A simple sentence

Question

Hi everybody,

what is "de" doing in the following sentence?

¿Quieres disfrutar de unos días de descanso en un lugar rodeado de paisajes naturales?

Thanks

Quietly enjoying itself mayhap ? - ray76, Nov 25, 2015

Answer 1

Throwing in a little more thought:

A transitive verb transfers the action to the direct object. Disfrutar (without de) means to enjoy in the process of using up the object. So the R A E example of Disfrutar la buena comida implies that the action of the enjoying has used up the object.

An intransitive verb does not transfer any action to the direct object. Disfrutar de means that the pleasure remains with the subject of the verb.

There is a subtle difference in this particular verb that a native speaker may perceive but not be able to explain (unless they are linguistically inclined).

So I think in your original sentence the implication is that "some days of rest in a place surrounded by natural landscapes" will give you pleasure but will not be affected by your enjoyment of them.

Wow! Thanks Jubilado. - gringojrf, Nov 25, 2015

Your welcome! - Jubilado, Nov 25, 2015

Do we make this distinction in English? - gringojrf, Nov 25, 2015

Great explanation! - 005faa61, Nov 25, 2015

Thanks a lot - caballer0, Nov 25, 2015

Answer 2

The translator on this site says

disfrutar de algo - to enjoy something

The RAE says that disfrutar can mean Tener alguna condición buena, as in

Disfrutar de excelente salud

I think that the difference between disfrutar and disfrutar de corresponds roughly to the difference between enjoying something in the moment (for example, enjoying a movie) and enjoying something more generally, over a longer period (for example, enjoying great wealth). Perhaps the former meaning is more like take pleasure in, whereas the latter meaning is more like benefit from. But I am not a fluent speaker of Spanish.

Thanks - caballer0, Nov 25, 2015

Answer 3

From a review of the dictionary is seems to revolve around whether the verb "disfrutar" is being used as a transitive or an intransitive verb. With the intransitive version requiring the "de" and the transitive not requiring it.

Now, no matter how many times it is explained to me I cannot tell you the difference between a transitive and intransitive verb.

Thanks - caballer0, Nov 25, 2015