There are numerous errors an English learner of Spanish or vice
versa can make when they first attempt to communicate verbally or orally in the
other language. This article provides a couple of examples of how the Spanish
and English languages vary.
Spanish sometimes uses a completely different verb to that
used in English to express certain feelings. For instance, where English would
use the verb “to be” plus an adjective to express feeling hunger, thirst,
sleepiness and so on, Spanish uses the verb “to have” plus a noun. So, “I am
hungry” is “Tengo hambre”, literally, “I have hunger”. “I am thirsty” is then “Tengo
sed”, literally, “I have thirst”. Finally, “I am sleepy/tired” is “Tengo sueño”,
literally, “I have sleep”. Bear in mind, however, that “sueño” also means a dream
and has a separate verb form. For example, “un sueño hecho realidad” translates
as “a dream come true”.
In English, to express that we want or would like someone to
do something or for something to be done, we quite simply say “I want/would
like you to do…”. Spanish requires a slightly more complicated verb form,
namely the subjunctive form of the verb which is a variation of the present
tense endings of the relevant verb, although there are some exceptions to irregular
verb forms.
To demonstrate, the above phrase in Spanish would read “I want that
you do…”, so, “I want you to speak with him today” will translate as “Quiero
que hables con él hoy”. Note the distortion of the verb “hablar”, “to speak”. Normally,
as “hablar” is an “-ar” verb, i.e. one that ends in “-ar” equivalent to “to
speak” as opposed to I speak, you speak, he speaks, for example, the second
person will end in “-as”, “hablas” (you speak). In effect, the verb ends in the
ending of an “-er” or “-ir” verb when it takes the subjunctive form.
Hopefully, this enlightens the reader a little on a couple
of aspects of the Spanish language compared to English. Should you have any
questions on Spanish or wish to expand your vocabulary, feel free to contactTranslations2u directly or see the relevant gig on fiverr.
Translations2u is a specialist in English to Spanish translation and has the right Spanish to English translator for your project.
I'd love to learn Spanish but nothing seems to stick! I'm not very good at grasping grammar.
ReplyDeleteIt's all about *how* the technical parts are put across. Grammar doesn't have to be difficult. Once you discover the patterns and put them into practice, it won't seem so daunting. Any questions at any time, just contact Translations2u!
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