hey it's me again! i just have two phrases i'd like you guys to check if my translation's correct: 1. please sit down=sentaros por favor 2. please come in=venga por favor
greatly appreciate if you reply soon! THANKS!!!!
Posts: 14 | Location: philippines | Registered: 03 May 2003
I agree with queensita: please come in = "Por favor, pasad/pasen", if it refers to more than one person (2nd person plural), or "por favor, pasa/pase" if it refers just to one person (2nd person singular). please sit down = "por favor, sentaos/si�ntense" (2nd pers. plural) Or "por favor, si�ntate/ si�ntese" (2nd pers. sing.) As regards: "Sentad, por favor", it doesn�t sound native Spanish. The verb "to sit" is reflexive in Spanish: "sentarse" (to sit oneself). Without"se", it means to sit somebody or something (obligue them to sit, because they can�t do it by themselves). You can sentar a un beb� (sit a baby) in a chair, because s/he can�t do it by him/herself. But normally. people "se sientan"; i.e: sit by themselves, without anybody's help: Yo me siento en la silla; t� te sientas en el sof�; ella se sienta en el suelo; nosotros nos sentamos en la terraza; etc...
Cuiusvis hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare
As regards the use of the polite/formal or familiar/informal form , if you are transalting into peninsular Spanish (European Spanish) you should use the informal form unless the speaker is addressing to people who are notably older or have (child to adult, adult to old person, or child to old person, but not the other way round, normally. You also need to use polite forms (pase/ si�ntese (singular); pasen/si�ntense(plural)) is somebody is addressing someone else who has a "respectable" social position, for instance if addressing to a president, a deputy, a member of the church, ... For the rest of cases you should always use the informal forms (pasa/si�ntate (singular); pasad/sentaos (plural)-not "sentaros", which is a common form but not completely correct-), even if those people are not friends or relatives. If you are translating into American Spanish , you must use the formal forms even in informal contexts, for in these dialects they make a lot of use of "usted/es" even among friends, relatives, as well as with strangers and "more respectable" people.
Cuiusvis hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare
hey! thanks you guys! you've been a great help! i gotta tell my spanish teacher then that she's wrong about the "sentaros" term...wenevr she lets us sit, she always says sentaros por favor. if she still insists using "sentarios" then i gotta mention you as my reference. THANKS AGAIN!
Posts: 14 | Location: philippines | Registered: 03 May 2003
Hey ariane, if your teacher wants to say "let's sit" (including her) it would be "Sent�monos".
What your teacher is doing is telling YOU ALL ("the class") to sit, hence "Sentaros" which is correct so be careful no to call her on that and do not tell her she is wrong.
She could also say "Sentaos" as Sensis has stated above, "Sentad" is awkward since the verb in question here is the reflexive "sentarse".
Sentaros is not really incorrect since it is common and frequent enough among native speakers as to be considered "normal", specially in spoken Spanish. You shouldn't say your teacher is wrong. The only thing is that Sentaros is form by the infinitive "Sentar" + the reflexive pronoun "os". The traditionally corret form would be the imperative form for the reflexive verb: "sentaos". This is the one that the Real Academia would accept, and probably, not "sentaros" even though most native speakers use it.
Cuiusvis hominis est errare, nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare
since the verb in question here is the reflexive "sentarse".
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