Maybe she / she may

[irmamar]

I was translating a sentence from Spanish into English.

Cuando ella llegue, puede que quiera hacer algo (it's a longer sentence, but I've shortened it)

I wrote:

When she arrives, maybe she wants to do something.

But my book says:

When she arrives, she may want to do something.

I know that there is the possibility of different translations, so I'd like to know if my own sentence was wrong or not.

Thanks in advance.

[Cloudgazer]

Cuando ella llegue, puede que quiera hacer algo

When she arrives, maybe she wants to do something. (This is fine. It is loose informal style with the present tense having future meaning.)
When she arrives, maybe she'll want to do something. (informal)
When she arrives, she may want to do something. (more formal in tone).

Nice job!

[irmamar]

Thanks, Cloud

Which one would you use in an exam?

[Cloudgazer]

Any time!

I'd probably use one of the last two choices on an exam.

[irmamar]

OK, on an exam

Thank you again

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by irmamar

When she arrives, maybe she wants to do something.

"She wants" present tense is wrong here. I'm not sure what the rule is, though. I can construct sentences with "When + present, present":

When I give the signal, I want you to turn off the lights.

Maybe the distinction is that I'm expressing a desire I currently have rather than a hypothetical future one.

[tacuba]

"When she gets here, maybe she'll wanna do somethin'." (en broma)

[irmamar]

Tacuba, no me confundas

Why "get" here? Is it less formal than "arrive" or is it used in USA?

[tacuba]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Tacuba, no me confundas

Why "get" here? Is it less formal than "arrive" or is it used in USA?

Less formal and more common (at least in the U.S.).

When did you get here? and When did you arrive? are both perfectly acceptable, but using "arrive" sounds just a shade more formal.

The word "get" is so over-used in English that just thinking about its usage (at least in the U.S.) makes my head hurt.

[irmamar]

Thanks, Tacuba Yes, get is over-used, but when I use it, surely it's bad-used

[Cloudgazer]

Thanks for mentioning "When she gets here", Tacuba. It sounds the most natural by far.

And you haven't poorly used «get» in the sentence above, Irma.

[irmamar]

¿Un mal uso de una palabra se dice "poorly used"?

[Cloudgazer]

Yeah. Bad is an adjective and poorly is an adverb. You could say badly, too. It's more informal. ¿Da sentido ya?

[irmamar]

Thanks, Cloud.

[Cloudgazer]

¡De nada, amiga!