"There will be a draft if there is a war." Please see details.

Question

I see that "hacer alistamiento forzoso" is given in the dictionary as "draft" (military). So would "draft", as a noun, be "alistamiento forzoso?

For example, in the context of "There will be a draft if there is a war." Would it be translated as: "Haría un alistamiento forzoso si hubiera una guerra." ?

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Thanks for answering and esp. for your explanations. If my sentence WERE hypothetical and NOT conditional, then how would you put it again? I am afraid I am a bit confused now.

Let's discuss the separate problem first.

You want to use hacer + alistameiento forzado if you sentence is using the verb. Your sentence is only using the noun so forget about hacer (haría).

With the noun you want to use impersonal haber. There is, there was, there will be, there would be, etc.)

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If for some reason there can never be another war and your sentence is seen as completely hypothetical, then it would be:

Habría (conditional haber) un alistamiento forzado, si hubiera una guerra.

There would be a draft if there were a war. (another tipoff-past tense were referring to present or future time)

The tip-off for English speakers is that with the subjunctive it is....would be. (you are decaring what would happen if it were not hypothetical)

With the indicative it is ...will be. (you are declaring what will happen if the condition is met)

Let me find an article that explains it to you. Skip down to section III and read about Real and unreal (hypothetical) conditionsl.

Thanks so much! You've helped me a lot. :) - Baglady, Apr 28, 2011

Answer 2

hacer alistamiento forzoso=verb=to do a forced enlistment

alistamiento=enlistment or enrollment

alistamiento forzado=forced enrollment or conscription

"Haría un alistamiento forzoso si hubiera una guerra." ?

There would be a draft if there were a war.

si hubiera=hubiera is the past subjunctive of impersonal haber (hay, había, hubo, etc.)

So you do not want haría (conditional of hacer); you want habría (conditional of haber)

"Habría un alistamiento forzoso si hubiera una guerra."

[hacer is no longer in the sentence since we are using the noun; not the verb]

Unless, of course, you are trying to say "If there were a war, (impersonal) they would draft"

Harían alistamiento forzoso si hubiera una guerra. (using the verb rather than the noun)

Thought better of it. You led me down the garden path. Your English sentence is not contrary to fact. You are stating a conditional situation. Use the indicative mood. You are declaring what will [probably] happen if there is a war.

Si hay una guerra, habrá un alistamiento forzoso. (impersonal present tense haber and future tense haber)

Thanks for answering and esp. for your explanations. If my sentence WERE hypothetical and NOT conditional, then how would you put it again? I am afraid I am a bit confused now. :) - Baglady, Apr 28, 2011