Intento despesperadamente / Estoy tratando despesperadamente de........

Question

I'm desperately trying to make this work.

Estoy tratando despesperadamente de "make this work", don't know why I can't think of make this work right now....maybe just "hacerlo" because I want it to mean "cause this to work" causar + something? Brainfreeze. Thanks guys.

I see many hits for Intento despesperadamente and zero hits for Estoy tratando despesperadamente de so I don't know if it works.

Answer 1

Estoy haciendo lo imposible por que todo salga bien. (very general)

Estoy haciendo lo imposible por que todo salga adelante. (very general)

Estoy haciendo lo imposible por que todo funcione. (this may work with machines, relationships and other contexts, but not for everything, like in English "works")

Answer 2

Estoy tratando desesperadamente de hacerlo funcionar / de hacer que funcione.

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Edit: I'm thinking about what Lazarus wrote, and honestly, I can't say whether the above would have been a natural response in Spanish, or I am "contaminated" by my bilingualism. Sounds good to me, but perhaps context would determine my choice in "real life".

Thinking along the lines of Lazarus' suggestion, I might also say something like: "Estoy haciendo de todo para que funcione"; or "Estoy haciendo lo imposible para que funcione."

"No sé que hacer, estoy desesperado: ¡he hecho de todo para que esta @#|*ç?!! funcione!!"

I honestly don't know. Lazarus, do you think my suggestion, apart from sounding unnatural to you, is a valid translation?

Now it sounds like Spanish to me, if you ask me. - lazarus1907, Apr 14, 2011

Answer 3

Estoy haciendo lo imposible por que todo salga bien. (very general)

Estoy haciendo lo imposible por que todo salga adelante. (very general)

Estoy haciendo lo imposible por que todo funcione. (this may work with machines, relationships and other contexts, but not for everything, like in English "works")

Lazarus: Why por que and not para que there? Isn't it saying "I'm doing the impossible (thing) in order to make this all work? Why por que? Gracias.

Estoy haciendo de todo para que funcione"; or "Estoy haciendo lo imposible para que funcione."

Gekko: Why "de todo" I don't understand that construction. Thanks.

I think por que vs. para que is a matter of custom. Either option sounds good to me. "De todo" just means "everything". "¿Qué haces para ganarte la vida? - De todo un poco" (A bit of everything). - Gekkosan, Apr 14, 2011

"Para que" also works fine here. "Por" gives a reason, while "para" gives an aim, but both have the same purpose. That "de todo" is an idiomatic [removed]i.e. it cannot be translated or explained), also very common in Spain. - lazarus1907, Apr 14, 2011

Thanks guys. :) - jeezzle, Apr 14, 2011