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Future tense to say "I wonder"

 

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  #1
Old March 14, 2010, 08:13 PM
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Future tense to say "I wonder"

Hello, I would just like to double check that I am understanding this. The future tense can be used to express wonderment, yes? Can someone please tell me if these sentences are correct then (please ignore if I've misused ser and estar, I'm currently only interested if the sentence structures are okay):

Que estare hacer. (I wonder what I will do.)
Que hare. (Same, but I tried a different way of saying it.)

Como sere ir alli. (I wonder how I will get there.)
Como ire alli.

Thank you. I think I'm way off here, so corrections are welcome
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  #2
Old March 15, 2010, 12:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
Hello, I would just like to double check that I am understanding this. The future tense can be used to express wonderment, yes? Can someone please tell me if these sentences are correct then (please ignore if I've misused ser and estar, I'm currently only interested if the sentence structures are okay):

¿Qué voy a hacer? (I wonder what I will do.)
¿Qué haré? (Same, but I tried a different way of saying it.)

¿Cómo voy a venir alli? (I wonder how I will get there.)
¿Cómo iré alli?

Thank you. I think I'm way off here, so corrections are welcome
hola (try to use the accents pulldown menu )

You didn´t confuse ser-estar but rather ser/estar and ir

ir + a + (infinitive) is used to express one is going to do something
Vas a correr - you´re going to run
Va a robarles - He´s going to rob them
------

¿Qué voy a hacer? - what am I going to do?
¿Qué haré? - what will I do?
¿Cómo vendré allí? - how will I get there?

He has a family member coming on Tuesday
¿Quién será? - who could it be? / I wonder who it is?

¿Qué hora será? - I wonder what time it could be? / what time could it be?
Serán la una. - It´s probably one o´clock

espero que te sirvan
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  #3
Old March 15, 2010, 01:44 AM
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Quote:

Cita:
Escrito originalmente por bricks
Hello, I would just like to double check that I am understanding this. The future tense can be used to express wonderment, yes? Can someone please tell me if these sentences are correct then (please ignore if I've misused ser and estar, I'm currently only interested if the sentence structures are okay):

¿Qué voy a hacer? (I wonder what I will do.)
¿Qué haré? (Same, but I tried a different way of saying it.)

¿Cómo voy a venir alli? (I wonder how I will get there.)
¿Cómo iré alli?

Thank you. I think I'm way off here, so corrections are welcome
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobjenkins View Post
hola (try to use the accents pulldown menu )

You didn´t confuse ser-estar but rather ser/estar and ir

ir + a + (infinitive) is used to express one is going to do something
Vas a correr - you´re going to run
Va a robarles - He´s going to rob them
------

¿Qué voy a hacer? - what am I going to do?
¿Qué haré? - what will I do?
¿Cómo vendré allí? - how will I get there?

He has a family member coming on Tuesday
¿Quién será? - who could it be? / I wonder who it is?

¿Qué hora será? - I wonder what time it could be? / what time could it be?
Serán la una. - It´s probably one o´clock

espero que te sirvan
Muy bien, Bob

"Wonder" can be translated as "me pregunto" as well:

Me pregunto qué voy a hacer.
Me pregunto cómo voy a ir.


Last edited by irmamar; March 15, 2010 at 01:46 AM.
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  #4
Old March 15, 2010, 09:57 AM
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Thnanks, I will use the accents from now on.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bobjenkins View Post
¿Qué voy a hacer? - what am I going to do?
¿Qué haré? - what will I do?
¿Cómo vendré allí? - how will I get there?
As I understand it using ir for future tense is for things that will happen not too distantly, like on the same day but later on? If I was talking about something that would affact me for a few months to come could I say Qué estaré hacer, or Qué haré?
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  #5
Old March 15, 2010, 12:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
Thnanks, I will use the accents from now on.



As I understand it using ir for future tense is for things that will happen not too distantly, like on the same day but later on? If I was talking about something that would affact me for a few months to come could I say Qué estaré hacer, or Qué haré?
Hi Bricks:

Do me a favor.

Give several examples, not only two, in English of what you are thinking. This time do not try to translate, just English.

In other words, what according to you would express in English things that will happen not too distantly and the opposite?

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  #6
Old March 15, 2010, 06:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post
Hi Bricks:

Do me a favor.

Give several examples, not only two, in English of what you are thinking. This time do not try to translate, just English.

In other words, what according to you would express in English things that will happen not too distantly and the opposite?

Okay then, how about: "I wonder how I am going to pay these bills."
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  #7
Old March 15, 2010, 06:36 PM
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Me pregunto cómo voy a pagar estas facturas.
¿Cómo pagaré estas facturas?

Either one will work, I believe.
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  #8
Old March 15, 2010, 06:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
Okay then, how about: "I wonder how I am going to pay these bills."
Several translations as already given by other posters:

Me pregunto como voy a pagar estas cuentas.

Como voy a hacer para pagar estas cuentas.

Como haré para pagar estas cuentas.

Now, according to you, is this in short or long term? Whatever it is, could you give an example of the other way around?

I am asking you this because I am under the impression that you are thinking of something else while formulating these questions in your mind.

In your tries:

Quote:
Que estare hacer. (I wonder what I will do.)
Que hare. (Same, but I tried a different way of saying it.)

Como sere ir alli. (I wonder how I will get there.)
Como ire alli.
Is it me or you are not thinking of?:

What am I going to be doing (there)?

