Más oraciones con el pretérito

[laepelba]

So, I'm still working on the Preterit chapter. In this exercise, I needed to translate several sentences. I didn't even get half of them right.

Anyway - I only have questions about one of the sentences. (The rest I was able to figure out my error.)

English: Elisa and I could not get to your meeting at six o'clock.
My Spanish translation: Elisa y yo no pudimos asistir tu reunión a las sies.
Corrected translation (from the answer key): Elisa y yo no pudimos asistir tu llegar a la reunión a las sies.

1) Would "asistir" work in this sentence?
2) I don't understand why llegar works here. I thought llegar means to arrive. I don't understand.
[And, P.S., I didn't like that they used the English word "get". I'm disliking that word more and more....]
3) Why "a la" instead of "tu"?

¡¡¡Gracias!!!

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

So, I'm still working on the Preterit chapter. In this exercise, I needed to translate several sentences. I didn't even get half of them right.

Anyway - I only have questions about one of the sentences. (The rest I was able to figure out my error.)

English: Elisa and I could not get to your meeting at six o'clock.
My Spanish translation: Elisa y yo no pudimos asistir tu reunión a las sies.
Corrected translation (from the answer key): Elisa y yo no pudimos asistir tu llegar a la reunión a las sies.

1) Would "asistir" work in this sentence?
2) I don't understand why llegar works here. I thought llegar means to arrive. I don't understand.
[And, P.S., I didn't like that they used the English word "get". I'm disliking that word more and more....]
3) Why "a la" instead of "tu"?

¡¡¡Gracias!!!

Asistir = attend

Does that help?

As to the word get...see what we have to go through?

[laepelba]

No. It doesn't help. What else do you do but attend a meeting?

I have three questions I would like answered......

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

So, I'm still working on the Preterit chapter. In this exercise, I needed to translate several sentences. I didn't even get half of them right.

Anyway - I only have questions about one of the sentences. (The rest I was able to figure out my error.)

English: Elisa and I could not get to your meeting at six o'clock.
My Spanish translation: Elisa y yo no pudimos asistir tu reunión a las sies.
Corrected translation (from the answer key): Elisa y yo no pudimos asistir tu llegar a la reunión a las sies.

1) Would "asistir" work in this sentence?
2) I don't understand why llegar works here. I thought llegar means to arrive. I don't understand.
[And, P.S., I didn't like that they used the English word "get". I'm disliking that word more and more....]
3) Why "a la" instead of "tu"?

¡¡¡Gracias!!!

1) & 2) Yes and no. I thought "get to" here meant to arrive. (?)
As Hernán said, "asistir" is "to attend". There is a difference in trying to get there and just not going... Or if you arrived late, you did attend.
3) I don't know!
Unless "your meeting" is a more general way to say "a meeting (any)", I don't see the point on changing "tu" for "a la".
Btw... can "meeting" mean both a group of friends having a nice time and a business group of people?
If it is so, "tu reunión" would be used for the group of friends (you're organising it) and "la reunión" would be used for the business people (more neutral).


Edit: "Some more" is not translated as "algunas más", but like "otras" or simply "más", so: "más oraciones con el pretérito" or "otras oraciones con el pretérito" should be your thread title.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

1) & 2) Yes and no. I thought "get to" here meant to arrive. (?)
As Hernán said, "asistir" is "to attend". There is a difference in trying to get there and just not going... Or if you arrived late, you did attend.
3) I don't know!
Unless "your meeting" is a more general way to say "a meeting (any)", I don't see the point on changing "tu" for "a la".
Btw... can "meeting" mean both a group of friends having a nice time and a business group of people?
If it is so, "tu reunión" would be used for the group of friends (you're organising it) and "la reunión" would be used for the business people (more neutral).

1) I suppose ... I would never ever consider saying "I arrived at your meeting". I either attended (late or no) or I didn't attend. Or I "was at" a meeting. Is "llegar" commonly used in regard to a reunión in Spanish? As I consider this, I would really only use "arrive" to talk about "arriving at a place/physical location", not an event.
3) Maybe another of their "errors"? Hmm....

BTW: Usually, I would say "meeting" refers to some kind of business gathering. With friends, I would say "get together" or "party" or something along those lines....

Thanks for your answers!!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Hmm... How would you apologize for arriving late to a meeting?

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

Hmm... How would you apologize for arriving late to a meeting?

I would either say "Sorry I was late for the meeting" or "Sorry I missed the beginning of the meeting.". I suppose that to say "I arrived early/late for a meeting" sounds okay. But I would really usually use "arrive" with location....

You could, um, change the title of the thread.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

[And, P.S., I didn't like that they used the English word "get". I'm disliking that word more and more....]

'get' is a bad word to use. Get used to not using it. By the way - off-topic, but the first sentence I quote: is that standard AmE?

