usted puede pero no debe...
While using Rosetta Stone (Latin American Spanish) I encountered something that I do not understand. They use the phrase usted puede pero no debe multiple times. When I look at the pictures I am led to believe that this means you are not allowed to (do something), but when I attempt to translate it in my head I come up with "You can but do not have to (do something)". I entered usted puede pero no debe manejar aquí (a direct quote from Rosetta Stone) into the google translator and I got "You can but you should not drive here.". Did I incorrectly interpret the pictures, or does this phrase actually mean "you must not (can't) drive here"? If it does mean "You must not" then why are the words puede pero present? Thank you for any help you can provide, this one has me sort of stumped.
3 Answers
It says, "You can, but you shouldn't."
For instance, you can eat a whole chocolate cake, but you shouldn't do that.
Puede is from the verb poder. It means "to be able to".
Debes is from the verb deber. It means to owe, and so it is used for things that you should do or for responsibilities.
Usted:you puede:can pero:but no:no debe:should or shall
It doesn't always work like the way I just did it, but it did this time. 'Usted puedo pero no debe' means: You can but you shouldn't.
I also have done Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish and I remember running into the same thing. I had to look it up online, it means "You can, but you should not..."
