Spanish grammar/proofreading/questions
I am doing some translations from English to Spanish, and then I check if they are correct using Google Translate or this website. Please take a look at the translations/questions below:
You can use negative words in two different ways in Spanish = Puede utilizar palabras negativas DE dos maneras diferentes en español
1) Why is it translated to DE (which means 'of' or 'from') and not EN (which means 'in', 'on' or 'at)?
No hay ninguna bandera en ESTA aula – There is not a flag in this classroom
2) Why estA, and not estE, seeing as 'aula' is a masculine noun?
3) Which is correct Spanish, and why? - "No hay beandera en este/esta aula" o "No hay ninguna bandera en este/esta aula"
No traje nada en mi mochila a clase hoy = I did not bring anything in my backpack to class today
4) Traje = suit... so how does the sentence above translate to 'I did not bring..'?
Gracias por la ayuda Kofi
2 Answers
1) From Collins Complete Spanish Electronic Dictionary:
De manera + adjetivo también se puede traducir por in a + adjetvo + way si no existe un adverbio terminado en -ly que equivalga al adjetivo:
De manera [adjective] or de [adjective] manera seem to be the most common constructs with manera, while I only saw 'en manera' in a few fixed noun phrases. A [someone's] manera and por [someone's] manera also get used to describe ways of doing something according to the example set by someone else.
De dos maneras, thus, would be an ideal translation of 'in two ways'. En dos maneras doesn't seem to be right. I also tried out Google check, which brought up more results of "de dos maneras". "en dos maneras" is mentioned in a Bible verse and seems to be used in case of music (especially with string instruments to denote styles of playing).
2) Aula is a feminine noun as per the SD. What might have confused you is 'el aula'. Feminine nouns starting with a stressed a- or ha- take on the male definite article for the singular only. What this means is that 'el aula' becomes 'las aulas' when pluralized.
3) "No hay bandera" is not, to my knowledge, meaningless. It means "There isn't flag", and most natives will understand what you are trying to say (evidence: proliferation of no hay problema). However, are you trying to say "There is no flag" or "there isn't the yellow flag" (for example)?
Ningún is the negative 'any', No hay ninguna bandera expresses your thoughts most clearly. "There isn't any flag", which beats "There isn't flag" any day.
4) As noted by Ethan, traje is the first person preterite form of the verb traer, meaning 'I brought'.
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I am not a native Spanish speaker, but I'll try to help. Someone can correct me.
1) de dos maneras definitely sounds better, but I think you can use both.
2) aula is a feminine noun, therefore it is esta.
3) "No hay ninguna bandera en esta aula." I don't know what you're saying in the first sentence.
4) Traje is the preterit yo form of the verb traer.
¡Saludos!
