How to say "it's not like" in Spanish

Question

For example how would you say "it's not like they know where I am" or "it's not like they have food"

Would it be "no es como sepan dónde estoy" or how would you say it if that's wrong.

I don't think "no es como sepan dónde estoy" would be said by a Spanish speaker. See my answer for alternatives. - DilKen, Jul 26, 2017

Answer 1

Tozelton:

This type of question has been asked many times on SD. I suggest you search for - it's like - in the questions.

This use of "like" started out as "Valley Speak" (Southern California teenage girls just being California girls).

Unfortunately (in my opinion) this use of "like" has spread across the country and even overseas (possibly due to the influence of American movies)

Many times the "like" can simply by omitted for a good Spanish translation:

It's not like they know where I am = they don't know where I am

It's not like they have food = they don't have food.

If you want to shade the meaning you can rephrase it as:
It's not like they know where I am = It's not as if they know where I am.

It's not like they have food = It's not as if they have food.

"As if" can be translated as "como si" followed by the imperfect subjunctive.

No es como si tuvieran comida. = It's not as if they had food.

In most cases, just omitting the "like" will be more Spanish.

No tenían comida. = they didn't have food.

Como is often translated as "like" but I don't think using "como" without the "si" and the imperfect subjunctive would be very "Spanishy" in this context.

I should also note that this use of "like" can pack a variety of meanings, that only you can decipher from the context and the tone of voice.

It could mean:

Hey man, they didn't even have any food!

Hey stupid, they didn't have any food, what are you thinking?

The best translation will depend on the context and what was really meant.

I am not a native speaker, so you may want to wait for other opinions.

The "como si" construction is used frequently. I have even seen it in older literature. - Daniela2041, Jul 26, 2017

Answer 2

Wow, man, like this thread is like totally rad, and like it doesn’t gag me with spoon like some others. Like, you know what I mean?

I would just (like) totally eliminate the “como” from the Spanish: as Dilken said, “No saben en dónde estoy”. Or even, “Dudo que sepan….”.

I am not a native speaker of Spanish.

Answer 3

No es como si supieran dónde estoy.

No es como si tuvieran comida.

It's not "sepan " . You could use "supiesen" and "tuviesen" instead or "supieran" and "tuvieran".