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.
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.
Explain formal and informal
In the phrase "Este domingo iré a comer a casa de mis padres", why isn't there an article (la) before "casa"?
Why???
I just figured out why I'm missing all the "usted" questions. When I go study verb charts, none of them even list the formal, so I have incorrectly using the second person plural.
But why? I've been told that it's hardly used, and if they don't even include it in the conjugation charts, . . . Really?
Hi there,
I'd like to know does every color have masculine and feminine forms, or just a few of them?
Thanks a lot!
Hola,
I can already hear myself overthinking, and then checking myself in regards this!
Is a fair way of thinking about this, that:
Imperfect subj - general usage
Present subj - if it feels like it's about to happen
?
Gracias,
This is getting old with asking a question specifying two different possible answers and then allowing only one in the grading of the question. Either sabes or conoces a should be accepted. The question does not differentiate between asking if the addressee knows of the restaurant because he/she has had experience going there or if he/she has just heard about it, a big difference.
The context seems like “i had written” which would be “había escrito” (?).
Muchas gracias
Shirley
Hi,
I was wondering why the "present" tense is used in Spanish for "llamar" which is then translated in the future tense. Why not llamaremos?
Después de la fiesta llamamos a un taxi.
After the party we will call a taxi.
Thank you.
The phrase "para aprender a ser" is the "a" an idiomatic expression? is two consecutive infinitives incorrect?
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