My practice thread

[Rusty]

Can (someone) explain to me ... = ¿Puede (alguien) explicarme ...
In this sentence, the first verb is conjugated and the second one is not. I placed parentheses around the word 'someone' so that you could see that we do the same thing in English. The first verb is actually known as a modal verb in English. It acts like an auxiliary verb.
The words 'do', 'does', and 'did' act as auxiliary verbs, too. In English, when we ask a question or when we use the negative form of a verb, we use the auxiliary 'do'.
You write well. (statement - no auxiliary verb ('write' is the verb))
Do you write well? (question - auxiliary 'do' appears and 'write' is the main verb))
You don't write well. (negative - auxiliary 'do' appears, contracted with 'not', and 'write' is still the main verb))

In Spanish, a verb is never split into main and auxiliary parts when a question is asked or when it is negative.
So, your sentence:
hago uso a conjugación (Do I use a conjugation)
should just contain the main verb used in English:
¿Uso una conjugación (you can also say ¿Conjugo (Do I conjugate))

Does this help answer your question?

[Kalmetam]

I'm sorry if someone already said this... But I notice that you keep making this mistake..

When in a sentence in which you can use the word "that" in the way I posted below.. You must use include the word "que"

Like for example:

I hope that you are going to win.
Espero que vas a ganar.

I believe that school is very important.
Creo que la escuela es muy importante.



In English, the "that" may be optional in those sentences .. But in Spanish.. You must always use "que" ... or at least it's more common that way

Like if the sentence was:

I hope you are studying

The translation would be:

Espero que estas estudiando

In other words.. the "que" doesn't go away.

Trust me, after a while, you'll get used to it

I hope that I helped you



I'm not fluent and I do of course make errors sometimes.. If I made a mistake.. Can someone please tell me? Thanks

[Rusty]

@Kalmetam: If the main verb is one of volition/hope/desire, these require the subjunctive mood in the secondary clause. For example:

Espero que vayas a ganar.
Espero que estés estudiando.
Quiero que me ayudes. (In English, this means "I want you to help me." We don't use the subjunctive very often, if at all, so the literal translation will seem strange to us. The literal translation is "I want that you help me.")

When there is no change in subject, the subjunctive mood is not used. The Spanish infinitive is used instead.

Quiero ir con él. (no change in subject - "I want to go with him.")
Quiero que vayas con él. (change in subject - "I want you to go with him." - literally "I want that you go with him.")

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Rusty

@Kalmetam: If the main verb is one of volition/hope/desire, these require the subjunctive mood in the secondary clause. For example:

Espero que vayas a ganar.
Espero que estés estudiando.

In these two examples, if the verb after espero is indicative, does it translate as I expect ...?

Espero que vas a ganar
I expect you are going to win

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

In these two examples, if the verb after espero is indicative, does it translate as I expect ...?

Espero a que vas a ganar
I expect you are going to win

Right, and I would add that "a"

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Sorry to disagree with chileno.
"Espero a que vas a ganar" sounds wrong here... might be a regional usage.


@Perikles: "Espero que vas a ganar" should rather be "confío en que vas a ganar", "sé que vas a ganar" or "estoy seguro(a) de que vas a ganar" (even if all sentences are just expressing a hope for something that hasn't happened yet).
"Espero que", as Rusty said, needs a subjunctive.

[JPablo]

I have not studied this thread (by far) only glanced at few posts... but the natural way I would say this would be simply,
Espero que ganes. (If someone already said that, then credit to them [him/her])
Y espero que todo el mundo aprenda y se divierta aprendiendo...

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Perikles: "Espero que vas a ganar" should rather be "confío en que vas a ganar", "sé que vas a ganar" or "estoy seguro(a) de que vas a ganar" (even if all sentences are just expressing a hope for something that hasn't happened yet).
"Espero que", as Rusty said, needs a subjunctive.

