Today we started a second article on whales/whaling. This article
is from El Mercurio. We started it in class. We talked about a few things. We translated the first three paragraphs and then I assigned the next 200 words for an out-of-class translation.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
PoST: Week 10, Day 1, Friday, October 31, 2008 -- Halloween
HW: For next time please choose an extract of 200 words (from the article La Ballena Mapuche) that we have not worked on in class and translate those. Provide a clean copy of the extract and be sure to indicate where it starts (e.g. starts on third printed page, paragraph 3, line 4).
We continued to work on our inclass quiz. We'll have time on Friday this week to finish it -- and if you still need more, I can provide you with some.
There were some grammar issues I'd like to talk about that merit attention. This sentence in particular seems to cause trouble:
Invadieron, entonces, sin miramientos los cotos de caza “reservados” que mantenían las compañías anglo-chilenas frente a nuestros cuatro mil kilómetros de costa, e incluso más arriba en el mapa, cuando el límite establecido internacionalmente para el mar territorial era apenas de 12 millas.
The first problem is with the clause que mantenían las compañías anglo-chilenas. In this case "las compañías anglo-chilenas" is clearly the subject of the verb "mantener" -- which means "to keep." Who kept what? The reserves (que) "kept the companies" or the the reserves that the companies kept? Think about it for a minute and you'll see that the companies kept the reserves.
The second problem is where these reserves were located: frente a nuestros cuatro mil kilómetros de costa, e incluso más arriba en el mapa. For this one you have to have some geography. Look at the map of Chile and you'll see that the country indeed does have 4000 kilometers of coast, but "e incluso más arriba en el mapa" means "and even further up on the map" -- so what is further up on the map than Chile's 4000 kilometers of coast line? Peru!
The third problem is to get to where these reserves were on the coast line: cuando el límite establecido internacionalmente para el mar territorial era apenas de 12 millas.
Do it one word at a time: when the internationally established limit for the sea territory was hardly 12 miles. Here some history comes into play: it used to be that countries only controlled the 12 miles off their coasts. So where were the reserves? Well probably people from other countries (Japanese, Soviets) did not invade the 12 mile limit -- that would have started a war. And Chile would not fish in Peru's waters. But this seems to imply that these reserves were somewhere along the coast, probably outside the 12 mile limit in international waters, but in places where these companies had come to think of as their own.
Next time: we'll do some more with the quiz, I'll collect your papers, and we'll start a new article about (what else?) WHALES!
We continued to work on our inclass quiz. We'll have time on Friday this week to finish it -- and if you still need more, I can provide you with some.
There were some grammar issues I'd like to talk about that merit attention. This sentence in particular seems to cause trouble:
Invadieron, entonces, sin miramientos los cotos de caza “reservados” que mantenían las compañías anglo-chilenas frente a nuestros cuatro mil kilómetros de costa, e incluso más arriba en el mapa, cuando el límite establecido internacionalmente para el mar territorial era apenas de 12 millas.
The first problem is with the clause que mantenían las compañías anglo-chilenas. In this case "las compañías anglo-chilenas" is clearly the subject of the verb "mantener" -- which means "to keep." Who kept what? The reserves (que) "kept the companies" or the the reserves that the companies kept? Think about it for a minute and you'll see that the companies kept the reserves.
The second problem is where these reserves were located: frente a nuestros cuatro mil kilómetros de costa, e incluso más arriba en el mapa. For this one you have to have some geography. Look at the map of Chile and you'll see that the country indeed does have 4000 kilometers of coast, but "e incluso más arriba en el mapa" means "and even further up on the map" -- so what is further up on the map than Chile's 4000 kilometers of coast line? Peru!
The third problem is to get to where these reserves were on the coast line: cuando el límite establecido internacionalmente para el mar territorial era apenas de 12 millas.