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Perikles

'get' is a bad word to use. Get used to not using it. By the way - off-topic, but the first sentence I quote: is that standard AmE?

No, it's definitely not traditional usage. I tend to overuse the present progressive on purpose for exaggeration....

edit: wait. The first sentence or the last? "I'm disliking it more & more..." isn't conventional. But what don't you like about the first sentence?

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

I didn't like that they used the English word "get".

Originally Posted by laepelba

edit: wait. The first sentence or the last? "I'm disliking it more & more..." isn't conventional. But what don't you like about the first sentence?

It is definitely not BrE. Well, it sounds wrong to me, which is not the same. I would have to say

I didn't like it that they used the English word "get".,

but normally I would say

I didn't like their using the word "get".

The way you said it sounds a bit Spanish

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Perikles

It is definitely not BrE. Well, it sounds wrong to me, which is not the same. I would have to say

I didn't like it that they used the English word "get".,

but normally I would say

I didn't like their using the word "get".

The way you said it sounds a bit Spanish

Maybe I AM learning some Spanish!!

Well, yes, I suppose that my sentence is common usage here. What you said sounds a bit "stuffy". <refrains from making a comment about your being British...>

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

What you said sounds a bit "stuffy". <refrains from making a comment about your being British...>

Stuffy ????? <refrains from cursing about bloody colonials polluting the language...>

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Stuffy ????? <refrains from cursing about bloody colonials polluting the language...>

Oh, don't get all WHINGEY on me!! (See ... I CAN speak the King's English when I want to ... I just don't usually WANT to!)

So ... here's a good question to play with the minds of Europeans vs. those from the US: where does one find the "first floor" in a hotel/office building?

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

No. It doesn't help. What else do you do but attend a meeting?

1) Would "asistir" work in this sentence?
2) I don't understand why llegar works here. I thought llegar means to arrive. I don't understand.
[And, P.S., I didn't like that they used the English word "get". I'm disliking that word more and more....]
3) Why "a la" instead of "tu"?

3. it should have been "tu" as per original phrase in English, maybe they considered that to be too "literal"?

2 Asistir also means to help...

1. What is the difference between "could not get to your meeting" and " could not make it to your meeting" for you? And YES asistir o atender could be used there.

[laepelba]

Thanks, Chileno! That was much more helpful!

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Oh, don't get all WHINGEY on me!! (See ... I CAN speak the King's English when I want to ... I just don't usually WANT to!)

Your choice, but it would actually be Queen's English. It has been since 1952.

Originally Posted by laepelba

So ... here's a good question to play with the minds of Europeans vs. those from the US: where does one find the "first floor" in a hotel/office building?

Surely, as a mathematician, you would start counting at zero?

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Oh, don't get all WHINGEY on me!! (See ... I CAN speak the King's English when I want to ... I just don't usually WANT to!)

So ... here's a good question to play with the minds of Europeans vs. those from the US: where does one find the "first floor" in a hotel/office building?

Whingey? What does it mean?

Planta baja, primer piso, segundo piso... Where do you find the first floor?

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Surely, as a mathematician, you would start counting at zero?

Originally Posted by irmamar

Whingey? What does it mean?

Planta baja, primer piso, segundo piso... Where do you find the first floor?

I'll let PERIKLES define "whingey" for you. I'm not British, so I have never actually USED that word!

In the United States, the "first" floor IS the ground floor. When a friend from London was visiting here, we had to visit an office with which she is affiliated. When we went up the elevator, I hit the buttons and she wasn't paying attention. When we left the office, she was standing next to the buttons and we must have stood there for a very awkward two whole minutes ... me, waiting for her to press the danged button ... she, wondering where the heck was the button for the ground floor. We finally figured out the confusion, and got the button "1" pressed to get out and walk to the car.....

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

I'll let PERIKLES define "whingey" for you. I'm not British, so I have never actually USED that word!

In the United States, the "first" floor IS the ground floor. When a friend from London was visiting here, we had to visit an office with which she is affiliated. When we went up the elevator, I hit the buttons and she wasn't paying attention. When we left the office, she was standing next to the buttons and we must have stood there for a very awkward two whole minutes ... me, waiting for her to press the danged button ... she, wondering where the heck was the button for the ground floor. We finally figured out the confusion, and got the button "1" pressed to get out and walk to the car.....

A mí me hubiera pasado lo mismo.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

I'll let PERIKLES define "whingey" for you. I'm not British, so I have never actually USED that word! ...

That's a bit rich - she invents a word which doesn't exist, and then expects me to explain it. There is a verb to whinge which means to whine = quejarse so I guess whingey is an adjective to describe somebody who whinges a lot. Apparently to whinge is BrE colloquial and pejorative.

And she used it above, describing me, though she claims she has never used it.