Now that?

Question

I checked the dictionary, but I am having a tough time translating the expression "now that." I have heard of "ya que," which means "since" but this doesn't sem quite right for my purposes.

Ejemplo: Now thatI have a car, I can go where I want.

Otro ejemplo: I can understand his point, now that I have all the facts.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Ahora que

= now that

por ejemplo:

Now (that) it's stopped raining, we can go out.

= Ahora que ha parado de llovar, podemos salir.

Ahora que tengo un coche, puedo visitar todos mis amigos

= Now that I have a car, I can visit all my friends.

I hope that this will help you

Answer 2

Now that you've 'accepted' an answer, I'll pose an objection to your question (as formulated). "now that you've ..." is used with two senses in English by many modern speakers. The more traditionally-minded/careful speakers would distinguish between "Since/given that ..." and "Now that ..." The former emphasizes the simple causal relationship (you have more information, thus you can make a better decision) while the latter emphasizes your present ability to make a better decision.

"ya que" corresponds to the first choice in English, while "ahora que" is more like the second. The basic meaning is pretty much the same but the feeling is different.

Thanks for the input. I made a point of posting multiple examples precisely because this sort of phrasing can often be used in different ways and I wondered what sort of distinctions were made in Spanish. - penguinboy561, JUN 22, 2010

Answer 3

I think that ya que is what you want in your example contexts. Since makes sense in those sentences.

since (sns)

adv.

• . From then until now or between then and now: They left town and haven't been here since.
• Before now; ago: a name long since forgotten.
• After some point in the past; at a subsequent time: My friend has since married and moved to California.

prep.

• Continuously from: They have been friends since childhood.
• Intermittently from: She's been skiing since childhood.

conj.

• . During the period subsequent to the time when: He hasn't been home since he graduated.
• . Continuously from the time when: They have been friends ever since they were in grade school.
• . Inasmuch as; because: Since you're not interested, I won't tell you about it.