Can spanish speakers better than me tell me weather this is correct or not?
¿Si bretaña deja la U.E luego seria lo suficientemente fuerte para sostenerse?
Please don't tell me to translate this as I have but I don't know weather this would be a correct way of saying it.
4 Answers
I don't know weather this would be a correct way of saying it
Of saying what?
If Britain leaves (present tense) the European Union (then or later) would she be (conditional) strong enough to support herself?
I would probably say ...
If Britain were to leave the European Union would she then be strong enough to support herself?
You are posing a hypothetical situation. So the indicative doesn't feel right to me.
¿Si Gran Bretaña abandonara el E.U., sería ella suficientemente fuerte para sostenerse?
Do you have a Spanish teacher? I assume you have an English teacher and are probably given your age busy revising for exams. The reason I say this is that you can learn to speak Spanish to a good standard by living and working with Spanish speakers ie how you learned your first language. However, it is easier to understand a language if you know how it is structured. I finished my school career many years ago and though I studied English to A level and got a top grade we did not study grammar at that level. I passed GCSE in English language at 16 which of course included some grammar. The government are trying to reintroduce formal grammar to schools but you may be of the age group who hasn't been taught much formal grammar.
As a result of going back to language learning as an adult I know that in Spain and Mexico they teach a lot of formal grammar in school. You will find a knowledge of formal grammar helps in learning languages. I bought myself a book English grammar for students of Spanish just so I was clear about differences between direct and indirect objects and knew the formal terms for structures.
For example gringof has used the subjunctive in his English version of your sentence. We have a tendency when talking to use more informal language cutting words.
I know when we studied 'if' clauses in Spanish our teacher talked about the different type of sentences. I believe it is taught in American schools but I don't recall being taught it in the UK, though of course I can write the different structures.
Here is a link to an excellent web site for those learning English. Conditional sentences are zero conditionals eg fact, first conditional/second and third conditionals. You need to work out the structure of your sentence before you know how to express it in Spanish
Spanish uses more subtlety than English which is where there is an extensive use of the subjunctive . The question of leaving the EU would have been less hypothetical a few years ago, but now we are only a month away from the referendum.
I wouldn't use 'bretaña' in your sentence either Gran Bretaña or Reino Unido. Technically the UK - United Kingdom is voting to leave or stay. Great Britain doesn't include Northern Ireland.
Why not put the sentence in English so that it is clear what your meaning is in Spanish?
Here is a good guide for if sentences in Spanish
Suggestion: Si el Reino Unido saliera de la UE ¿podría mantenerse viva? ( tendría la fuerza para mantenerse viva, but this is clumsy plus I don't feel sure it is understandable)
If the United Kingdom left the EU, would she be able to stay alive?
I hope one of our natives comes to the rescue.
