Moving a preposition up through two dependent phrases

Question

I understand that in Spanish dependent clauses can't end in prepositions, instead, prepositions must be moved up in front of the relative pronoun. But what if you have a dependent phrase inside another one, where does the preposition go? For example, how do I translate this English phrase:

A movie that I wish that I had not wasted time on

Is it:

Una película con que deseo que no perdiera el tiempo

Or:

Una película que deseo con que no perdiera el tiempo

Answer 1

Because la pelicula was the word the clause modifies, the preposition will come after that.

Let's examine Dakie's sentence: una película en la cual desería no haber perdido el tiempo. Dakie's native tongue is Spanish; so, we know the Spanish is correct. I'm not too sure about it having to be in conditional, but that's a battle for another day.

By the way, notice that it is en la cual (en la que would've worked as well). Dakie's sentence is literally saying: a movie, in the which I would wish not to have wasted the time.

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More examples...

1) That's the person I thought I was talking to. (original)

2) That's the person to whom I thought I was talking. (fixed up for Spanish)

3) Esa es la persona con quien creía que yo hablaba. (translated)

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1) That's the building I think I was eating in yesterday. (original)

2) That's the building in (the) which I think I was eating yesterday. (fixed up for Spanish)

3) Ese es el edificio en el que creo que yo comía ayer. (translated)

Tear it up, Dunce-man! ;o) - cristalino, Feb 23, 2011

:D - webdunce, Feb 23, 2011

Thanks! This really made it clear to me. - wingedsubmariner, Feb 23, 2011

I can´t explain it gramatically, but in this sentence structure, "en la que" sounds very unatural. "La que" is used ie: "Entre las dos películas, la que me gusta más es la primera" - 005faa61, Feb 24, 2011

Answer 2

Una película en la cual desería no haber perdido/desperdiciado el tiempo.

The problem is that in English the in last part of the sentence, when you use imperfect tense, you don't need to change the verb "wish", but in Spanish you have to change it to conditional. that's why you couldn't translate it well.

¡Gracias! El ejemplo era muy útil. - wingedsubmariner, Feb 23, 2011

desearía - 0074b507, Feb 23, 2011

Answer 3

I would use a different preposition and mood, ie: "Una película que lamentablemente me hizo perder el tiempo."

It would be very wordy in subjunctive as you have done it in English, ie: "Una película que quisiera que no me hubiera hecho a perder el tiempo."

Yeah, I should have rethought that sentence after getting to three clauses. - wingedsubmariner, Feb 23, 2011