dcseain: Cast shot of me playing my violin in role of minstrel in the Two Gentlemen of Verona (Default)
dcseain ([personal profile] dcseain) wrote2007-05-07 08:37 pm
Entry tags:

Great Example / Gran Ejemplo

I (he) asked him (me) to do it, but he (I) would not.

The above sentence, from this article, cannot be rendered into Spanish in that structure, nor most any language with fully conjugated verbs, very easily, if at all.

[identity profile] madbodger.livejournal.com 2007-05-10 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Which part, the contrapositive subjunctive mood?

[identity profile] dcseain.livejournal.com 2007-05-10 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I (he) asked him (me) to do it, but he (I) would not. (the English for the following are literal)

Lo pedí hacerlo, pero no lo hacería. - Him [i asked] [to do it], but no it [would do, first/third person singular].

Me pidió hacerlo, pero no lo hacería yo. - Me [he/she/you-formal asked] [to do it], but no it [would do, first/third person singular] I. (The I is not necessary, but would be common usage for clarity and/or emphasis.)

The intertwining of the pronoun options in a single sentence would be very, very messy, if intelligible at all.