To Pretend; Make Believe

Question

¡Hola a todos!

Tengo una pregunta - sé que ya ha hablado de este asunto en detalle, pero todavía estoy confundida un poco.

Quiero utilizar un verbo que exprese la idea de "make believe; pretend" sin la connotación negativa de "fake" algo.

la frase deseada es "Pretend that your daughter were here- what would you say to her now?"

mi intento Pretenda que su hija estuviera aquí, ¿qué le diría a ella ahora?

¿Esto tiene sentido?

Answer 1

Hi, river!

Pretenda que su hija estuviera aquí, ¿qué le diría a ella ahora?

¿Esto tiene sentido?

No, this makes no sense.

Imaginarse could work.

Imagínese que su hija estuviera aquí ahora...

or even:

Si su hija estuviese aquí ahora ¿qué le diría?

Thanks so much for your help, Cogumela! I had a feeling my attempt made no sense jaja. Imaginarse seems like something I would same more naturally; or just leave it out all together and use the 2nd suggestion :) mil gracias!! - riverphoenix1970, Jan 10, 2012

Answer 2

Patch:

I didn't mean you are not correct. You are completely correct, in fact ...maybe too much.

The expression does exist, but to me ( I remark the to me) it sounds a bit too formal, a bit outdated... I don't know how to explain myself. I only made that comment because I know you.

Perhaps in other countries it's more usual and natural to say that, I would love to hear other opinions.

:) - patch, Jan 10, 2012

if it exists, it exists, and I humbly apologise for being mistaken. I still stick with fingir, myself, but then I'm Swedish y fingimos el sueco.. - annierats, Jan 10, 2012

:) :) - patch, Jan 10, 2012

Answer 3

Que yo sepa "pretendamos que su hija está aquí" es una frase perfectamente bien en castellano.

pretender.

(Del lat. praetend?re).

1. tr. Querer ser o conseguir algo.

Se usa/usaba mucho como fingir.

Quizás estoy muy viejo?

¿Como yo? - annierats, Jan 10, 2012

¿Qué pretendes qué? ;^) - chileno, Jan 10, 2012

Answer 4

@ Cogumela y River,

To me too 'haga de cuenta' seemed mad, I had just used 'darse cuenta' for to' realize ' in a recent palabra del día and I still find it odd, to say the least, if to pretend and to realize can use the very same words. Perhaps they can.

I'll stick with fingir, muyslelf, i've recently read abook ' Lo que esconde tu nombre' por Clara Sanchez, and fingir features many times, that's why I suggested it. The book deals with identity.. Vamos a fingir que tu hija está aqui, ¿qué le diría?

That's my best effort, sorry it's rather late in joining the conversation.

Answer 5

Cogu said

"haga de cuenta"? ....That's something really unusual to say. It sounds... well, just don't use that one

Hello Laura! I found it in my favourite book "Breaking out of beginner's Spanish" (J. J. Keenan) Examples ...

Haz de cuenta que sales del baño y hay un alacrán en tu toalla - Imagine that you get out of the bath and there's a scorpion on your towel

Haz de cuenta que eres el presidente, ¿Qué harías? - Say you were the president. What would you do?

Haz de cuenta que no estoy - Pretend I'm not here

(Sometimes used reflexively - hazte de cuenta, hágase de cuenta, háganse de cuenta etc)

---

Of course, this book was written by an American so....

Answer 6

Haga de cuenta que su hija está aquí - ¿Qué le diría ahora?

I'm not sure about "está" (maybe subjunctive). "Haz de cuenta" is, of course, the "tú" version.

Patch! nice to see you! "haga de cuenta"? Where did you find that one? - cogumela, Jan 10, 2012

That's something really unusual to say. It sounds... well, just don't use that one :) - cogumela, Jan 10, 2012

I agree with Cogumela on that, you're saying something totally different. - annierats, Jan 10, 2012

Answer 7

Thanks so much for everyone's input great ideas and made me think

Answer 8

Fingir?

I'm not trying the whole sentence, as it is very difficult and I have to go and do some work now. - annierats, Jan 10, 2012