Interesting conversation in Sky High.
While I was watching Sky High in Spanish (for like the 80th time), I noticed the following conversation and found it interesting...
Here's the scene: Will Stronghold is in the Mad Science class and is supposed to build a freeze ray gun. He doesn't, but the professor's assistant (Señora Grayson) builds it for him using her super power, which is apparently the ability to assemble high-tech gadgets by waving her hand over them. The professor doesn't see this and assumes that Will has built the ray. When he sees the ray gun the following conversation takes place...
In English:
- Professor: And, what do we have here?
- Will: Well, I don't know. I didn't do it.
- Professor: You are far too modest, Mr. Stronghold. {Professor shoots ray, which freezes another student. Professor then realizes that his assistant made the ray gun.} Or, perhaps not modest enough.
In Spanish:
- Professor: ¿Y, que tenemos aquí?
- Will: Pues, no lo sé. No lo hice.
- Professor: Demasiado modesto, Señor Stronghold. {Professor shoots ray, which freezes another student. Professor then realizes that his assistant made the ray gun.} O, es posible que no lo suficiente...
The professor's last statements, when translated more directly back from the Spanish, actually say:
Overly modest, Mr. Stronghold...Or, it is possible that not it sufficiently.
First, this is one of the very few times I've seen the English too (when used to mean overly) translated as demasiado. Normally, even when the English uses too to mean overly, it still gets translated as muy.
Example:
It's too late for me. / Para mi, es muy tarde.
But, I noticed that, in this case, it was the phrase "far too modest" which was translated as "demasiado modesto." This leads me to think that, generally, muy should be used where we use "too" and demasiado should be reserved for phrases that go beyond too, like "far too..."
Second, I wonder if it is common to omit estar like this. I mean, the professor should have said, "Estás (or, maybe eres, depending) demasiado modesto" right? But, I played it several times, and I don't think it's there. Of course, with movies, the voice actors must try to match the lip movements, so I don't know if they are always saying natural-sounding things or not.
Third, I find the construction "que no lo suficiente" interesting. Because modesto was used as an adjective in the first sentence, I never would have guessed it could be referred to with the pronoun lo later on...that's very un-English-like. (Notice that "modest" was repeated in the English version.) So, did I hear it wrong, or can adjectives be referred to later by pronouns???
So, it's not so much a question...just me doing a stream-of-consciousness post in reaction to that scene in the movie. However, it might spark interesting and enlightening comments by others...or not.
1 Answer
Well, first of all, you are right about the "muy" = too/very, etc. and "demasiado" = far too/too much, etc.
Second, you are right again about the omitting of "ser/estar":
(Tu eres/Usted es) demasiado modesto.
This is very common in Spanish. It is very important to notice the context to get the right meaning.
Third, in Spanish we do not like to mention/repeat a word too many times when we talk or write. That is why we use pronouns a lot when possible. So, you are right about that too. 
