I have been asked

Question

Hola a todos!

"I have been asked to speak to you.". A friend of mine gave me this translation - "Se me ha pedido con usted.".

My first question is - what tense this?
My second question is - can someone give me a grammatical explanation for the "se me ha pedido". I have consulted several grammar reviews but sadly I still don't 'get it'.

Now, if the Spanish translation is incorrect could someone re-translate it for me.

Gracias in adelante, Annie.

Answer 1

This translation looks a little off to me... \first your missing the verb hablar... it should be "Se me ha pedido hablar con usted"... Se can be used to describe general things or unknown things that are human or unkown people... So in order to translate this to english we must first re arrange the sentence... Se ha pedido me hablar con usted == this of course is incorrect but for english translation it will help you to understand...so the literal translation for this is -- Someone (se), has asked (ha pedido) me (me) to speak (hablar) with/ to you (con usted).

pedir is the root or infinitive of pedido and means to request or ask con usted is the formal way... you can also say "contigo" (informal way)

Oh yea one more thing Se is generally used in 3rd person... el, ella, lo, la, etc or 3rd person plural ellos ellas los las etc... this is why it is associated with ha pedido as this is the 3rd person present perfect

Answer 2

1st ? "se me ha pedido" is from the infinitive verb "Pedirse" which in broad general terms means "to:ask/ask for/request/order etc."

?

2nd ? As Jason has said, pedirse is pretty much conjugated OK in the "present perfect". Another verb book might call it the "past subjunctive" but they mean the same thing.

?

3rd ? The verb "hablar" which means "to talk" is missing from the phrase you were given. I'll suggest "Se me ha pedido hablar a usted" as the correct sentence as I think it translates to "I have been asked to speak to you."

?

Like Jason, Spanish is not my mother tongue so if I've made any mistake(s), I hope they will be corrected.

In your example you should have "con usted" and not "a usted". - NikkiLR, Sep 19, 2009

Nice catch about the missing word. - 0074b507, Sep 20, 2009

Answer 3

You can say it that way but I know from working with native speakers that they say it in a more backhanded way.

Se me olvido, literally, it forgot itself to me Strange but I hear it everyday

Answer 4

I have been asked to speak to you.". A friend of mine gave me this translation - "Se me ha pedido con usted.

Looks to me as if that just says... They have asked me with you.

You can word it like this...

(Mi amigo/a, él/ella, ect.) Me ha pedido que te hable. He or she(or just whoever did the asking) has asked that I talk to you.

Ha pedido means he/she has asked. The Me before pretty much means me. So it's just kinda backwards. Que means that, te hable means to you I speak. So again just different word order than English.

o

Me ha pedido que le hable a usted. (formal) He or she has asked me that I talk to you..

o

If more than one person asked someone to speak to you- Me han pedido que te hable They asked that I speak or talk to you.

Answer 5

Thanks guys, I think I 'get it' now. And yes I should have picked up on the missing verb (hablar).

Annie.

Answer 6

"Se me ha pedido hablar a usted"<

It has to be con usted and not a usted.

But, also see http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/105115/hablar-a-vs-hablar-con - Moe, Sep 23, 2009

Answer 7

Another way of looking at it is to see the difference between the meaning of the two ways of saying it:

For example, with Perder:

Perdi mi reloj ... I lost my watch ... is perfectly acceptable.

Se me perdio el reloj ... My watch got lost (more fluent translation) seems to be preferred.

Oddly enough, I seem to remember being told that this is a way for the speaker to avoid taking direct accountability for what happened ... i.e. my watch got lost, instead of I lost my watch.

I could be wrong about that but I do seem to remember that from somewhere in my education

Answer 8

Yeah, I hear it like that too.

So then, you mean "se me olvidó" ?

Answer 9

Se me olvido my numero de telefono, Se me perdio my cartera ... I forgot my telefone humber, or litereally,<

But can't you say it like this?

(Me) olvidé mi numero de teléfono. olvidé mi nombre,.. ect.

o

Se me olvidé.

Answer 10

Debo de corrigirme ... no es la voz pasiva, sino el relexivo (lost itself to me)

Answer 11

Se me ha pedido hablar con Ud... I have been asked to talk with you.

Literally, it has been asked to me to speak with you.

An awkward contruction in English, employing the passive voice using 'se'.

Se me olvido my numero de telefono, Se me perdio my cartera ... I forgot my telefone humber, or litereally, my telelfone number forgot itself to me.

I lost my purse, or literally, my purse lost itself to me.

It cannot be translated literally but the meaning is what counts. This calls for a more figurative translation but this construction is fairly heavily used in Spanish.

Espero que esto le ayude

Answer 12

No problem Hope you understand now. I think the translation I posted is correct.

Answer 13

It's the passive voice construction with the direct object - the se + i.o. + verb. It's like saying "Spanish is spoken here" - "Se Habla Español". Now, if you identified who spoke to you, then you would have a different story - "xxx piede con Ud."

Answer 14

I figured out that it is in the present perfect. As far as the translation, it looks alright to me but I am not a native speaker. Hopefully the gurus will weigh in soon.