Messages : 23
Langue: English
Jonatano (Voir le profil) 5 février 2016 00:43:07
Q: "Why does he love that?"
A: "He doesn't."
My assumption is that it would be...
Q: "Kial li amas tion?"
But I don't know the proper response. Thanks.
erinja (Voir le profil) 5 février 2016 00:59:36
Muzikistino (Voir le profil) 8 février 2016 11:35:46
Alkanadi (Voir le profil) 8 février 2016 13:46:49
Li ne amas tion
erinja (Voir le profil) 8 février 2016 15:19:20
Muzikistino:"Li ne amas". The answer must not be too short. Better is the most easily understandable form.In informal speech, with context, "Li ne" would more than likely be understood perfectly.
I don't recall that I've ever used quite this sentence but I've certainly been in plenty of situations where someone asks something like "Kiam vi venos?" and I answer "Mi ne".
You can certainly be conservative as a beginner and answer more completely. "Mi ne venos", "Li ne amas", etc. but I think as you gain experience, most people gain a level of comfort regarding how minimal a sentence can be and still have a clear meaning in context.
Vestitor (Voir le profil) 8 février 2016 16:41:06
erinja:It works when the reply is a negation of the single verb given in the question (in this case venos). With one verb you're okay, but if the question was 'Kioma horo vi venos?' the questioner can't know whether the the missing verb is scias or a contradiction of the entire question.
In informal speech, with context, "Li ne" would more than likely be understood perfectly.
I don't recall that I've ever used quite this sentence but I've certainly been in plenty of situations where someone asks something like "Kiam vi venos?" and I answer "Mi ne".
Isn't it better to add the little verb? And not much more effort required methinks.
erinja (Voir le profil) 8 février 2016 17:57:12
"Why does he love that?" also has just one verb, so the "Ne" pretty clearly refers either to "doesn't love" or "not that" (ne amas or ne tion). It's clear either way you parse it.
If it were "Je kioma horo li venos?", it is more likely that I'd respond "Li ne venos" but I still think that "Li ne" would be perfectly clear.
If I don't know what time he is coming, of course I need a subject so I'd say "Mi ne scias", so the subject is different in any case than "Li ne venos". "Ne" would obviously be an unclear answer but as soon as you add a subject it becomes clearer.
Vestitor (Voir le profil) 8 février 2016 21:10:14
erinja:It would be "Je kioma horo li venos?", btw.To ask: "what time will you be coming?"
erinja:"Why does he love that?" also has just one verb, so the "Ne" pretty clearly refers either to "doesn't love" or "not that" (ne amas or ne tion). It's clear either way you parse it.I meant sentences like that with more than one possible element which might be being referred to.
erinja:If it were "Je kioma horo li venos?", it is more likely that I'd respond "Li ne venos" but I still think that "Li ne" would be perfectly clear.You're far more expert than me, I accept that, but isn't it better to get people speaking in clear, probably fuller, sentences before they start dropping elements? Does Esperanto benefit from this sort of thing anyway when there's a possibility that some people speak and understand at different levels? I've found such a thing to be an obstacle for following speakers of languages I'm learning.
If I don't know what time he is coming, of course I need a subject so I'd say "Mi ne scias", so the subject is different in any case than "Li ne venos". "Ne" would obviously be an unclear answer but as soon as you add a subject it becomes clearer.
Between high-level speakers, well... carry on!
Tsahraf (Voir le profil) 9 février 2016 09:35:04
And "Li ne amas" would be "He loves not."
Would "Why does he love that?" be more exactly translated "Kial faras li amas tion?"?
And "Kial li amas tion?" would be more like "Why loves he that?"
In other words, would the difference between:
"He loves that."
and
"He does love that."
be indicated by "faras"?
Like
"Li amas tion."
"Li faras amas tion."
Vestitor (Voir le profil) 9 février 2016 11:20:36
Mi amas ĝin = I (do) love that. Since it isn't negated. The does bit is already in the verb amas, so it only needs to be negated.