Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Uso de "if"
Spanish translation:
Explanation below
Added to glossary by
Ana Brassara
Mar 21, 2007 20:21
17 yrs ago
English term
El Salvador
BA in Translation & BA in Law
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, French to Spanish, and 2 more.
Uso de "if"
English to Spanish
Art/Literary
Linguistics
Conditionals
Agradecería que alguien me explicara la diferencia de uso de las siguientes situaciones hipotéticas con "if" y la forma en que estas diferencias afectarían la traducción:
If you ***were to have*** a legal dispute, what would happen?
If you ***were to have*** walked into a health food store twenty years ago, about the only thing you would have probably found were protein powders, a few herbs, and some vitamins.
En contraste con:
If you ***had*** a legal dispute, what would happen?
If you ***had*** walked into a health food store twenty years ago, about the only thing you would have probably found were protein powders, a few herbs, and some vitamins.
If you ***were to have*** a legal dispute, what would happen?
If you ***were to have*** walked into a health food store twenty years ago, about the only thing you would have probably found were protein powders, a few herbs, and some vitamins.
En contraste con:
If you ***had*** a legal dispute, what would happen?
If you ***had*** walked into a health food store twenty years ago, about the only thing you would have probably found were protein powders, a few herbs, and some vitamins.
Proposed translations
(Spanish)
| 5 +3 | Explanation below |
Ana Brassara
|
| 5 | Implica una diferencia en la conjugación, solamente (y en este caso). |
Olivia Bravo
|
| 5 | N/A |
glaster
|
Proposed translations
+3
19 mins
Ana Brassara
Native in Spanish
Works in field
High Quality Translations
Native in: Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
36
Selected
Explanation below
"Were to"
"Were to" in the Present
FORM
[ If... were to + VERB ...,...]
USE
"Were to" can be used in the present to emphasize that the Conditional form is extremely unlikely or unthinkably horrible. Notice that this special form is only used in the "If" Clause.
EXAMPLES:
If she were to be rich, she would be horribly obnoxious.
(It is very unlikely that she would be rich.)
If I were to have no friends, who would I spend my time with.
(Having no friends is a horrible thought.)
If Nathan were to be my boss, this job would be intolerable.
(Nathan's being my boss is a horrible concept.)
"Were to" in the Future
FORM
[ If... were to + VERB...,...]
USE
"Were to" can be used in the future to emphasize that the Conditional form is extremely unlikely or unthinkably horrible. Notice that this special form is only used in the "If" Clause
EXAMPLES:
If I were to lose my job, I would probably not find a new one quickly.
(Loosing my job would be terrible.)
If he were to fail his driving test, he would have to take it again.
(He is not likely to fail his driving test.)
If Sarah were to show up late to the birthday party, it would ruin the surprise.
(Sarah will surely come on time.)
"Were to" in the Past
FORM
[ If... were to have + PAST PARTICIPLE...,...]
USE
"Were to" can be used in the past to emphasize that the Conditional form is extremely unlikely or unthinkably horrible. Notice that this special form is only used in the "If" Clause.
EXAMPLES:
If the fire were to have destroyed the building, it would have been a tragic cultural loss.
(The thought of such a loss is too horrible to consider.)
If the dam were to have burst, the entire town would have been destroyed.
(Such destruction is too horrible to consider.)
If Sarah were to have failed the final test, she would have lost her scholarship.
(She is an excellent student, and it is very unlikely that she would have failed the test.)
http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/wereto.html
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Note added at 28 mins (2007-03-21 20:50:43 GMT)
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If clause type II
Use
Conditional Sentences Type II refer to situations in the present. An action could happen if the present situation were different. I don't really expect the situation to change, however. I just imagine „what would happen if …“
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.
I would like to send an invitation to a friend. I have looked everywhere for her address, but I cannot find it. So now I think it is rather unlikely that I will eventually find her address.
Example: If John had the money, he would buy a Ferrari.
I know John very well and I know that he doesn't have much money, but he loves Ferraris. He would like to own a Ferrari (in his dreams). But I think it is very unlikely that he will have the money to buy one in the near future.
Conditional Sentence Type 2
→ It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple Past, Conditional I (= would + Infinitive)
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentence...
"Were to" in the Present
FORM
[ If... were to + VERB ...,...]
USE
"Were to" can be used in the present to emphasize that the Conditional form is extremely unlikely or unthinkably horrible. Notice that this special form is only used in the "If" Clause.
EXAMPLES:
If she were to be rich, she would be horribly obnoxious.
(It is very unlikely that she would be rich.)
If I were to have no friends, who would I spend my time with.
(Having no friends is a horrible thought.)
If Nathan were to be my boss, this job would be intolerable.
(Nathan's being my boss is a horrible concept.)
"Were to" in the Future
FORM
[ If... were to + VERB...,...]
USE
"Were to" can be used in the future to emphasize that the Conditional form is extremely unlikely or unthinkably horrible. Notice that this special form is only used in the "If" Clause
EXAMPLES:
If I were to lose my job, I would probably not find a new one quickly.
(Loosing my job would be terrible.)
If he were to fail his driving test, he would have to take it again.
(He is not likely to fail his driving test.)
