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Is this present tense correct?

Is this present tense correct?

2
votes

Mañana empiezo una nueva vida.

Tomorrow I'll start a new life.

This is a sentence on a sentence practice site I am enrolled on and I think it is incorrect. I would have used empezaré and the site manager conferred with his experts and they said it was right both ways?

1752 views
updated MAR 28, 2010
posted by foxluv
I´ll is I will. Tomorrow I start a new life. - Eddy, FEB 7, 2010

5 Answers

4
votes

Good thinking. Empiezo is actually present tense. "Tomorrow I start a new life" Empezaré is future tense. "Tomorrow I will start a new life."

In English both sentences convey essentially the same meaning. There is a slight difference between the two in Spanish. Use of the future (empezaré) implies probability--something is likely to happen. Use of the present in this sense implies that it will definitely happen--it's beyond just being likely to happen.

updated FEB 7, 2010
posted by CalvoViejo
0
votes

Sí, pero me parece que ella quiere saber si en español son lo mismo, no en inglés. Y en español son lo mismo con sutiles diferencias que no tienen importancia porque no cambian el sentido de la oración, es decir...

.

"Mañana empezaré una nueva vida" es algo que voy a hacer en el futuro, es decir mañana. También podría ser "Mañana voy a empezar una nueva vida"

.

"Mañana empiezo una nueva vida" también implica futuro, pero también puedo usarlo para comunicar una decisión que he tomado

.

updated FEB 7, 2010
posted by Benz
0
votes

Mañana voy a empezar una vida nueva= Tommorrow I am going to start a new life. Mañana empiezo una vida nueva.Tommorrow I start a new life. Mañana empezaré una vida nueva. Tommorrow I will start a new life. all these are correct in my oppinion-

updated FEB 7, 2010
edited by kenwilliams
posted by kenwilliams
0
votes

Actually, now that I think about it, the English "Tomorrow, I will start a new life" (the English future) is a little more emphatic or definite than "Tomorrow, I'm going to start a new life" or "Tomorrow I start a new life". The Spanish future is less emphatic, less definite.

updated FEB 7, 2010
posted by CalvoViejo
0
votes

Yes, both are ok. Mañana empezaré una nueva nueva (the verb is in the future form) and Mañana empiezo una nueva vida (as a decision you've just made)

updated FEB 7, 2010
posted by Benz
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