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Esperanto for "Little did you know"

by Devido, February 22, 2016

Messages: 13

Language: English

Devido (User's profile) February 22, 2016, 3:51:18 AM

Hi, I know how to form most sentences but it; s these kind of phrases that don't really mean much that I don't know how to say. Dankon,

opalo (User's profile) February 22, 2016, 9:14:36 AM

Try Neniom sciis vi, ke... or, to make the meaning more explicit, Kia ŝoko estus (ek)scio, ke...

Vestitor (User's profile) February 22, 2016, 11:59:04 AM

The phrase basically means: "I was unaware that...".

The form it takes in the title of the thread is idiomatic and when shifting between languages you either have to use the existing idiom of that language (often it is very similar in related languages) or just express the clear meaning.

Is there a set phrase that expresses 'I was/you was unaware that..'? If so, all well and good. If not, just express the meaning.

Miland (User's profile) February 22, 2016, 1:27:51 PM

Vi ne sciis, ke...

opalo (User's profile) February 22, 2016, 3:51:38 PM

The set phrase "Little did X know, that Y" very specifically means "X was unaware that Y, and that unawareness (which may or may not still exist) is somewhat amusing to me and inspires pity or glee or both." So a plain X ne sciis ke Y isn't a good translation here.

Miland (User's profile) February 22, 2016, 5:12:31 PM

opalo:The set phrase "Little did X know, that Y" very specifically means..
The style of Esperanto is characteristically simpler. For this reason, an attempt to make the Esperanto as elaborate as the original would not necesaarily be a good translation. For the same reason, I would stand by my simpler version.

jefusan (User's profile) February 22, 2016, 7:25:27 PM

I would argue that "little did X know that..." basically means "What X didn't know was...."

I would probably translate it as "Kion li ne sciis, estas ke..."

eshapard (User's profile) March 8, 2016, 12:13:12 AM

Devido:Hi, I know how to form most sentences but it; s these kind of phrases that don't really mean much that I don't know how to say. Dankon,
Not known by you...: Ne sciite de vi...

sudanglo (User's profile) March 11, 2016, 1:49:12 PM

Little did you know

Apenaŭ vi scius (estus sciinta), ke

Vi tute ne povis suspekti, ke

Kion vi ne povis supozi estis, ke

Vi tute ne povis imagi, ke.

mfar (User's profile) March 12, 2016, 8:16:30 PM

Why not-
iom vi sciis!

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