Una Pregunta

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Perikles: It was a slightly sarcastic sentence that meant something like "It must be JS or APR, because I doubt anyone else drinks that."

I'm not sure about how Irma would use it, but I'd avoid "dudar" with it. The kind of construction I'd use with "si no fuera":

Si no fueran X y Y, no sé quién más lo bebería.
Si no fuera X o Y, no sé quién más lo bebería.
If it weren't X and/or Y I don't know who else would drink that.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Perikles: It was a slightly sarcastic sentence that meant something like "It must be JS or APR, because I doubt anyone else drinks that."

I'm not sure about how Irma would use it, but I'd avoid "dudar" with it. The kind of construction I'd use with "si no fuera":

Si no fueran X y Y, no sé quién más lo bebería.
Si no fuera X o Y, no sé quién más lo bebería.
If it weren't X and/or Y I don't know who else would drink that.

Thanks. These constructions drive me crazy. I got the meaning completely wrong.

Why de no ser X y Y and not de no ser X o Y

[irmamar]

Sorry, I forgot "por":

Si no fuera por ti, la vida no valdría la pena = De no ser por ti, la vida no valdría la pena.

I can't stay any longer, I'm in a hurry.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Perikles: I should have translated "it must be JS and APR".
I chose "y" because I know that both of them like to state their fondness for mariachis and tequila.
I would have used "o" if it had been a guess between them.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Perikles: I should have translated "it must be JS and APR".
I chose "y" because I know that both of them like to state their fondness for mariachis and tequila.
I would have used "o" if it had been a guess between them.

OK thanks. How then would you translate

If it weren't for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody would drink it.

??

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

OK thanks. How then would you translate

If it weren't for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody would drink it.

??

Si no fuera por X e Y, dudo si alguien lo bebiera/bebería.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by chileno

Si no fuera por X e Y, dudo si alguien lo bebiera/bebería.

Thanks

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree with Hernán, or "si no fuera por X o por Y, dudo que alguien lo bebería" or "...dudo que hubiera alguien que lo bebería", but that means that thanks to them people drink tequila.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

I agree with Hernán, or "si no fuera por X o por Y, dudo que alguien lo bebería" or "...dudo que hubiera alguien que lo bebería", but that means that thanks to them people drink tequila.

Right. The "whether" there changes everything.

If you take it away, then el "si" in Spanish have to be replaced for "que".

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Irma: De no ser Joaquín Sabina y Arturo Pérez-Reverte, dudo que alguien más lo beba.

Originally Posted by Perikles

I've just spent half an hour puzzling over this. Am I right by translating as

If it were not for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody else would drink it.

?? If so, why not an imperfect subjunctive ?

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

I agree with Hernán, or "si no fuera por X o por Y, dudo que alguien lo bebería" or "...dudo que hubiera alguien que lo bebería", but that means that thanks to them people drink tequila.

*Phew* Which is what I was asking several hundred posts ago . Many thanks

[CarmenCarmona]

Originally Posted by chileno

Si no fuera por X e Y, dudo si alguien lo bebiera/bebería.

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

I agree with Hernán, or "si no fuera por X o por Y, dudo que alguien lo bebería" or "...dudo que hubiera alguien que lo bebería", but that means that thanks to them people drink tequila.

'Dudo que alguien lo bebería'

'Dudo que alguien lo beba/bebiese/bebiera'

'[...]dudo si alguien lo bebería'

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by CarmenCarmona

'Dudo que alguien lo bebería'

'Dudo que alguien lo beba/bebiese/bebiera'

'[...]dudo si alguien lo bebería'

OK - now can you translate that into English? Thanks. (I mean the whole sentence)

[CarmenCarmona]

A no ser que X y Y lo hagan, dudo que alguien más lo beba.
Unless X y Y do so, I doubt whether someone else drinks it.

Si no fuera por X y Y, dudo que alguien más lo bebiese/bebiera.
If it weren't for X y Y, I doubt whether someone would drink it.

(I'm getting paranoid, now I don't know what was the original sentence!)

If we made some lemonade, I doubt someone would drink it.
Si hiciéramos limonada, dudo si alguien se la bebería.

What you think?

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Irma: De no ser Joaquín Sabina y Arturo Pérez-Reverte, dudo que alguien más lo beba.

Originally Posted by Perikles

I've just spent half an hour puzzling over this. Am I right by translating as

If it were not for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody else would drink it.

?? If so, why not an imperfect subjunctive ?

Originally Posted by CarmenCarmona

A no ser que X y Y lo hagan, dudo que alguien más lo beba.
Unless X y Y do so, I doubt whether someone else drinks it.

