Shawn
Community TutorSpanish: Are these "I don't know..." sentences for the verb "to buy" correct?
Yo no se... (I don't know...)
1. si ella se compró el caballo. = whether she bought the horse.
2. quien se compró el caballo. = who bought the horse.
3. que ella se compró. = what she bought.
4. donde ella se compró el caballo. = where she bought the horse.
5. cuando ella se compró el caballo. = when she bought the horse.
6. por que ella se compró el caballo. = why she bought the horse.
7. como ella se compró el caballo. = how she bought the horse.
8. cuantos caballos ella se compró. = how many horses she bought.
9. el nombre del caballo que ella se compró. = the name of the horse that she bought.
10. si ella se quiera comprar el caballo. = whether she wants to buy the horse.
Apr 20, 2015 5:12 PM
Answers · 4
2
These sentences sound awkward to me. At least, in Colombia we use "comprarse" to say to buy something for oneself. For example, Me compré una chaqueta= I bought a jacket (for myself), it's a way to emphasize that you will be the user of what you bought. If you said "Compré una chaqueta", I could ask you "For whom". I guess, the example of the horse make the sentences sound awkward to me. All in all, I would use "comprar" and not "comprarse" in your sentences. It's just my opinion and I might be wrong.
April 20, 2015
2
Hi, Shawn.
I want to commend you on your use of subjunctive mood on number 10. To speculate about a person's desires would call for it. Good job on that!
The verb "comprarse," translates to "to buy oneself/herself/himself/yourself (formal)," which is distinct from "comprar," "to buy." "Se," is a reflexive object pronoun that is used for él, ella, and usted.
#1-10: "She bought herself" - Remember to include the reflexive pronoun in your translation.
#2: Also remember that an accent mark would sit over the "e" in quién.
#6: "Por qué" means "why?"
#10: Good use of subjunctive mood here.
Let me know if you have any other questions or would like to schedule a tutoring session.
Michael Monárrez
April 20, 2015
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Shawn
Language Skills
Dutch, English, French, Gaelic (Irish), Italian, Japanese, Other, Spanish
Learning Language
Dutch, English, French, Gaelic (Irish), Italian, Japanese, Other, Spanish
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