas, a Mexican comic film actor.

Don Silvestre: Me gusta la gente viva.

Cantinflas: A mí tambien, porque los muertos como que son muy serios. ¿verdad?

Don Silvestre: Fíjese que si nos ponemos de acuerdo, nos podría ir muy bien a los dos.

Cantinflas: Viera que a mí me va muy bien, gracias a Dios.

Don Silvestre: Pero le podría ir mejor.

What is Cantinflas saying when he says: Viera que a mí me va muy bien.

How is viera translated in this sentence?

How is viera being used here?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Vieras/viera que" is introducing a contradiction on what the other person would expect.
I assume here that Don Silvestre expects Cantinflas to accept some kind of murky business, and Cantinflas perceives this is not the kind of person or business he's in disposition to deal with.

- Viera que a mí me va muy bien.
You wouldn't believe it, but I'm actually doing pretty well.

Some other examples:
--El día está muy bonito, ¿vamos al parque? ->The day is nice, how about going to the park?
--Ay, no. Vieras lo cansada que estoy... -> No way. If you only knew how tired I am...

--Supe que se murió su perro. Debe usted estar muy triste. -> I suppose you must be sad about the death of your dog.
--Viera que no. Estaba enfermo y sufría mucho. -> Not really, I'm rather glad he's not suffering anymore.


--Yo creí que me iba a dar gusto recibir a mi familia en Navidad, pero vieran qué difícil fue tenerlos a todos juntos sin pelear. -> I thought I'd be happy to have my family at home for Christmas, but it's actually too hard to keep them from fighting.

[Bobbert]

Thank you, AngelicaDeAlquezar. I would have never guessed that that is what Cantinflas was saying.

[aleCcowaN]

It's very common use, in some countries a more educated one, in others, also a popular use. Its source is the negation of action implied by Spanish subjunctive.

Other examples (they are difficult to translate into English)

¡Acabase con tanto ruido! = Gee! I wish he refrained from making that much noise and kept it down, but he wouldn't (or won't?)

[A non-empowered woman speaking] Fuera yo varón para darle la paliza que se merece = I wish I were a man to beat him up the way he deserves

[Bobbert]

Thank you, aleCcowaN.

Yes, I agree. This construct is harder to translate, but I'm getting a good feel for it now.

[poli]

Could quéproceed viera in these examples? If so, would it change the meaning?

[aleCcowaN]

Originally Posted by poli

Could quéproceed viera in these examples? If so, would it change the meaning?

Did you mean precede?

The only case I know it to be correct is when the action is negated and the person proposing that action is prevented from performirg it.

¡Qué viera ni qué ocho cuartos! ¡ No va a ver nada!

¡Qué acabase ni qué nada! ¡ Esto no se detiene por ningún motivo!

¡Qué fuera ni dejara de ser! ¡Compórtate como una dama!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by poli

Could quéproceed viera in these examples? If so, would it change the meaning?

The expression "viera" would be mostly the same with "qué", which would work as a pronoun:

I'll use variations of the previous examples:
- Viera qué bien me va. -> You wouldn't believe how well I'm doing!

- No quiero ir al parque. Vieras qué cansada estoy. -> You wouldn't guess, but I'm exhausted.

- Viera qué tranquilo estoy ahora que mi perro ya no sufre. -> Apparently I should be sad that my dog died, but I'm glad he's not suffering anymore.

- Vieran qué fastidiosos son mis familiares cuando se juntan. -> Contrary to what I expected, my relatives are awful to deal with when they are together.

[aleCcowaN]

Whereas Angélica's reply is more than correct, I must say I never found proceed used meaning follow in the sense of placement, only with actions that follow (or sometimes precede) other actions

[poli]

My use of proceed is certainly an error. Precede and proceed are often confused among English speakers. Proceed is almost always used to mean to continue or to move forward. Both answers are helpful. Thanks!

[aleCcowaN]

Thank you, poli. You know, as a student I often second-guess myself.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I've always thought there aren't wrong answers, just answers to other questions. Oh well.