Do it one word at a time: when the internationally established limit for the sea territory was hardly 12 miles. Here some history comes into play: it used to be that countries only controlled the 12 miles off their coasts. So where were the reserves? Well probably people from other countries (Japanese, Soviets) did not invade the 12 mile limit -- that would have started a war. And Chile would not fish in Peru's waters. But this seems to imply that these reserves were somewhere along the coast, probably outside the 12 mile limit in international waters, but in places where these companies had come to think of as their own.
Next time: we'll do some more with the quiz, I'll collect your papers, and we'll start a new article about (what else?) WHALES!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
POST: Week 8, Day 1, Friday, October 17 2008
NOTE: FROM NOW ON I WILL BE IN THE CLASSROOM 15 MINUTES EARLY TO ASSIST ANYONE WHO WANTS EXTRA HELP WITH SPANISH.
The main focus of the classroom grammar we covered today was how to translate verb forms after prepositions. Think about how we do it in English: if a verb comes after a preposition in English, we make it into the -ing (present participle) form of the verb.
Example: He took on coaching his son's team. "On" is a preposition and the verb after it "coaching" ends in -ing.
Now let's look at how this works in Spanish. In Spanish, the verb form that is used after a preposition is the infinitive (ar/er/ir) form of the verb. But the translation of that verb is as an -ing form.
Example: Despues de cazar la ballena, el barco fue a la costa de Chile.
"Despues de" is a preposition meaning "after." "Cazar" is the infinitive meaning "to hunt." Thu we would translate this: After hunting the whale, the boat went to the coast of Chile.
FINALLY, there is one unusual prepositional phrase that you may meet often in translating: Al + infinitive. This means "on doing something" or "upon doing something."
Al matar la ballena, el cazador se murio. (Upon killing the whale, the hunter died.)
The main focus of the classroom grammar we covered today was how to translate verb forms after prepositions. Think about how we do it in English: if a verb comes after a preposition in English, we make it into the -ing (present participle) form of the verb.
Example: He took on coaching his son's team. "On" is a preposition and the verb after it "coaching" ends in -ing.
Now let's look at how this works in Spanish. In Spanish, the verb form that is used after a preposition is the infinitive (ar/er/ir) form of the verb. But the translation of that verb is as an -ing form.
Example: Despues de cazar la ballena, el barco fue a la costa de Chile.
"Despues de" is a preposition meaning "after." "Cazar" is the infinitive meaning "to hunt." Thu we would translate this: After hunting the whale, the boat went to the coast of Chile.
FINALLY, there is one unusual prepositional phrase that you may meet often in translating: Al + infinitive. This means "on doing something" or "upon doing something."
Al matar la ballena, el cazador se murio. (Upon killing the whale, the hunter died.)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Post: Week 7, Day 1, Friday, October 10, 2008
Today we worked on some tricky parts of the "ballena mapuche" reading. Specifically, we talked about some strategies for studying.
A. Tenses you should focus on.
(I realize that you are given a whirlwind tour of all tenses, but some are more important than others). The four big ones you should know cold are:
Present, preterite, imperfect, and present perfect. About 95% of what you read will include those.
B. Irregular forms you should focus on.
(You should be able to recognize the irregular stems of these cold -- in the four tenses given above): ir, ser, estar, querer, tener, decir, poner, venir.
Thus you should be able to look at a sentence such as:
The balleneros tuvieron un barco.
and recognized that "tuv" is the irregular preterite stem form of "tener" and that "ieron" means the third person plural (they). Thus this means "they (the balleneros) had."
C. We looked at the way the present participle is formed in Spanish. This translates as the -ing form of the verb.
- ar verbs: drop "r" and add "ando." Hablar>>> hablando
- ir/er verbs; drop "ir" or "er" and add "iendo." Comer >>> comiendo; salir >>> saliendo.
NOTE: It is really common for students to confuse the PAST participle form of the verb (ado/ido) with the present participle form of the verb (ando/iendo). Be careful! "Hablado" and "hablando" look a lot alike!
