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Five Minute Study - SPANISH and ENGLISH compared Guía de la gramática inglesa...
En estas lecciones breves se comparan el inglés hablado y coloquial con el español con el fin de ayudar al estudiante a apreciar tanto las diferencias como las similitudes lingüísticas entre los dos idiomas.
Spanish imperatives versus subjunctives. (1)
Below,
I've listed some of the most common imperatives heard in daily usage
in Spanish (words in instruction form) eg.: "toma".
Learners of Spanish should note how a speaker changes to the subjunctive
form to place more stress on the importance of the action eg: "que
lo tomes". Learners of English
can see the use of the infinitive which English speakers employ
to avoid an awkward subjunctive form eg. "I
told you to take it"
and not
Toma Here you are (Giving something to somebody) (Getting angry, for example) He dicho que lo tomes I told you to take it
Sube Get in (Inviting somebody to get in your car) (Getting angry, for example) He dicho que subas I told you to get in
Ven aquí. Que te voy a poner el abrigo. (Mother to child) Come here. I'm going to put your coat on. (Getting angry, for example) He dicho que vengas I told you to come here
Ábreme Open the door (eg. somebody outside a car to someone inside) (Getting angry, for example) ¡He dicho que me abras ya! I said open the door now!
Sujeta esto Hold this (Getting angry, for example) He dicho que lo sujetes I told you to hold it
Quita Get out of the way (Both are fairly rude or very familiar) (Getting angry, for example) He dicho que te quites I told you to get out of the way
This, in "usted" form if waiter unknown to customer Póngame una cerveza, por favor (Spain) Could I have a beer, please?
This, in "usted" form if cashier unknown to customer Déme cincuenta euros, por favor Could you give me fifty euros, please
Note that some Spanish speakers prefer to avoid the imperative in formal situations as English speakers do and opt for a more refined: "me puede" + infinitivo:
¿Me puede poner una cerveza, por favor? Could I have a beer, please?
However, when helping somebody out, giving information etc. the imperative form sounds helpful and polite. But also note that Spanish is peculiar in that a true imperative does not exist in the "usted" form, therefore, instructions are in the subjunctive ie. "que venga usted" (that you come = subjunctive) is the same form as "¡venga usted!" (come! = imperative).
Venga conmigo, señora Please come with me, madam (waiter to a client)
Suba esta calle y luego tome la calle a su izquierda. Camine hasta al final de esa calle y la catedral se encuentra a la derecha. Go up this street and then take the street on your left. Walk to the end of that street and you'll find the cathedral on the right.
In Spain, there is an unusual use of "venga" as an imperative in the "tú" form instead of "ven". This is usually when the speaker is trying to console, encourage or cheer somebody up:
Venga, cariño, no te pongas así Come on, darling (Br.E) honey (Am.E), don't get like that (said softly with tenderness)
Venga, vamos a casa. Aquí no hay nada más que hacer Come on, let's go home. There's nothing more we can do here (Rousing another to action)
Finally,
notice the difference between "Diga" or "Dígame"
and "Dime"
in this very common telephone dialogue. "Dime"
sound almost rude as an opening to answer the phone... Learners of English should refrain from saying
Diga (Especially, Spain. In S. Am.: "Aló" ) Juan, soy yo, Paco (Juan is quite busy and hasn't much time to talk) Dime, Paco
Hello Steve, it's Dave here (Juan is quite busy and hasn't much time to talk) What can I do for you, Steve? (English speakers would use tone of voice to show some impatience.)
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