Google translate ?

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  • #165656
    Versatile
    Member

    When i type in :
    My old truck is for sale.

    Translated: Mi viejo camión está a la venta
    I can then click on a word and get it four different ways. How do i know which one?
    Shouldn’t la vienta be se venede?

    #165657
    maravilla
    Member

    Depends on how you phrase it:

    I am selling my old truck:

    Estoy vendiendo mi viejo camión

    I want to sell my old truck:

    Quiero vender mi viejo camión

    My old truck sells itself:

    mi viejo camión se vende

    “se” is the reflexive of a verb which means the action is doing it to itself.

    #165658
    Versatile
    Member

    Thanks Marvilla. I guess i didn’t explain myself.
    The system always gives four choices. How do i know which choice to make?

    Most likely you need to try it out.

    http://translate.google.com/#en|es|

    #165659
    maravilla
    Member

    the four choices don’t matter, what matters is what you want to say. spanish has a completely different sentence structure. if your english phrase is awkwardly worded, the spanish translation will be just as bad.

    #165660
    maravilla
    Member

    Aqui vendo mi camión viejo

    Vendo — first person singular Vender = I sell, i am selling

    mi camión viejo = my old truck

    #165661
    waggoner41
    Member

    [quote=”maravilla”]Aqui vendo mi camión viejo

    Vendo — first person singular Vender = I sell, i am selling

    mi camión viejo = my old truck
    [/quote]

    There is no way I am going to know Spanish that well before I pass from this mortal coil. I’ll never get past the locals referring to me as Gringo Loco.

    #165662
    maravilla
    Member

    sure you can! it’s great mental exercise. when i read something in spanish now, i always analyze the sentence structure and label the tenses of verbs. i think it’s really important to understand that part of the language — are you doing something now, in the future, in the past, or will you maybe do it, or have done it, etc. i always hated english grammar when i was in school, but i liked french and spanish — don’t ask me why.

    #165663
    waggoner41
    Member

    [quote=”maravilla”]sure you can! it’s great mental exercise. when i read something in spanish now, i always analyze the sentence structure and label the tenses of verbs. i think it’s really important to understand that part of the language — are you doing something now, in the future, in the past, or will you maybe do it, or have done it, etc. i always hated english grammar when i was in school, but i liked french and spanish — don’t ask me why.[/quote]

    Obviously you were better in the English grammer classes than most of us. I was very poor in those classes.
    I understand that verbs are the most important part of language but from there I am lost.

    There are 22 forms of verb, in no particular order they are:
    Indicative, Perfect Subjunctive, Perfect Subjunctive, Present, Future Perfect, Future Subjunctive, Present Perfect, Subjunctive, Preterit, Past Perfect, Imperfect Subjunctive, Past Perfect Subjunctive, Imperfect, Preterite Perfect, Present Subjunctive, Future Perfect Subjunctive,
    Conditional, Conditional Perfect, Imperfect Subjunctive #2, Imperative, Future , Present Perfect

    I understand past, present and future in English and I learned to speak and write well when it comes to English but have no idea what form of verb I am using by name.

    Are you up for teaching us about verb usage? 😆

    #165664
    maravilla
    Member

    there are only 7 tenses you really need in spanish –after that, those are mostly literary tenses and are rarely used in speaking. i probably know more spanish grammar than english now, and i found studying spanish far more interesting than anything i learned in school about english. i doubt i could teach anyone anything that they couldn’t learn from studying the grammar charts in 501 Spanish verbs!

    #165665

    [quote=”Versatile”]Thanks Marvilla. I guess i didn’t explain myself.
    The system always gives four choices. How do i know which choice to make?

    Most likely you need to try it out.

    http://translate.google.com/#en|es|[/quote]

    Google translation is great and useful for those who have a basic to advanced knowledge of the language. A word can have several meanings and it is hard to “guess” the one that fits in the text.

    #165666
    maravilla
    Member

    also, how you phrase the original question is important. i did see the 4 choices when i just looked and yes se vende is listed and while that would’ve been correct it’s the first part that makes it awkward. all the more reason for you to learn spanish!!! jeje

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