What I will be doing?

Just wondering...
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  #9
Old March 15, 2010, 07:22 PM
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Things that are going to happen soon are expressed sometimes with the present (without ir + a + X)
Cuando se quiere decir de algo que ocurrirá hoy, o mañana el tiempo presente puede ser usado

Mañana te compro un libro nuevo
Esa noche vamos al cine
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  #10
Old March 15, 2010, 09:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobjenkins View Post
Things that are going to happen soon are expressed sometimes with the present (without ir + a + X)
Cuando se quiere decir de algo que ocurrirá hoy, o mañana el tiempo presente puede ser usado

Mañana te compro un libro nuevo
Esa noche vamos al cine

Correct, but like in English it should be well punctuated.

Tonight, we go to the movies, etc...

Or at least, that's my understanding of the punctuation needed there, that might as well be totally off...
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  #11
Old March 17, 2010, 11:23 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post
Correct, but like in English it should be well punctuated.

Tonight, we´re going to the movies, etc...

Or at least, that's my understanding of the punctuation needed there, that might as well be totally off...
Sí, creo que nos importa la puntuación y tuya es correcta , y también las palabras que especifican un punto del tiempo

mañana , esa noche, etc.
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  #12
Old March 18, 2010, 04:10 PM
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Thank you for the excellent replies. I think I am getting this. One small question however:

If I wanted to say "I wonder if they know...", could I simply say "Sabrán...", or "Serán saber...".

Is this okay or do I need to implement "if" (si) somewhere in there?
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  #13
Old March 18, 2010, 04:30 PM
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Yes, you can use just "¿Sabrán (que)...?"

You need "if" when you ask: "Me pregunto si sabrán/saben (que)...."

I wonder if they know that Juan is not my name:
- Me pregunto si sabrán/saben que no me llamo Juan.
- ¿Sabrán que no me llamo Juan?


Be careful: "Serán saber" makes no sense in Spanish, but you can say: "¿Será que saben que no me llamo Juan?" (Could it be that they know that my name is not Juan?)
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Old March 18, 2010, 04:43 PM
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Thank you. Also your english is very impressive.

Is there a reason that "Serán saber" makes no sense, or is just one of those things you accept?

Is that to say things like "Seré saber", "Será ir" or "Lo seré hacer" don't make sense either?
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  #15
Old March 18, 2010, 05:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
Thank you. Also your english is very impressive.

Is there a reason that "Serán saber" makes no sense, or is just one of those things you accept?

Is that to say things like "Seré saber", "Será ir" or "Lo seré hacer" don't make sense either?
Since pjt and nobody else answered this in another thread (hilo/hebra)

I know, it's sad to talk to oneself...

Is that form used in English/ or was it ever used?

Will it be better to do this tomorrow...

Será mejor hacer esto mañana...

And I think that's what you want to know...
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  #16
Old March 18, 2010, 09:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
Thank you. Also your english is very impressive.

Is there a reason that "Serán saber" makes no sense, or is just one of those things you accept?

Is that to say things like "Seré saber", "Será ir" or "Lo seré hacer" don't make sense either?
Thank you.

There are usually reasons for everything.

Apart from Chileno's sentence, I can't think of any case in which a conjugated "ser" + a verb in infinitive could make any sense in Spanish.

"Ser" is not an auxiliary verb and it's normally put together with an adjective or a noun:

Seré doctor -> I will be a doctor
Fuimos guapos -> We were handsome
Eran amigas -> They used to be friends
Eres encantadora -> You are charming

If you say "seré saber", "seré ir", you turn those infinitives into nouns, which may be interesting for some kinds of poetry, but not for daily speech.
In the case of "saber", coincidentally, it can actually be a noun in Spanish that means knowledge, so "seré saber" would mean "I will be knowledge", and I think that's not what you want to say.

If you want to put "saber", "ir", "hacer" in future tense, you just have to conjugate each verb: Sabré, irá, lo haré.

I hope this will help.
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Last edited by AngelicaDeAlquezar; March 18, 2010 at 09:07 PM.
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  #17
Old March 18, 2010, 09:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
Thank you. Also your english is very impressive.

Is there a reason that "Serán saber" makes no sense, or is just one of those things you accept?

Is that to say things like "Seré saber", "Será ir" or "Lo seré hacer" don't make sense either?
Bricks, how are you translating

"Seré saber", "será ir", "lo seré hacer"

If you´re translating it like this, this is the wrong usage of "ser". I think this might be why you´re confused about it




If you want to say "I am going" to "verb". Use "ir + a + infinitive", or as Angelica said just the verb conjugated in the future tense.


espero que te sirvan los ejemplos
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  #18
Old March 18, 2010, 10:07 PM
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I understand very well now. Thank you. bobjenkins, I was referring to "I will be..." as opposed to "I am going to...", but it's okay as Angelica explained it to me.

Thanks
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  #19
Old March 18, 2010, 11:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
I understand very well now. Thank you. bobjenkins, I was referring to "I will be..." as opposed to "I am going to...", but it's okay as Angelica explained it to me.

Thanks
Please, write in English what you wanted to say.

"I will be" is not enough because "seré ir/hacer" indicates you were thinking of something else or added to it...

On the other hand, it is possible to construct these types of phrases:

¿Será que tiene que ir?

¿Será que hacer esto es mejor que hacer esto otro?

now do you remember my question? (a couple of replies above this one)
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