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Chris
Professional TeacherWhat are the Spanish equivalents to the multiple meanings of the French "on" ?
French "on" can mean "quelqu'un" (an unnamed person) or "tout le monde" (everybody) or "nous" (we).
What are the reasonable translations in Spanish? I know the obvious translations, but I wonder what a bilingual Spanish-French speaker would say.
- On m'a dit que ...
- En France, on parle français ...
- Hier, on est allés au cinéma ...
Aug 17, 2018 11:14 PM
Answers · 9
2
No existen equivalentes ABSOLUTOS, cada lengua es una forma de pensar, utiliza diferentes estructruras.
a) ON, con idea de impersonalidad = se . :EJEMPLO En France, on parle français...SE habla francés ( expresión totalmente impersonal)
b)ON, con idea de alguien, no importa quien puede ser 1.- Impersonal (SE) 2.- Peronal pero indefinido (Alguien, uno...EJEMPLO 1 = On m'a dit que= Se me ha dicho que....(expresión impersonal) 2 = On m'a dit que..Alguien me ha dicho que
c)ON, con idea de alguien concreto (expresión personal) nosotros, vosotros.....EJEMPLO Hier, on est allés au cinéma ...Ayer fuimos al cine.
We think the world in different languages, we think in different ways....afortunadamente.
August 18, 2018
1
"on" can be replaced in Spanish by "nosotros" or "uno" to mean first person plural and by an implicit third person. In your examples,
- On m'a dit que: Me dijeron que/Me han dicho
- En France, on parle français: En Francia, uno habla francés
- Hier, on est allés au cinéma: Ayer, (nosotros) fuimos al cine
August 18, 2018
1
Not an expert, but IMHO the obvious translation is the only one, and works similarly well for the first two, but not for the third, partly because it is more appropriate for describing actions which are habitual rather than at a specific time, and partly because of clash/confusion with other uses of the reflexive pronoun.
August 18, 2018
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Chris
Language Skills
English, French, Spanish
Learning Language
French
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