D. We talked about common prepositions. Here are some you need to commit to memory:
a: to/at/in
por: by/for
de: from/of
con: with
sin: without
en: in/on/at
This is a non-exclusive list, but you should have these general senses in mind.
Then we did a bit of translation. One sentence that gave a lot of people problems was the one with this clause in in:
Es un combate mortal . . . el que enfrenta cara a cara en alta mar a la enorme ballena con sus cazadores
This is one of those places where a really good dictionary -- the big one that we have recommended -- is invaluable. If you don't have such a dictionary, I suggest you get one.
For most people the problem starts with "el que" -- which is masculine and singular and means "which" -- and refers back to a masculine, singular noun "un combate." So "el que/combate" is the subject of "enfrenta." If you look up "enfrentar" in the Oxford, you will see that "enfrentar a alguien con algo" means "to bring someone face to face with" --- so in this case the "combate" brings the enormous whale ("a la enorme ballena") face to face with its hunters ("con sus cazadores). However, I note that this fine distinction is not made in the online Merriam Webster or in the pocket dictionary. Again, I'd strongly recommend that to do these translations, you get hold of a high quality dictionary and use that as needed --- the pocket and the online work about 95% of the time but 5% of the time you do need to work with something more advanced.
A. Tenses you should focus on.
(I realize that you are given a whirlwind tour of all tenses, but some are more important than others). The four big ones you should know cold are:
Present, preterite, imperfect, and present perfect. About 95% of what you read will include those.
B. Irregular forms you should focus on.
(You should be able to recognize the irregular stems of these cold -- in the four tenses given above): ir, ser, estar, querer, tener, decir, poner, venir.
Thus you should be able to look at a sentence such as:
The balleneros tuvieron un barco.
and recognized that "tuv" is the irregular preterite stem form of "tener" and that "ieron" means the third person plural (they). Thus this means "they (the balleneros) had."
C. We looked at the way the present participle is formed in Spanish. This translates as the -ing form of the verb.
- ar verbs: drop "r" and add "ando." Hablar>>> hablando
- ir/er verbs; drop "ir" or "er" and add "iendo." Comer >>> comiendo; salir >>> saliendo.
NOTE: It is really common for students to confuse the PAST participle form of the verb (ado/ido) with the present participle form of the verb (ando/iendo). Be careful! "Hablado" and "hablando" look a lot alike!
D. We talked about common prepositions. Here are some you need to commit to memory:
a: to/at/in
por: by/for
de: from/of
con: with
sin: without
en: in/on/at
This is a non-exclusive list, but you should have these general senses in mind.
Then we did a bit of translation. One sentence that gave a lot of people problems was the one with this clause in in:
Es un combate mortal . . . el que enfrenta cara a cara en alta mar a la enorme ballena con sus cazadores
This is one of those places where a really good dictionary -- the big one that we have recommended -- is invaluable. If you don't have such a dictionary, I suggest you get one.
For most people the problem starts with "el que" -- which is masculine and singular and means "which" -- and refers back to a masculine, singular noun "un combate." So "el que/combate" is the subject of "enfrenta." If you look up "enfrentar" in the Oxford, you will see that "enfrentar a alguien con algo" means "to bring someone face to face with" --- so in this case the "combate" brings the enormous whale ("a la enorme ballena") face to face with its hunters ("con sus cazadores). However, I note that this fine distinction is not made in the online Merriam Webster or in the pocket dictionary. Again, I'd strongly recommend that to do these translations, you get hold of a high quality dictionary and use that as needed --- the pocket and the online work about 95% of the time but 5% of the time you do need to work with something more advanced.
Friday, October 3, 2008
POST: Week 6, Day 1, Friday, October 3, 2008
Today we worked on our big reading, which is linked here.
This is how we will proceed:
1. You will read five printed pages (it prints out to 14 pages) each week for class. DO NOT make the mistake of trying to "translate" this. Read and look up what you need to understand it.
