I'm sorry I asked you to come

Question

Siento haber preguntado que vienes O siento haber preguntado que vengas. Or is this totally wrong? Do you not use ask like this? or Siento haberte preguntado que...... I'm stuck on this. Gracias.

Answer 1

I'm sorry I asked you to come

Siento haberte pedido que vinieras.

You do not use preguntar and the tense is not correct.

Is it imperfect subjunctive because come is in the past? Like "I'm sorry that I asked (past) you to come (past) so because come is subjunctive it's imperfect since it's also in the past? Gracias... - jeezzle, Aug 31, 2010

Answer 2

You can also say, "Siento haberte invitado."

Answer 3

if you are trying to apologize with someone for inviting, the sentence will be

"siento haberte dicho que vinieras"

Saludos

Answer 4

Hi Jeezzle -

1 .Is it imperfect subjunctive because come is in the past? Like "I'm sorry that I asked (past) you to come (past) so because come is subjunctive it's imperfect since it's also in the past? Yes, that is correct.

1. Why is it haberte pedido? Wouldn't that be pedirse? I don't think I've heard pedirse used, can you just say "Siento haber pedido que vinieras"? It is "haberte" because you have made the request of the other person. It is not because "pedir" is reflexive; it isn't (as you correctly suggested). "I am sorry to have asked you (te) to come. Because of the grammatical structure, you have to hook the "te" on to the "haber".

3.Is imperfect subjunctive found by taking the preterite form of the ellos verb, vinieron, and taking off the on and adding a and as etc.. does it always work like that with imperfect subjunctive? Hervir, hirvieron, hirvieras. Gracias. Yes, you take the "ellos" form of the preterite and chop off the "-ron" ending. (Chop off the entire "-ron" and not just "-on" since there are a couple of different sets of endings for imperfect subjunctive, although the set that is being used in your example is the most common.) The endings are: -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos [with the vowel before the ending accented, such as "viniéramos"] -rais, -ran. This is another reason why the preterite is important to master, since the imperfect subjenctive is formed off the third person plural preterite.

As an aside - "Lamento haberte invitado" in another option.

éé

Answer 5

1. Is it imperfect subjunctive because come is in the past? Like "I'm sorry that I asked (past) you to come (past) so because come is subjunctive it's imperfect since it's also in the past

I don't see any imperfect subjunctive, sorry.

1. Why is it haberte pedido? Wouldn't that be pedirse? I don't think I've heard pedirse used, can you just say "Siento haber pedido que vinieras"?

Spanish demands an infinitive (or equivalent) in this construction. Remember that after "Siento" you need the object, which is either a noun phrase, or because the subject is the same as the main verb, an infinitive. But "Siento pedir" can only be interpreted as something that you are going to ask now or later. Since you have already asked, but you are feeling sorry now, instead of infinitive, you use the compound for of it "haber pedido". That "te" clarifies who did you ask to come.

1. Is imperfect subjunctive found by taking the preterite form of the ellos verb, vinieron, and taking off the on and adding a and as etc.. does it always work like that with imperfect subjunctive? Hervir, hervieron, hirvieras. Gracias.

(It should be "hirvieron")

The imperfect subjunctive has ALWAYS the same root as the "ustedes/ellos/ellas" form of the preterite. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Isn't vinieras imperfect subjunctive? Heidita said the correct phrase was "Siento haberte pedido que vinieras." What is vinieras if not imperfect subjunctive? Gracias. - jeezzle, Aug 31, 2010

Answer 6

Siento haber preguntado si vienes

Siento haber preguntado que vengas.

Te has despistado, esto no es correcto - 00494d19, Aug 31, 2010

o sea, ¿no existe otra forma de decirlo con "pedido" en inglés?¿es siempre asked? - kawalero, Aug 31, 2010

es decir, ¿es "preguntar" y "pedir" lo mismo en inglés?-> ask - kawalero, Aug 31, 2010

Yes, both "preguntar" and "pedir" can be translated "to ask" in English. "Preguntar" carries "to ask a question" and "pedir" carries "to ask" in the sense of "to ask for something" or "to request" something - mountaingirl123, Aug 31, 2010

Thanks mountaingirl - kawalero, Sep 1, 2010

Answer 7

OK so it's Siento haberte pedido que vinieras.. I understand the use of pedir but I have a few questions to clarify this for my own personal understanding.

1. Is it imperfect subjunctive because come is in the past? Like "I'm sorry that I asked (past) you to come (past) so because come is subjunctive it's imperfect since it's also in the past
2. Why is it haberte pedido? Wouldn't that be pedirse? I don't think I've heard pedirse used, can you just say "Siento haber pedido que vinieras"?
3. Is imperfect subjunctive found by taking the preterite form of the ellos verb, vinieron, and taking off the on and adding a and as etc.. does it always work like that with imperfect subjunctive? Hervir, hirvieron, hirvieras. Gracias.