Messages: 4
Language: English
benanhalt (User's profile) November 21, 2009, 7:31:43 PM
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1912
about two different grammatical rolls if plays in English. GKP's examples:
(1) I don't know if the car will start.
(2) We won't go if the car won't start.
In (1) if is acting as a subordinator. In (2) it is acting like a preposition.
I'm still pretty new to Esperanto, but it seems to me that se does not have this dual nature but only the prepositional, and that ĉu would correspond to the subordinating role. Thus something like:
(1) Mi ne scias ĉu la veturilo ekos.
(2) Ni ne iros se la veturilo ne ekos.
Am I correct in this being how Esperanto works in this regard?
jan aleksan (User's profile) November 21, 2009, 7:43:18 PM
tommjames (User's profile) November 21, 2009, 7:48:32 PM
PMEG:En iuj lingvoj oni uzas en subfrazoj la saman vorton por ĉu kaj por se. En Esperanto oni devas distingi. Ĉu montras demandon. Se montras kondiĉon. La signifodiferenco estas tre granda:Translated: In some languages in a sub-phrase you can use the same word for ĉu and for se. In Esperanto you have to distinguish. Ĉu shows a question. Se shows a condition. There is a big difference in the meaning.
benanhalt (User's profile) November 21, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
Now that my reading comprehension is starting to get fairly good, I need to start reading PMEG. I think I have basic grammar down pretty well, but I often have trouble with complicated or less common constructions, not so much when reading but when writing.