2. Mark tough spots --- places where you couldn't understand what you were reading.
3. Bring it with you to class each week -- and we'll have a short in-class on some part of the five pages.
Today I noted that many of you had trouble with the superlative, so let's review what that is:
In English, we can take an adjective and modify it in either the comparative or the superlative:
Example: sweet
This is sweet candy. (ordinary adjective)
This is sweeter candy than that candy over there. (comparative --- ofter marked by "er" form of the adjective or the word "more" and the word "than")
This is the sweetest candy in the whole world. (superlative -- marked with "the" and the word "most" or the "-est" ending and the preposition "of" or "in")
Other examples:
beautiful
This painting is beautiful.
This painting is MORE beautiful than that one.
This is THE MOST beautiful painting OF the three on the wall.
In Spanish, the comparative and the superlative also exist. The comparative is marked with the word "más" (for "more") and "que" (for "than"). The superlative is marked with the article (for "the") the word "más" for "most" and often a phrase that has "de" and is translated as "of" or "in."
Valiente -- brave
Es una ballena valiente -- She is a brave whale.
La ballena es más valiente que su madre -- The whale is braver than her mother (note: "mas" and "que").
El mito de la ballena más valiente del mundo -- The myth of the bravest whale in the world (note: "la" and "más" and "del")
Example: El mito de la ballena más valiente del mundo
This is how we will proceed:
1. You will read five printed pages (it prints out to 14 pages) each week for class. DO NOT make the mistake of trying to "translate" this. Read and look up what you need to understand it.
2. Mark tough spots --- places where you couldn't understand what you were reading.
3. Bring it with you to class each week -- and we'll have a short in-class on some part of the five pages.
Today I noted that many of you had trouble with the superlative, so let's review what that is:
In English, we can take an adjective and modify it in either the comparative or the superlative:
Example: sweet
This is sweet candy. (ordinary adjective)
This is sweeter candy than that candy over there. (comparative --- ofter marked by "er" form of the adjective or the word "more" and the word "than")
This is the sweetest candy in the whole world. (superlative -- marked with "the" and the word "most" or the "-est" ending and the preposition "of" or "in")
Other examples:
beautiful
This painting is beautiful.
This painting is MORE beautiful than that one.
This is THE MOST beautiful painting OF the three on the wall.
In Spanish, the comparative and the superlative also exist. The comparative is marked with the word "más" (for "more") and "que" (for "than"). The superlative is marked with the article (for "the") the word "más" for "most" and often a phrase that has "de" and is translated as "of" or "in."
Valiente -- brave
Es una ballena valiente -- She is a brave whale.
La ballena es más valiente que su madre -- The whale is braver than her mother (note: "mas" and "que").
El mito de la ballena más valiente del mundo -- The myth of the bravest whale in the world (note: "la" and "más" and "del")
Example: El mito de la ballena más valiente del mundo
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
POST: Week 5, Day 1, Friday, September 26,2008
Today we worked more on how to attack "se" verbs when we find them. Here are some techniques that work:
Example: El acuario, que se ha reconocido de largo como una de las instalaciones marinas más importantes de la investigación del mundo, está iniciando las nuevas estrategias para proteger los océanos del planeta.
1. Identify the infinitive of the main verb (the right-most piece of the verb). In this case, the verb is "reconocido." Since it ends in IDO, the verb is either "reconocer" or "reconocir." Check the dictionary. The verb is "reconocer."
2. Identify the tense of the verb in Spanish. In this case it is a perfect (we know this because there is the word "ha" there -- a form of "haber"). "Ha" is present tense. Thus the tense is "present perfect."
3. Write down the possible meanings of the verb: recognize, admit, examine.
4. Write the past participle form of the verb in ENGLISH. In most cases this will be the -ed form of the verb: recognized, admitted, examined.
5. Change the verb into the English equivalency of the tense: has recognized, has admitted, has examined.
6. Try to make the verb passive. This will require you to add the appropriate form of "be." With perfects, the form is "been." has been recognized, has been admitted, has been examined.
