I think I would like ...

Question

¿Como se dice?

-I think I would like to live in Paris for a year or two.

Creo que quiero a quisiera vivir en París para por un año o dos

-You should do it.

Deberías hacerlo.

Are my translation correct?

Gracías!

Answer 1

You don't use the subjunctive to express an opinion that is possibe, just because you don't know if it will ever come true or not. You are still informing us of your opinion.

• Indicative: Creo que es ella. (I believe it is she.)
• Subjunctive: No creo que sea ella. (I don't believe it's she.)
  • Explanation: The subjunctive is used in the second example because the subordinate clause is negated by the main clause. Generally, the indicative is used with creer que or pensar que, while the subjunctive is used with no creer que or no pensar que.

por ejemplo, the first example.

Indicative: Creo que es ella. (I believe it is she.)

You do not use the subjunctive in this sentence because you do not know for sure whether it is actually her or not. You are informing us of what you think.

Yo creo que.me gustaría vivir....

quisiera is subjunctive right? I thought that you only use subjunctive when you have two subjects?

Notice that in Creo que me gustaría vivir...that there is a subject change...from Yo to vivir. ( I think that living in Paris would please me)

What you said is probably better qfreed but there are thousands of hits for "creo que quisiera" on Google, and they're not "no creo" they're "creo" so I don't think it's wrong. - rabbitwho, Sep 17, 2011

Here's an example: http://www.revistanamaste.com/cosa-estupenda-930-caminar-por-el-campo-y-encontrar-cosas-comestibles/ - rabbitwho, Sep 17, 2011

There are many cases where the speaker can use either the indiactive or the subjunceive dependiing on whether they wish to express doubt or not. If you wished to say, but I doubt that I will ever go to Paris then use the subjunctive. I wasn't saying - 0074b507, Sep 17, 2011

Creo que must always take the indicative, but it can if you are just stating a opinion, not epressing doubt about something.. Which to use depends on which is being said. - 0074b507, Sep 17, 2011

but I don't understand because quisiera doesn't express doubt when it substitutes quería... - rabbitwho, Sep 17, 2011

I'm not exactly sure why the subjunctive is used in place of the conditional in polite commands so I can't comment on the reasoning. - 0074b507, Sep 17, 2011

I only know that the construction exists. I have never read why it came about. I only know that the past subjunctives often are translated with "would" (hubiera, hubiese) similar to the conditional in the indicative. - 0074b507, Sep 17, 2011

K, cool beans. - rabbitwho, Sep 17, 2011

Answer 2

Querer, deber and poder use imperfect subjunctive to express courtesy.

Answer 3

Creo que quisiera vivir en París por un año o dos.

quisiera = I would like you don't need "a" because vivir already means "to live" here.

What I'm not sure on is the "por". I think you use it with duration like this but...

Answer 4

quisiera is subjunctive right? I thought that you only use subjunctive when you have two subjects?

Nope there are lots of ways to use it. Here in English you would say "would like" but they don't usually say "queríá" (would like) in this situation in Spanish because it's too similar to the imperfect so the subjunctive is used instead. - rabbitwho, Sep 17, 2011

That's not subjunctive though qfreed that's conditional. - rabbitwho, Sep 17, 2011

I'm aware of it. I was just commenting that the sentence could be stated with two different subjects. - 0074b507, Sep 17, 2011