Si no fuera por X y Y, dudo que alguien más lo bebiese/bebiera.
If it weren't for X y Y, I doubt whether someone would drink it.

(I'm getting paranoid, now I don't know what was the original sentence!)

If we made some lemonade, I doubt someone would drink it.
Si hiciéramos limonada, dudo si alguien se la bebería.

What you think?

I'm starting to bite chunks out of the furniture here. See the original post by @Angelica? I wanted to know whether it meant

A: Apart from X and Y, I doubt whether anybody else drinks it. (i.e. these are the only two people who drink it)

B: If it had not been for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody would drink it (i.e. had it not been for the influence of these two writers, nobody would drink it)



The difference in meaning is huge. Which of the two did she mean? I thought I had found out.

[CarmenCarmona]

Originally Posted by Perikles

I'm starting to bite chunks out of the furniture here. See the original post by @Angelica? I wanted to know whether it meant

A: Apart from X and Y, I doubt whether anybody else drinks it. (i.e. these are the only two people who drink it)

B: If it had not been for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody would drink it (i.e. had it not been for the influence of these two writers, nobody would drink it)



The difference in meaning is huge. Which of the two did she mean? I thought I had found out.

Yeah, I think you did too! haha, it was A.

And, calm down, but I think they were actually singers...

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Perikles:

Original sentence:

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

De no ser Joaquín Sabina y Arturo Pérez-Reverte, dudo que alguien más lo beba.

Your first question:

Originally Posted by Perikles

I've just spent half an hour puzzling over this. Am I right by translating as

If it were not for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody else would drink it.

?? If so, why not an imperfect subjunctive ?

Reply to your question and a comment on the second kind of sentence Irma introduced:

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Perikles: It was a slightly sarcastic sentence that meant something like "It must be JS or APR, because I doubt anyone else drinks that."

I'm not sure about how Irma would use it, but I'd avoid "dudar" with it. The kind of construction I'd use with "si no fuera":

Si no fueran X y Y, no sé quién más lo bebería.
Si no fuera X o Y, no sé quién más lo bebería.
If it weren't X and/or Y I don't know who else would drink that.

Your next question:

Originally Posted by Perikles

Thanks. These constructions drive me crazy. I got the meaning completely wrong.

Why de no ser X y Y and not de no ser X o Y

Small correction to my first translation and a wider explanation on why I chose the conjunction:

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Perikles: I should have translated "it must be JS and APR".
I chose "y" because I know that both of them like to state their fondness for mariachis and tequila.
I would have used "o" if it had been a guess between them.

By "guess between them" would have meant that I didn't know whom of them actually drinks tequila (which was not the case of the original sentence).


Your next question:

Originally Posted by Perikles

OK thanks. How then would you translate

If it weren't for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody would drink it.

??

A possible translation was provided by Hernán, and I added some alternatives, and commented the change of meaning in relation to my original sentence:

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

I agree with Hernán, or "si no fuera por X o por Y, dudo que alguien lo bebería" or "...dudo que hubiera alguien que lo bebería", but that means that thanks to them people drink tequila.

Your latest question:

Originally Posted by Perikles

I'm starting to bite chunks out of the furniture here. See the original post by @Angelica? I wanted to know whether it meant

A: Apart from X and Y, I doubt whether anybody else drinks it. (i.e. these are the only two people who drink it)

B: If it had not been for X and Y, I doubt whether anybody would drink it (i.e. had it not been for the influence of these two writers, nobody would drink it)



The difference in meaning is huge. Which of the two did she mean? I thought I had found out.

As I said, my original sentence meant that I only know about two Spaniards who drink tequila and the expressions introduced by other people mean different things (like if it weren't because of them nobody would drink that, which is NOT AT ALL what I meant) or must be built differently (like in the case of "si no fuera").

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@As I said, my original sentence meant that I only know about two Spaniards who drink tequila and the expressions introduced by other people mean different things (like if it weren't because of them nobody would drink that, which is NOT AT ALL what I meant) or must be built differently (like in the case of "si no fuera").

Sorry I had a mental blank. For some reason I failed to read your original response closely, and was confused accordingly. Mea culpa.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Sorry I had a mental blank. For some reason I failed to read your original response closely, and was confused accordingly. Mea culpa.

One more thing.

Si no fuera por ti, nada de esto se habría conversado. y apuesto a que a más de algún lector le va a servir.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Perikles: It wasn't confusing only for you. I had to re-read everything a couple of times before being able to find some order in the discussion.

@Hernán:

[CarmenCarmona]

Originally Posted by CarmenCarmona

Yeah, I think you did too! haha, it was A.

And, calm down, but I think they were actually singers...

Oh, one singer and one writer!