Originally Posted by JPablo

I have not studied this thread (by far) only glanced at few posts... but the natural way I would say this would be simply,
Espero que ganes. (If someone already said that, then credit to them [him/her])
Y espero que todo el mundo aprenda y se divierta aprendiendo...

@JPablo: my issue has always been esperar meaning to hope or to expect. (nothing directly to do with the thread) I seem to be the only person who has a problem here. If Espero que ganes = I hope you will win, then how do you say I expect you will win. ? It appears I should avoid esperar, although @Angelica does not actually say that "Espero que vas a ganar" is wrong

[chileno]

That's where the "a" becomes relevant...

Even though, as a native I would most likely say "espero que ganes" = I hope/expect you win"

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by chileno

That's where the "a" becomes relevant...

Even though, as a native I would most likely say "espero que ganes" = I hope/expect you win"

But which one? Am I the only person to think that I hope that ... and I expect that... are two totally different statements? Can espero que ganes really mean I expect you (shall) win ???????

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Perikles: I did say "espero que" needs a subjunctive, as Rusty had already pointed out. So "espero que vas a ganar" is wrong.
And that's also why I changed the verbs that express "I expect" more than "I hope", which would be immediately expressed with "espero".
"Creo que vas a ganar" is a valid expression for "I expect" too.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Perikles: I did say "espero que" needs a subjunctive,

Ahh - I understood that as... needs a subjunctive... if it means to hope ....

I'm going to forget the possibility that esperar means to expect. It never does.

Thanks for that.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

But which one? Am I the only person to think that I hope that ... and I expect that... are two totally different statements? Can espero que ganes really mean I expect you (shall) win ???????

No you are right. Problem is that in Spanish you say it in the same way...

Espero que ganes. Si no vas a estar en problemas - I expect

Espero que ganes. Si lo haces iremos a celebrar. - I hope

Espero a que ganes... I'll wait for you to win...

[Perikles]

Thanks for that - so only the context will tell me how to translate it. Either that, or there is no clear conceptual difference between hoping and expecting, which I find hard to believe.

[JPablo]

Yes, what happens is that "esperar" in Spanish as 3 main meanings
1. to wait
2. to expect
3. to hope for.

There are "submeanings" on each one of them, but the context will tell you what it is.

Like the old joke of the very fat man waiting outside the school at the end of the classes, another mother asks him, (I switch to Spanish as that is the original)
--Qué... ¿Espera a un niño?
--No, yo siempre he estado así de gordo.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by JPablo

Yes, what happens is that "esperar" in Spanish as 3 main meanings
1. to wait
2. to expect
3. to hope for.

There are "submeanings" on each one of them, but the context will tell you what it is.

Like the old joke of the very fat man waiting outside the school at the end of the classes, another mother asks him, (I switch to Spanish as that is the original)
--Qué... ¿Espera a un niño?
--No, yo siempre he estado así de gordo.

Nah! You saw one of my pictures???!!!

[JPablo]

No, I haven't seen any of your pictures... why? ¿Estás gordito? (Yo soy más flaco que un fideo, 156 libras... casi 71 kilos...)
Like the joke, "era tan flaco, tan flaco, que se compró un traje mil rayas y le sobraron 999..."

[chileno]

Originally Posted by JPablo

No, I haven't seen any of your pictures... why? ¿Estás gordito? (Yo soy más flaco que un fideo, 156 libras... casi 71 kilos...)
Like the joke, "era tan flaco, tan flaco, que se compró un traje mil rayas y le sobraron 999..."

Sí, estoy más bien redondito....pero ya estoy perdiendo peso.

Está bueno el chiste, nosotros decimos, "tan flaco que come un par de porotos (frijoles) y parece rosario" o tan flaco, que cuando te miras de frente, pareces que estás de lado, y mirado de lado parece que no estás!"

[Rusty]

a los dos.
Éste último tiene equivalente en inglés, Chileno:
"He's so thin, if he turns sideways he disappears."

[JPablo]

Funny!