Spanish Group

[Jaleel10]

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Guys, is this correct ?

[NoManches]

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Guys, is this correct ?

It sounds good to me. Let's wait to see if it's wrong and I'm really rusty and need to break out a grammar book

[Balltongue]

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Guys, is this correct ?

If you say to me "no sabia que tuvieras" is because your taking about me. If you say to me "no sabía que tuviera" is because you're talking about someone else.

The same thing with the "tener" verb. "No sabía que teniaS un gato" means that I didn't know that YOU had a cat. "No sabía que tenía un gato" means that I didn't know that he or she had a cat.

However though that's the only case when you use that "s".

You need to know that uneducated native speakers of spanish make the mistake of using that "s" on other several cases. There's for example a very very awful construction like:

¿Dormistes? Did you sleep?
¿Comistes? Did you eat?
¿Te acostastes? You went to bed?

That final "s" is wrong, so wrong. The proper way to say that is:

¿Dormiste, comiste, te acostaste, te lo tomaste, te lo bebiste, te lo fumaste, cagaste, measte, me lo regalaste? And so on...

[Balltongue]

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Guys, is this correct ?

Well, the short answer is: yeah. Perfectly right. That must be Closemaster.

[BOLIO]

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Guys, is this correct ?

To me as a non-native, I would only say this if she had died or was no longer around somehow...

My incorrect way would have been to say, "No sabía que tenías una hermana." I don't know why I even answered not being a native other than to get correction on my own way of thinking. Sorry if it is bothersome.

[NoManches]

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Guys, is this correct ?

To me as a non-native, I would only say this if she had died or was no longer around somehow...

My incorrect way would have been to say, "No sabía que tenías una hermana." I don't know why I even answered not being a native other than to get correction on my own way of thinking. Sorry if it is bothersome.

I think the question was originally asked because of possible confusion with the subjunctive.

"No + saber" is a trigger for the subjunctive

BOLIO we are all here to learn so don't feel bad answering a question if you aren't a native speaker. I'm not a native speaker either but when it comes to the subjunctive, it is probably explained best by a language learner vs a native speaker (one understands why it is used, the other just uses it because they know it needs to be used for some reason).

I'm glad this question came up because it is making me rethink the subjunctive. In college I had to learn all the grammar rules and verb tenses and could use the subjunctive pretty well by remembering what "triggered" it. I'm at a point now where I use it correctly most of the time just from instinct, but I can't really explain why it should be used in some cases. I think after learning all the verb tenses I did best by just using the language and "absorbing" grammar rules from lots of input, repetition, and corrections from native speakers.i think revisiting some of the grammar rules could do wonders for my Spanish.

And for anybody who is afraid of the subjunctive, I can assure you that if you don't use it correctly it will almost never be a problem if you are speaking with a native speaker (or maybe it is a point of confusion and all the native speakers I talked with were just being courteous and pretended to understand me )

*Edit* I want to point out that the subjunctive is very important, but it shouldn't be something you are afraid of using. Yes, using it (or the lack of using it) at the wrong time or incorrectly will be noticeable but it's not the end of the world. In college a lot of my friends were afraid of using it but I viewed it as something fun and different.*

You need to know that uneducated native speakers of spanish make the mistake of using that "s" on other several cases. There's for example a very very awful construction like:

¿Dormistes? Did you sleep?
¿Comistes? Did you eat?
¿Te acostastes? You went to bed?

That final "s" is wrong, so wrong. The proper way to say that is:

¿Dormiste, comiste, te acostaste, te lo tomaste, te lo bebiste, te lo fumaste, cagaste, measte, me lo regalaste? And so on...

Yup! When I used to watch El Señor de los Cielos I would cringe every time the character Chacorta would say "¿Oistes? Fortunately I picked up on other slang but not this horrible habit.

[Jaleel10]

I don't know to tag users yet. But thanks a lot Balltongue, Bolio and NoManches Vosotros me ayudasteis mucho

[Jaleel10]

2-part question for my brethren

1) I have been studying Spanish for 5 months+ and finally I have the means available to make use of a tutor. How do I prepare for my first lesson haha ?

2) I regularly (try to) make use of Language Exchanges. Are there any tips to make the most out of them ? I regularly fall short and always ask the basic questions, how are you, how old are you, how long have..., what do you... , etc. Are there ways to have more "meaningful" conversations at my level ? I am a bit "anti-social" and introverted, but I am trying to put myself out there haha. I have hobbies of course and stuff that is interesting. Maybe talk about them ?

[Andy E]

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Guys, is this correct ?

Somewhat late to the party but this isn't quite as straightforward as it seems - hey it's the Spanish subjunctive what do you expect

no sabía que tenías una hermana (Example)

no sabía que tuvieras una hermana (Example)

As ever, the speaker's intent is crucial while tense and person also come into play. Here are a couple of links for more information:

http://hispanoteca.eu/Foro-preguntas/AR ... %20que.htm
https://cvc.cervantes.es/foros/leer_asu ... digo=32031

[Jaleel10]

2018-06-06 (3).png

Guys, is this correct ?

Somewhat late to the party but this isn't quite as straightforward as it seems - hey it's the Spanish subjunctive what do you expect

no sabía que tenías una hermana (Example)

no sabía que tuvieras una hermana (Example)

As ever, the speaker's intent is crucial while tense and person also come into play. Here are a couple of links for more information:

http://hispanoteca.eu/Foro-preguntas/AR ... %20que.htm
https://cvc.cervantes.es/foros/leer_asu ... digo=32031

Is it safe to say this is above my paygrade ? I probably need to spend a lot more time reading and listening to really understand and appreciate the finer nuances of the Spanish subjunctive.

Gracias, Andy. Si no fuese por ti, estaría perdido.