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Why do they use que in this sentence and le before gustan?

Why do they use que in this sentence and le before gustan?

1
vote

Si a alguien le gustan las cobayas que me lo diga Gracias LOL

4459 views
updated Dec 14, 2011
posted by andyhewitt12

3 Answers

1
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I understand it as "If someone here likes guinea pigs tell me!" I am guessing it's the start of a forum post or something along those lines to start a conversation

it's "que me lo diga" because it's short for "quiero que me lo diga" and when you say you "I want" "someone else" to do something you use the subjunctive, when the person wants a person other than themselves to do something you use the subjunctive.

E.g.

Quiero irme. I want to go.

Quero que te vayas. I want that you go. (This is subjunctive in English too, that's why you say "I want that he go" and not "I want that he goes" , so usually we say "I want him to go" because we avoid using the subjunctive in modern English)

Qfreed already explained the "le gustan" smile

updated Dec 14, 2011
edited by rabbitwho
posted by rabbitwho
Now it makes sense to me. Thank you. - 0074b507, Dec 14, 2011
I can't beleive the day has come when I was actually able to help YOU with something qfreed. I should be thanking you! - rabbitwho, Dec 14, 2011
Dear people of the future: I checked this with my native-speaker flatmate and he confirmed that something like "quiero" or "necesito" or "hace falta" is missing and that's why it's subjunctive - rabbitwho, Dec 14, 2011
0
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Could you tell us what the sentence means in English? Is diga in subjunctive mood [since it cannot be in imperative mood since the pronouns are not attached.] Is that Si (if) or Sí (yes)?

It neither says,

Yes, it is someone who likes guinea pigs that is telling it to me.

If someone likes guinea pigs, tell me.

I don't really understand the subjunctive "diga" and it is confusing the sentence's meaning for me.

Anyway, to explain the le.

Intransitive gustar sentences require an indirect object to tell who the subject is pleasing to. (who likes what). Guinea pigs are the subject . le, a alguien is the i.o. and "redundant" i.o.p. Guinea pigs are pleasing to someone or someone likes guinea pigs.

The le is necessary whether the "a alguien" is there or not (to clarify who le is.) Or you can look at it as the a alguien is the i.o. and it precedes the verb so a redundant i.o.p. is required.

updated Dec 14, 2011
edited by 0074b507
posted by 0074b507
You can use a subjunctive construction in English ere too "If anyone here likes guinea pigs (I want) that they tell me!" Of course it's very old fashioned - rabbitwho, Dec 14, 2011
Yes, but we don't have the "I want" to make it subjunctive. If that is what it means I would have went with dígamelo. - 0074b507, Dec 14, 2011
It's not imperative in in English either, I think the want is implied. There are lots of examples of this on the internet "queres que te ayude ? ( que me diga que no por favor !!" "Por amor a dios alguien que me diga que hacer." - rabbitwho, Dec 14, 2011
Actually I think in my second example what's left out is "hay" so it's different - rabbitwho, Dec 14, 2011
0
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me habéis ayudado muchisimo smile Gracias

updated Dec 14, 2011
posted by andyhewitt12