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Pablo G. Oliveras
Fail and pass
In Spanish, we can say either "Suspendí el examen" or "La profesora me suspendió". Similarly, we can say either "Aprobé/pasé el examen" or "La profesora me aprobó la asignatura/el examen".
How would you say the second form ("The teacher...") with both aprobar o suspender?
Is it possible to get that nuance?
Cheers!
PS: (I am not implying t that "Suspendí el examen" and "La profesora me suspendió" have exactly the same meaning. Same results, same event, but slightly different meaning. Obviously, if you failed the exam, it was because your teacher "sentenced" you. But in this case she is not the protagonist of the sentence. In the other one, though, she is the central subject of the action.)
Jun 6, 2019 9:43 AM
Answers · 4
1
We would say - The teacher passed me / The teacher failed me. Like you said, this puts the blame on the teacher and therefore is quite common for the student who failed to say (She failed me / Mr. Smith failed me). When we say "The teacher passed me" it probably means that the student passed by a small amount and perhaps the student thought he or she might fail but did not, almost implying that the teacher did a favor to allow the student to pass.
June 6, 2019
These are literal translations and are not how we would actually say them in English:
The teacher approved the subject/exam.
The teacher suspended the subject/exam.
Instead we would say, the teacher failed me or I didn't pass the exam/class or I failed the exam/class.
June 6, 2019
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Pablo G. Oliveras
Language Skills
English, Spanish
Learning Language
English
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