I was told...

[Jane]

` I was told that ...´
Please what would be the best way to say this in spanish?
I thought of `Me dijieron que...´ but I think it translates better as `They told me that...´

[Rusty]

Me dijeron que ...
works, but would normally be used if a plural subject exists elsewhere in the sentence, or if one was previously established in the conversation. For example:
¿Qué dijeron los médicos?
Me dijeron que todo resultó bien.

The English phrase 'was told' is in the passive voice. The subject isn't known or isn't really important to convey. In Spanish, 'I was told' is said 'se dijo' or 'se dijeron'. You could throw the indirect object pronoun me in the middle of each phrase, but that isn't totally necessary. The reflexive looking 'se' can be translated as 'someone,' 'one,' or 'they' in English, to make more sense of the construct. See more information here.

[Tomisimo]

I agree with Rusty.

Just like a word or phrase in English can have two (or more) meanings, Me dijeron is the best translation for both I was told and They told me. Another option would be Alguien me dijo (Someone told me). As Rusty said, Se dijo can also be a valid translation in some situations.

[sosia]

other option
"me comentaron que iba a realizarse una reducción de personal"

Saludos

[Alfonso]

Isn't an imperative nuance conveyed in I was told?
What's the difference between these:

• I was told to go.
• They told me to go.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Alfonso

Isn't an imperative nuance conveyed in I was told?

What's the difference between these:

• I was told to go.
• They told me to go.

Both sentences mean the same thing.

[poli]

Originally Posted by Alfonso

Isn't an imperative nuance conveyed in I was told?



What's the difference between these:

• I was told to go.
• They told me to go.

En un significado son iguales, pero el significado cambia en la segunda frase si la palabra they se refiere a personas específicas.
Ejemplo de They told me to go con un significado específico: What did John and Mary tell you? They told me to go.

Ejemplo de they told me to go es igual a I was told to go y yo no se si una circunstancia así te habia pasado: I went to a party and got so drunk, I got into a fight and they told me to go/I was to to go/I was asked to go/shown the door

Gracias por corregirme

Poli

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by poli

En un significado /sentido son iguales, pero el significado cambia en la segunda frase si la palabra they se refiere a personas específicas /concretas.
Ejemplo de They told me to go con un significado específico: What did John and Mary tell you? They told me to go.

Ejemplo de they told me to go es igual a I was told to go y yo no sé si una circunstancia así te ha pasado: I went to a party and got so drunk, I got into a fight and they told me to go/I was to to go/I was asked to go/shown the door

Gracias por corregirme

Poli

Te doy dos sinónimos, arriba en violeta, que me parecen más precisos para lo que quieres decir. No obstante, las palabras que usas son correctas.

Entiendo que estableces la diferencia entre un construcción impersonal (they told me to go..., cuando they no se refiere a nadie en concreto) y una construcción personal (cuando they son personas concretas). Lo mismo ocurre en español.

No, hasta ahora no me ha pasado. A pesar de mi mala fama, suelo volar siempre sobrio.

Gracias por la ayuda, Poli y Rusty.

[Jane]

Originally Posted by Alfonso

No, hasta ahora no me ha pasado. A pesar de mi mala fama, suelo volar siempre sobrio.

I can´t seem to understand this sentence.
`No, until now it hasn´t happened to me. In spite of my bad image/fame, I usually always fly sober´
Please, what does it mean?
Is my translation right?

[Iris]

He means he's not an alcoholic despite what others might say in the forum.Anyway I've been told he doesn't have much experience of drinking.

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by Jane

I can´t seem to understand this sentence.
`No, until now it hasn´t happened to me. In spite of my bad image/fame, I usually always fly sober´
Please, what does it mean?
Is my translation right?

Perfect translation!

[Jane]

Thanks, Alfonso.
By the way, Iris, thanks for explaining his status with the bottle. I was beginning to wonder. Coming from you, it´s a relief.

[gatitoverde]

Originally Posted by Iris

He means he's not an alcoholic despite what others might say in the forum.Anyway I've been told he doesn't have much experience of drinking.

En escribir se debe utilizar "at" en vez de "of" aquí, pero in el hablar informal, es más común no utilizar ninguna palabra: he doesn't have much experience drinking. Pero "the experience of flying an aeroplane is an exciting one" es un ejemplo del uso correcto de "of," versus "he has no experience at flying an aeroplane." Necesito pensar en el porqué. Es confundido ya sé.

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by gatitoverde

Al escribir se debe utilizar "at" en vez de "of" aquí, pero en el habla() informal, es más común / habitual no utilizar ninguna palabra: he doesn't have much experience drinking. Pero "the experience of flying an aeroplane is an exciting one" es un ejemplo del uso correcto de "of," versus "he has no experience at flying an aeroplane." Necesito pensar en el porqué. Es confuso, ya sé / ya lo sé.

You will use ya sé in some South American countries. In Spain we rarely say ya sé. The most common is to say ya lo sé.

We don't use común as often as you use in English common. The most fitting word is habitual.

[gatitoverde]

Alfonso, you rock! Thanks for taking the time to correct me. I'm trying to find things to say just so someone will bother to correct them.