"Al tratar"

Question

"Porque los médicos muy jóvenes en general tienen poca experiencia, o tienen menos experiencia al tratar algunos casos."

The usage of al tratar throws me off a little! Given the context, this is what I believe it to be saying.

Because young doctors, in general, have little experience or less experience when treating certain cases.

I would greatly appreciate if someone could explain the meaning and usage of al tratar here. Thank you!

Answer 1

"Porque los médicos muy jóvenes en general tienen poca experiencia, o tienen menos experiencia al tratar algunos casos."

There is little problem with that in Spanish as written.

First of all = "al tratar" = " by treating"

Now, I would translate that whole sentence as:

Because the younger doctors in general have little experience ot have less experience when treating some cases.

Thank you! - modrak, May 30, 2014

You're welcome - chileno, May 30, 2014

Great answer mate , thank you . - ray76, May 30, 2014

Answer 2

You are correct. Or instead of when treating you could say in treating.

And why al? Is this a rule I can read about? - modrak, May 30, 2014

There is no rules that I am aware of, it is one of those idiotsyncacies at the time of translating. Experience will get you there. - chileno, May 30, 2014

" is no rule " - ray76, May 30, 2014

Answer 3

al = a el. a can mean in. el indicates that the verb is being used as a noun, or in English what we would call a gerund. Whenever a and el are together they are shortened to al.

That is the best I can do as to any rules.

I understand how "al" comes to be, it was just the usage of it before a verb that tripped me up! The rest of what you said makes perfect sense, though! - modrak, May 30, 2014

this "al" is a special one and it does not mean "a el".... - chileno, May 30, 2014

Answer 4

I would greatly appreciate if someone could explain the meaning and usage of al tratar here.

In terms of grammatical construction, it is convenient to view the combination of "al + infinitive" as an adverbial clause. The particle "al" basically acts as a subordinating conjunction, and depending on context, it typically adds either a causal or temporal (i.e. a meaning of simultaneity) effect to the adverbial phrase that follows. Translations can vary, again, depending on context, but below are a few possible translations of the particle "al" that you might encounter.

Causal:
- because of
- for
- on account of

Temporal:
- Upon
- When

In this specific case, your initial assumption was correct in that the subordinate conjunction "when" adequately translates the idea being conveyed.

And why al? Is this a rule I can read about?

I'm sure that there are probably numerous English based references on the subject that describe this usage; however, when dealing with matters related to grammar, I tend to gravitate more towards references that are written in the language that I happen to be studying at the time.

Certainly, the RAE's grammar manual touches on the subject. A couple other reference texts you might consider include:

• Las oraciones subordinadas adverbiales: causales y finales
• Construcción e interpretación de oraciones: los conectores oracionales

Ay! Many people are going to go blind with that link. :^) - chileno, May 30, 2014

Answer 5

al = as/by/in

Like gringo stated.