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by Bibaleebu, June 28, 2005

Messages: 9

Language: English

Bibaleebu (User's profile) June 28, 2005, 1:42:38 AM

I was doing some lessons, and was wondering exactly how to implement the conditional tense....does......

Mi Amus vin = I would love you?

 

Mike59 (User's profile) June 28, 2005, 5:29:15 PM

You're right

 

Qwertie (User's profile) July 18, 2005, 6:25:32 AM

With one exception.  If I'm not mistaken, Esperanto lacks a word for "should", so instead the word "devus" has two possible meanings: "should", OR "would have to" (= would must).  Does anyone understand differently?

trojo (User's profile) July 24, 2005, 7:50:43 PM

Lernu's Eo-English Dictionary defines devi as "ought to, have to, must, should", and in the Eo-Eo Dictionary it is defined thus: "ne povi ne fari, pro neceseco aŭ forta volo, aŭ pro ordono", which I read as "to be unable to avoid doing [an action], due to necessity or strong desire, or due to a command". This is close enough to the American Heritage College Dictionary's definition of should1 as "Used to express obligation or duty: You should call her". You should call her = Vi devas telefoni ŝin. On the other hand, should3, which is "Used to express conditionality or contingency: If you should fall, then so would I", would be translated more accurately with the -us suffix. Se vi falus, mi falus (note that both clauses get -us). This post is getting pretty long already, so we'll leave discussion of should2 and should4 for another day.

The rules for using should, would, could, can, etc, in English are quite complicated and arbitrary (check the definitions and usage notes under each of those words in a good dictionary) and as a result, these rules are frequently disregarded even by native English speakers in informal speech and writing. There is, obviously, something to be said for a simpler system.

languagefan (User's profile) July 24, 2005, 9:20:03 PM

... like "Se mi havus multi da mono mi vojaĝus al Hispana" is correct?

trojo (User's profile) July 24, 2005, 10:13:27 PM

"Se mi havus multi da mono mi vojaĝus al Hispana"

The -us verb forms are correct here. But "multe" as in multe da mono is an adverb and thus takes -e, and the Esperanto-ized name of the country of Spain is "Hispanio". Se mi havus multe da mono, mi vojaĝus al Hispanio.

Bildoj kaj Demandoj (my favorite course on this site) has an almost identical example in Leciono 43.

languagefan (User's profile) July 24, 2005, 10:19:47 PM

Thaks okulumo.gif

Eujensc (User's profile) July 25, 2005, 10:05:08 PM

I'm not an outright expert with Esperanto, but as far as I know the word 'should' as an implied order is covered by the "-u" form, with a subject present.

Vi mangxu vian mangxon. You should eat your food.

Mangxu vian mangxon. Eat your food.

And with regards to the conditional:

Se li estas cxe la tablo, li devas mangxi sian mangxon. If he is at the table, he must eat his food.

Se li estus cxe la tablo, li devus mangxi sian mangxon. If he were at the table, he would have to eat his food.

...could be wrong though. Don't quote me on that.

erinja (User's profile) July 26, 2005, 9:40:07 PM

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