If Sarah were to show up late to the birthday party, it would ruin the surprise.
(Sarah will surely come on time.)
"Were to" in the Past
FORM
[ If... were to have + PAST PARTICIPLE...,...]
USE
"Were to" can be used in the past to emphasize that the Conditional form is extremely unlikely or unthinkably horrible. Notice that this special form is only used in the "If" Clause.
EXAMPLES:
If the fire were to have destroyed the building, it would have been a tragic cultural loss.
(The thought of such a loss is too horrible to consider.)
If the dam were to have burst, the entire town would have been destroyed.
(Such destruction is too horrible to consider.)
If Sarah were to have failed the final test, she would have lost her scholarship.
(She is an excellent student, and it is very unlikely that she would have failed the test.)
http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/wereto.html
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 28 mins (2007-03-21 20:50:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
If clause type II
Use
Conditional Sentences Type II refer to situations in the present. An action could happen if the present situation were different. I don't really expect the situation to change, however. I just imagine „what would happen if …“
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.
I would like to send an invitation to a friend. I have looked everywhere for her address, but I cannot find it. So now I think it is rather unlikely that I will eventually find her address.
Example: If John had the money, he would buy a Ferrari.
I know John very well and I know that he doesn't have much money, but he loves Ferraris. He would like to own a Ferrari (in his dreams). But I think it is very unlikely that he will have the money to buy one in the near future.
Conditional Sentence Type 2
→ It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple Past, Conditional I (= would + Infinitive)
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentence...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jennifer Levey
: Excellent explanation and examples! The 'were to' form is in effect an English subjunctive, not a conditional, although many people claim that there is no subjunctive in English.
20 mins
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Gracias por el comentario.
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| agree |
Mariana T. Buttermilch
: Great explanation!
49 mins
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¡Gracias!
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| agree |
Kristina Kolic
: Never seen such a good and thorough explanation!
1 hr
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¡Muchas gracias!
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| neutral |
CarmenHaydee
: Mediamatrix, que mucha razon tienes!! Saludos a todas!
4 hrs
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Gracias, pero si escribís acá mediamatrix no va a leer tu comentario, a menos que se meta de nuevo en esta pregunta.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
7 mins
Olivia Bravo
Native in Spanish
Specializes in field
English-Spanish-English
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, French to Spanish, Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
English term (edited):
uso de \"if\"
Implica una diferencia en la conjugación, solamente (y en este caso).
1.-"***Si te vieras*** en la necesidad de entrar en un litigio..."
2.-"***De haber entrado*** a un negocio de comida saludable, lo único que tal vez habrías encontrado..."
3.-"¿Qué pasaría si ***tuvieras que entrar*** en un litigio?"
4.-"***Si hubieras*** entrado a un negocio de comida saludable, ..."
Es cuestión simplemente de la conjugación que se da en cada caso. Pero las dos primeras de arriba significan básicamente lo mismo que las dos de abajo.
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Note added at 8 minutos (2007-03-21 20:30:08 GMT)
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Pero como todo, siempre debes supeditarte al 'contexto'.
2.-"***De haber entrado*** a un negocio de comida saludable, lo único que tal vez habrías encontrado..."
3.-"¿Qué pasaría si ***tuvieras que entrar*** en un litigio?"
4.-"***Si hubieras*** entrado a un negocio de comida saludable, ..."
Es cuestión simplemente de la conjugación que se da en cada caso. Pero las dos primeras de arriba significan básicamente lo mismo que las dos de abajo.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 minutos (2007-03-21 20:30:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Pero como todo, siempre debes supeditarte al 'contexto'.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
CarmenHaydee
: No es correcto. Hay una gran diferencia entre una clausula con si del subjuntivo y una simple condicion con si...:)
4 hrs
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Como puedes ver en la misma respuesta, aclaré "en este caso". ¿Podrías tú entonces poner cuál es la diferencia entre el significado de "if you were to have a legal dispute" e "if you had a legal dispute" (en el CASO que nos ha puesto quien pregunta?
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| neutral |
Ana Brassara
: La referencia que pusiste arriba en la nota es la misma que ya había puesto yo en mi respuesta.
16 hrs
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Sí, y mi intención no es robarte la respuesta. De hecho "aclaré" que lo tomé de tu respuesta para ejemplificar la respuesta que le di a Carmen en cuanto a que no hay diferencia en el sentido (la cual es mi respuesta original).
|
8 mins
N/A
You don't have a difference in If, the difference is in the verb form. In both cases you will translate if as Si.
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Note added at 14 mins (2007-03-21 20:36:34 GMT)
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Si fueras a tener
Si tuvieras
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Note added at 14 mins (2007-03-21 20:36:34 GMT)
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Si fueras a tener
Si tuvieras
Note from asker:
| Yes, my question deals basically with the use of "were to have/had" in conditionals. |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Alessandro Zocchi
: Glaster, that's obvious, I think the asker only wanted to express his doubts concerning conditional clauses... Ale
4 mins
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Discussion
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation."
En conclusión, ambas son hipotéticas y condicionales, y la diferencia básica está en la conjugación, pero con mismo sentido.
y
"Conditional Sentence Type 2
→ It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled."