Translations using the expression "... in the process of ..."Looking at the questions asked by Huw and by Ian - I wondered if it might be worth using an expression like "in the process of …" to distinguish between the two cases.
e.g. "Los libros estaban siendo colocados en las estanterías" >
> means (more or less?): "the books were in the process of being placed on the shelves"... It really does need some kind of special treatment, because there is not always a directly translatable equivalent in English (although here, we could actually say: "the books were being placed on the shelves"). The above sentence could usefully be compared with
Los libros fueron colocados en las estanterías
and
Los libros eran colocados en las estanterías
and
Los libros han sido colocados en las estanterías.
and [maybe !]
Los libros habían sido colocados en las estanterías.
Of course, each of those^ alternatives carries a different meaning.
[… What about: "Los libros estuvieron siendo colocados en las estanterías"? !]
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In your example: "The strawberries had been in the process of being collected" is probably a better illustration for my suggestion.
I love this idiom...'media naranja' for 'soulmate'!
Re: Cuando (When) is followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood to express a future event still to happen.
In all the examples, the 2nd clause uses simple future or imperative. I get that these can be used, but does that mean that the present can't be used? Can we say: "Cuando vayas al mercado, compras fruta y verdura.
When you go to the market, buy fruit and vegetables.
In Kwiziq, there's a lesson on -ito etc and a lesson on -illo etc. I'm living in Ecuador and have traveled around Central and South America a bit, and I've heard both groups of suffixes used in what seems to be the exact same way. I guess I'm looking for a little clarity on whether they are 100% interchangeable.
Am I correct that team -ito and team -illo mean the same thing - they make a word diminutive, softer, affectionate - and that the real difference is just in local usage? I can use either group of suffixes, and not be wrong, but one group is just more common in certain areas than the other?
My apologies if you've answered this elsewhere. I reviewed the other questions, and I did not find an answer that makes me confident that my understanding is correct.
And thanks, in advance for your help.
I put argentina nacional instead of nacional argentina. Can't the adjective go after the noun here or does it have to be before it? Thanks.
I don't understand the example sentence " Ninguna chica viajará contigo a ninguna parte". The tip says that you can only use the words "ningun" or "Ninguna" at the beginning of a sentence, so this example sentence does not make sense to me since " Ninguna" Is found towards the end of the sentence too. Thank you.
In English these are sometimes interchangeable. Could one say "However much it costs.../ Whatever it costs..." using either 'cueste lo que cueste...' or 'cueste como cueste...' ?
Hi there, I am a little confused as there appears to be inconsistencies in the colouring of letters which are irregular in the verb tables.
In this table only the Z is red, I understand that the letter Z is the main focus of the lesson, however almost all of this verb is irregular, and only highlighting the Z makes me question myself.
In other lessons I have seen emphasis with both red and blue, but there doesn't appear to be a regular pattern, which also casts doubt on my learning.
I know it may be a big job, but would it be possible to devise a standard practice, and then implement? Maybe a job for a Spanish intern :-)
Looking at the questions asked by Huw and by Ian - I wondered if it might be worth using an expression like "in the process of …" to distinguish between the two cases.
e.g. "Los libros estaban siendo colocados en las estanterías" >
> means (more or less?): "the books were in the process of being placed on the shelves"... It really does need some kind of special treatment, because there is not always a directly translatable equivalent in English (although here, we could actually say: "the books were being placed on the shelves"). The above sentence could usefully be compared with
Los libros fueron colocados en las estanterías
and
Los libros eran colocados en las estanterías
and
Los libros han sido colocados en las estanterías.
and [maybe !]
Los libros habían sido colocados en las estanterías.
Of course, each of those^ alternatives carries a different meaning.
[… What about: "Los libros estuvieron siendo colocados en las estanterías"? !]
-----------------
In your example: "The strawberries had been in the process of being collected" is probably a better illustration for my suggestion.
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