Does this interest anyone?

Question

A while back I asked on the question forum what the translation for "How did you get there?" would be. I received no replies from native speakers (hispanohablantes) so I'm bringing it here with a little more knowledge of the question.

In English when we ask this we are saying with the phrase "get there" that a means of travel was used but we don't know what it was, because the answer in English always gives the means of arriving: we walked, we took a car, we flew etc.

My Bolivian friend, who is a librarian, and I discussed this phrase. She is of the opinion as am I now that there is no direct way to translate this question. Therefore we (or she because I am not a native Spanish speaker) decided that the proper question in Spanish is:

¿Han viajado en (el bus, coche, tren, avión)? So that in Spanish you ask suggesting the most plausible means.

I would be happy to hear from other advanced or fluent Spanish speakers regarding this expression or others that may come to mind.

Answer 1

HI =)

"How did you get there?"

¿Cómo llegaron allá/allí? (¿En bus, en tren, a pie..?) ¿Fueron/viajaron en bus (,en tren...)?

if you aks ¿Han viajado en tren, avión, etc? = Have you (ever) been on a plane...?

Typing at the same time. :) - Tosh, Aug 16, 2011

Son muy diferentes: Have you ever been on a plane? y Did you travel by plane? ¿Porqué mi amiga boliviana sugerió eso? ¿Tiene idea? - Jubilado, Aug 16, 2011

=) if you ask "¿has viajado en tren...?, the literal translation is "have you traveled by plane?, but in spanish (at least in "my spanish", Chile) it "feels" like "have you (ever) traveled...? ... =) - mikochilenismos, Aug 16, 2011

Gracias, es claro que hay diferencias en el idioma dependiende del país. Sin embargo me interesan las diferencias. Ya teine ud. me vota. - Jubilado, Aug 16, 2011

Answer 2

Por supuesto me interesa. Es una sorpresa que no eran mas respuestas ayer. La sugestión de tu amiga parece bien, pero la de miko suena perfecto igualmente. Gracias!

EDIT:

Es/fue sorprendente/una sorpresa que no hubieran respuestas ayer.

suggestion also can be sugerencia.

La sugerencia de tu amiga....

sugestión isn't good.

Gracias, Jeremias. Ve mi respuesta a miko. - Jubilado, Aug 16, 2011

Answer 3

Crazy...

How did you get there - Cómo llegaste allá

Now that could mean two things. What means of transportation did you use to get there or in what conditions did you get there.

See? Sí? C?

Se :) - Jeremias, Aug 16, 2011

:) - chileno, Aug 17, 2011

Answer 4

Could you not just ask:

¿Cómo llegó allí? - How did you arrive there? How did you get there?

Sí, es evidente pero mi amiga que no quiere decir lo mismo en español, entonces no es igual. - Jubilado, Aug 16, 2011