7. Look to both the right of the Spanish verb AND the left of the Spanish verb to figure out WHAT has been recognized, admitted, or examined. In this case, the logical word is "que" (that) "that has been recognized/admitted/examined." The "que" refers to "el acuario" -- the aquarium. The aquarium that has been recognized . . . .
But the passive interpretation won't work always. Consider this example:
Existe una infinidad de historias en las que se cita o se habla de ballenas, animales que por su gran talla y peculiar forma han llamado la atención desde tiempos muy remotos.
If you move through the steps above, the passive interpretation doesn't seem to work:
There exist an infinite number of stories in which are cited or are spoken of whales. . . .
Thus, it is time to try another way to look at the verb: as an impersonal.
1. Rework the sentence to interpret the word "se" as "they" or "one."
There exist an infinite number of stories in which they cite or speak of whales. . . .
Perhaps in more formal English, we might rewrite this as follows:
There exist an infinite number of stories that cite or speak of whales . . . .
HW: Read and translate these three sentences and have them ready for class on Friday. We'll have a little in-class exercise as well on Friday:
El descenso se ha hecho patente en los últimos tres años, según el coordinador de la campaña de océanos y costas de Greenpeace en México, Alejandro Olivera.
En años anteriores la media era de 3.000 ballenas anuales, pero en la temporada 2006-2007 únicamente se registró un millar, agregó.
La Secretaría de Medio Ambiente mexicana (Semarnat), el ministerio del área, confirmó el descenso en la llegada de esos ejemplares, pero aclaró que no se debe a causas originadas en el país, sino al camino que siguen los cetáceos para llegar hasta él.
Example: El acuario, que se ha reconocido de largo como una de las instalaciones marinas más importantes de la investigación del mundo, está iniciando las nuevas estrategias para proteger los océanos del planeta.
1. Identify the infinitive of the main verb (the right-most piece of the verb). In this case, the verb is "reconocido." Since it ends in IDO, the verb is either "reconocer" or "reconocir." Check the dictionary. The verb is "reconocer."
2. Identify the tense of the verb in Spanish. In this case it is a perfect (we know this because there is the word "ha" there -- a form of "haber"). "Ha" is present tense. Thus the tense is "present perfect."
3. Write down the possible meanings of the verb: recognize, admit, examine.
4. Write the past participle form of the verb in ENGLISH. In most cases this will be the -ed form of the verb: recognized, admitted, examined.
5. Change the verb into the English equivalency of the tense: has recognized, has admitted, has examined.
6. Try to make the verb passive. This will require you to add the appropriate form of "be." With perfects, the form is "been." has been recognized, has been admitted, has been examined.
7. Look to both the right of the Spanish verb AND the left of the Spanish verb to figure out WHAT has been recognized, admitted, or examined. In this case, the logical word is "que" (that) "that has been recognized/admitted/examined." The "que" refers to "el acuario" -- the aquarium. The aquarium that has been recognized . . . .
But the passive interpretation won't work always. Consider this example:
Existe una infinidad de historias en las que se cita o se habla de ballenas, animales que por su gran talla y peculiar forma han llamado la atención desde tiempos muy remotos.
If you move through the steps above, the passive interpretation doesn't seem to work:
There exist an infinite number of stories in which are cited or are spoken of whales. . . .
Thus, it is time to try another way to look at the verb: as an impersonal.
1. Rework the sentence to interpret the word "se" as "they" or "one."
There exist an infinite number of stories in which they cite or speak of whales. . . .
Perhaps in more formal English, we might rewrite this as follows:
There exist an infinite number of stories that cite or speak of whales . . . .
HW: Read and translate these three sentences and have them ready for class on Friday. We'll have a little in-class exercise as well on Friday:
El descenso se ha hecho patente en los últimos tres años, según el coordinador de la campaña de océanos y costas de Greenpeace en México, Alejandro Olivera.
En años anteriores la media era de 3.000 ballenas anuales, pero en la temporada 2006-2007 únicamente se registró un millar, agregó.
La Secretaría de Medio Ambiente mexicana (Semarnat), el ministerio del área, confirmó el descenso en la llegada de esos ejemplares, pero aclaró que no se debe a causas originadas en el país, sino al camino que siguen los cetáceos para llegar hasta él.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
POST: Week 4, Day 1, Friday, September 19
READING STRATEGIES
In rendering a complex translation of a long sentence, remember these tips:
1. Remove anything between dashes. Translate it LAST and then add it back into your translation.
2. Separate out all the “que” structures in the sentence, since each of those mark at least one clause.
Example:
Quienes se cercioraron de la causa del llanto durante las noches de luna llena, dijeron
que la iluminación les permitió ver
que las calles se llenaban de una neblina espesa a ras del suelo y también a alguien parecido a una mujer joven y bella aún, vestida de blanco con un velo en su rostro recorriendo con pasos lentos las calles de la ciudad.
3. Translate the noun phrases first. Move left to right.
4. Then translate the verbs.
STRATEGIES FOR TRANSLATING “SE.”
“Se” is a structure you’ll see with a lot of verbs in articles written in Spanish. Be alert! Here are some of the common ways to translate it:
1. As an intransitive. It’s important to understand what an “intransitive” means. English and Spanish have structures called “transitives” and “intransitives.” In English, a verb is intransitive if it has no direct object.
Example: The man left.
Contrast this with the transitive:
The man left the plate on the table.
Spanish often (but not always) marks intransitives with the reflexive particle (which in the case of the third person is “se.”)
El hombre se fue. (The man left).
2. As a reflexive, translatable by “himself” or “herself” or “themselves.”
Example: The woman threw herself at the problem.
La mujer se lanzo al problema.
3. As a passive.
In English, the passive is made with a form of the verb “be” (am/is/are/was/were/has been/have been/will be/had been) and the past participle form of the verb (see the previous blog):
Example: A book is used to explain the problem.
In Spanish, the “se” can be used. What in English would be the grammatical subject of the passive is often found AFTER the verb.
Example: Se usa un libro para explicar el problema.
4. As an impersonal.
In English, we often use “they” informally or “one” or “people” (more formally) to express, in a vague sort of non-specific way, the idea that somebody did/does something.
Example: One enters here. People study here.
In Spanish, the “se” can be used to accomplish this. This is mostly done with intransitive verbs and non-specific transitive verbs.
Example: Se entra aqui. Se estudia aqui.
5. As part of a verbal phrase that is idiomatically translated.
An example of this in Spanish is: tratarse de --- to be about.
Example: Me gusta mucho la pelicula. Se trata de la leyenda de la llorona. (I like the movie a lot. It’s about the legend of la llorona.)
6. As an indirect object “to someone” when there is another object particle in front of the verb.
Example: The woman gave it to him.
La mujer se lo dio.
HW: FIVE SENTENCES FOR PRACTICE. Translated these five sentences as perfectly as possible. I will give you two more sentences from the same article for translation on Friday (as an in-class translation).
These five sentences were taken from an article entitled:
Las Ballenas: El Problema de la Contaminación de las Aguas Marinas
A la muerte directa por envenenamiento, se unen los efectos sub-letales sobre la capacidad reproductiva y el sistema inmunitario.
Se han encontrado delfines con niveles de más de mil partes por millón (ppm) de PCB (Bifénilos policlorados) y otras sustancias altamente tóxicas.
Por desgracia, además de los peligrosos organoclorados, los cetáceos reciben fuertes dosis de metales pesados, hidrocarburos y otras sustancias, a las que se añaden las basuras flotantes, sobre todo, los plásticos.
También sufren enfermedades que, al alcanzar altos niveles de incidencia, se llaman epizootías (epidemias, entre los humanos).
Se desconoce cómo han llegado estos virus a los hábitats marinos, qué papel juegan en las mortandades masivas o la incidencia de otros factores (en los animales muertos, se encontraron altos niveles de contaminantes y un pobre estado alimenticio).
In rendering a complex translation of a long sentence, remember these tips:
1. Remove anything between dashes. Translate it LAST and then add it back into your translation.
2. Separate out all the “que” structures in the sentence, since each of those mark at least one clause.
Example:
Quienes se cercioraron de la causa del llanto durante las noches de luna llena, dijeron
que la iluminación les permitió ver
que las calles se llenaban de una neblina espesa a ras del suelo y también a alguien parecido a una mujer joven y bella aún, vestida de blanco con un velo en su rostro recorriendo con pasos lentos las calles de la ciudad.
3. Translate the noun phrases first. Move left to right.
4. Then translate the verbs.
STRATEGIES FOR TRANSLATING “SE.”
“Se” is a structure you’ll see with a lot of verbs in articles written in Spanish. Be alert! Here are some of the common ways to translate it:
1. As an intransitive. It’s important to understand what an “intransitive” means. English and Spanish have structures called “transitives” and “intransitives.” In English, a verb is intransitive if it has no direct object.
Example: The man left.
Contrast this with the transitive:
The man left the plate on the table.
Spanish often (but not always) marks intransitives with the reflexive particle (which in the case of the third person is “se.”)
El hombre se fue. (The man left).
2. As a reflexive, translatable by “himself” or “herself” or “themselves.”
Example: The woman threw herself at the problem.
La mujer se lanzo al problema.
3. As a passive.
In English, the passive is made with a form of the verb “be” (am/is/are/was/were/has been/have been/will be/had been) and the past participle form of the verb (see the previous blog):
Example: A book is used to explain the problem.
In Spanish, the “se” can be used. What in English would be the grammatical subject of the passive is often found AFTER the verb.
Example: Se usa un libro para explicar el problema.
4. As an impersonal.
In English, we often use “they” informally or “one” or “people” (more formally) to express, in a vague sort of non-specific way, the idea that somebody did/does something.
Example: One enters here. People study here.
In Spanish, the “se” can be used to accomplish this. This is mostly done with intransitive verbs and non-specific transitive verbs.
Example: Se entra aqui. Se estudia aqui.
5. As part of a verbal phrase that is idiomatically translated.
An example of this in Spanish is: tratarse de --- to be about.
Example: Me gusta mucho la pelicula. Se trata de la leyenda de la llorona. (I like the movie a lot. It’s about the legend of la llorona.)
6. As an indirect object “to someone” when there is another object particle in front of the verb.
Example: The woman gave it to him.
La mujer se lo dio.
HW: FIVE SENTENCES FOR PRACTICE. Translated these five sentences as perfectly as possible. I will give you two more sentences from the same article for translation on Friday (as an in-class translation).
These five sentences were taken from an article entitled:
Las Ballenas: El Problema de la Contaminación de las Aguas Marinas
A la muerte directa por envenenamiento, se unen los efectos sub-letales sobre la capacidad reproductiva y el sistema inmunitario.
Se han encontrado delfines con niveles de más de mil partes por millón (ppm) de PCB (Bifénilos policlorados) y otras sustancias altamente tóxicas.
Por desgracia, además de los peligrosos organoclorados, los cetáceos reciben fuertes dosis de metales pesados, hidrocarburos y otras sustancias, a las que se añaden las basuras flotantes, sobre todo, los plásticos.
También sufren enfermedades que, al alcanzar altos niveles de incidencia, se llaman epizootías (epidemias, entre los humanos).
Se desconoce cómo han llegado estos virus a los hábitats marinos, qué papel juegan en las mortandades masivas o la incidencia de otros factores (en los animales muertos, se encontraron altos niveles de contaminantes y un pobre estado alimenticio).
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