Translating the verb "cumplirse"

Question

Can someone translate this for me? I am having trouble with it....

En el imperativo, nadie da órdenes que ya se cumplieron sino que se van a cumplir.

I have this so far..... In the imperative, nobody gives orders......

Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

In the Imperative Mood no one gives commands that are already done (completed) rather those that will be done (completed).

Or: The imperative does not deal with the past but the future. Commands are always given to be completed, which makes sense when you think about telling someone to do something. (It's really so obvious one wonders why it is even mentioned.)

Very nicely put - lagartijaverde, Jul 9, 2013

Both answers are good, but you get my vote , Jubilado, for expressing it very well. - annierats, Jul 9, 2013

Answer 2

It looks to me like:

"In the imperative nobody gives orders about something that has already been accomplished, only about something that is about to be accomplished"

It seems to me to be a very clumsy sentence, o sea, it lacks a certain elegance but there you go, grammarians are not reknowned for savoir faire when it comes to linguistic flair.

Igualmente. - Jubilado, Jul 9, 2013