Temo morir aplastado

Question

Hi guys,

I have a quick question that I would be grateful if somone could answer!

In this Spanish sentence 'Temo morir aplastado', is 'aplastado' an adjective, adverb or past participle? Logic tells me it's all one verb phrase, and that 'aplastado' is a past participle, but I'm not so sure.

thanks!

Answer 1

Welcome to the forum!

I would suggest that it is a past participle used as an adverb. "Aplastar" is the infinitive, and "aplastado" is the past participle. Since it tells how a person fears dying, it would be an adverb modifying "morir".

Excellent question!

Answer 2

I would say it's a past participle being used as an adjective. "Crushed" is describing the person, not the act of dying. It's like the difference between "He died cheerful" and "He died cheerfully."

Murió alegre.
Murió alegremente.

Exacto :) - cogumela, Dec 10, 2011

I think a pp can only be used as an adjective, not an adverb. Would you agree? - Jeremias, Dec 10, 2011

¡Das en el clavo!, Ken. - territurtle, Dec 10, 2011

Jeremias - Yes, I think you're right. - KevinB, Dec 10, 2011

Answer 3

Aplastado is also a slang way of saying seated. So as Kevin has suggested, this could also be saying "I'm afraid of dying seated (while sitting)."

unlikely . It means I am afraid of being crushed to death. - BellaMargarita, Dec 10, 2011

Answer 4

Actually, with all due respect, I think El Mundo may have used a translator for Yuri´s words.

Russian is one of those languages you should never ever use a translator for, unless you are fluent!

I think the correct translation of the phrase "? ??????, ??? ????????? ???? ???????. ????, ????? ??????? ? ??????????? ??? ???????, ? ?? ????????? ??!" would be:

I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it!

However, not having read the article in El Mundo (one of the most respected publications), I might be quite mistaken. You might want to begin here for checking Gagarin quotes.

By the way, the "Disputed" section in the Wikiquote article cited above is actually an old Soviet joke. During those ungodly Soviet years, as a passive-aggressive protest to various "Soviet heroes" being overly lauded in the press, there were usually several underground jokes which circulated. If you'd like to hear more Gargarin Soviet-time jokes, just send me a private message (PM).

Answer 5

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your comments!! It seems that the adjectival function is the correct one then

P.D in case anybody was interested in the context, the article is from El Mundo,and relates to Yuri Gagarin's comments after completing the first orbit of space: "El vuelo no me ha matado, pero ahora temo morir aplastado por vosotros".

gracias!

Answer 6

wow, that's a great point, you may well be right there! I was actually so fixed on the grammar that I didn't think about it too much...I will have a look for the English equivalent anyway, to make sure.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of Russian barely goes beyond basic holiday phrases but it's interesting all the same! I will have a look at the page you recommended, it seems like there's some interesting stuff there.

thanks!!