My boss left before telling me I could leave

Question

My boss left before telling me I could leave. He usually tells me I can leave before he leaves. Technically I CAN leave, but when my boss tells me I can leave, I leave before he leaves and that leaves me in a better place than just leaving without him saying I can leave.

This occurred to me at work, when I wanted to tell it to Olga, and couldn't figure some of it out. So here goes, no translator (I never use it)

Mi jefe se fue antes de decirme que pudiera irme. Normalmente, me dices que puedo irme antes de él. Técnicamente sí puedo irme, pero cuando mi jefe me dices que puedo irme, me voy antes de él y eso me deja en un mejor lugar que simplemente irme sin escuchandolo deciendome que puedo irme.

I take issue with all the bolded parts:

• antes de él. I want to say "before he leaves" antes de que se vaya?
• eso me deja = that leaves me? I don't know about that.
• Que simplemente irme, than simply leaving, wrong conjugation of ir?
• Listening to him telling me = escuchandolo deciendome? I doubt it.

Thanks for your help. Gracias.

interesting - margaretbl, Feb 4, 2011

Answer 1

antes de él. antes que él

eso me deja = eso me permite irme sin que el tenga que autorizarme

Que simplemente irme, than simply leaving, wrong conjugation of ir? No. It's good

Listening to him telling me = escuchandolo deciendome? I doubt it. ´Sin que él tenga que autorizarme

Could I say "´Sin que él tenga que decirme"? Can you explain why "sin que" can you explain why "tener que" there? I really don't get it. Thanks. ;) - jeezzle, Feb 4, 2011

Yes, you can. Tener que is not mandatory. You can say Sin que me autorice o me diga. - gone, Feb 4, 2011

Answer 2

Usar, can you address the part where Jeezle says 'that would leave me in a better place' that is so colloquial and I don't think it translates well - to me it sounds like 'pasar a mejor vida' and no one is dying here..... he is just feeling better...

Answer 3

Nice work Jeezle!

You need to change "dices" in the 7th line down. I think it should be diga there, or maybe dice, but it can't be dices.

Antes de que se vaya sounds perfect to me.

I wonder if "eso me pone" would be better than "eso me deja"?

For the last line, I think it's OK, but maybe I'm wrong.

Answer 4

• So "sin que" means without?
• To say "let" in this sense you use "permitir" because you really mean allow, and when using let to mean allow, you use permitir and not dejar?
• ´Sin que él tenga que autorizarme = Without him having to authorize me. Can I say "Sin que él tenga que decirme" Without him having to tell me?

In a work situation is better to say permitir than dejar. Sin que el me deje is correct though. Yes to your 2nd question. - gone, Feb 4, 2011