conjugation
Im having a REAL hard time understanding when to use each type of conjugation when it comes to spanish verbs.
Can anyone please describe to me under what circumstances I should use either INDICATIVE, SUBJUNCTIVE, PERFECT, PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE, & IMPERATIVE conjugations'?
thank you..
20 Answers
James Santiago said:
lazarus1907 said:
jc said:
what about the imperative conjugation?
You, let's rain!!!Is that what you wanted to say?
I can imagine a scene in which a farmer, starving because of a drought, raises his hands to the sky and shouts at the heavens, "Rain!" Wouldn't that be an imperative?
That was an episode of "The X Files" that I saw!
It involved a woman who was in love and causing storms everywhere and there was an unscrupulous man/boyfriend taking advantage of the situation,I think he may have been one of those Deep South lay preachers also!
samdie said:
Marco said: "It seems like people use unusual way to write or speak when they are presenting poems. It's not like normal conversation or writing. It's the similar use as Chinese poems."It's not just poems (although the phrase "poetic license" exists for a reason). In many languages, it's possible to use an expression/construction in certain very specialized circumstances that in normal conversation would appear to be completely ungrammatical. For example in English (and, oddly enough, in Japanese), I can say "I'm (a/the) coffee." even though most of the time that would sound like nonsense.P.S. It's also why so often, when someone asks a question here, there are immediate replies asking for more context. Context can make a tremendous difference.
I completely agree with you, Samdie. For sure, more context would make more sense to all of us.
Thank you,
Marco
Marco said: "It seems like people use unusual way to write or speak when they are presenting poems. It's not like normal conversation or writing. It's the similar use as Chinese poems."
It's not just poems (although the phrase "poetic license" exists for a reason). In many languages, it's possible to use an expression/construction in certain very specialized circumstances that in normal conversation would appear to be completely ungrammatical. For example in English (and, oddly enough, in Japanese), I can say "I'm (a/the) coffee." even though most of the time that would sound like nonsense.
P.S. It's also why so often, when someone asks a question here, there are immediate replies asking for more context. Context can make a tremendous difference.
James Santiago said:
Marco, it was just a poem I made up on the spur of the moment.I am the rain.I rain on this house, drenching it.I rain on the people who live inside, chilling them.etc.It was just an example illustrating that the various conjugated forms of llover can be used, although only rarely.
Thanks to both of you, James and Samdie. Your explainations really made sense to me, especially what the translation from James.
It seems like people use unusual way to write or speak when they are presenting poems. It's not like normal conversation or writing. It's the similar use as Chinese poems.
Gracias por vuestro ayudas.
Marco
Marco said "Hi James, I still didn't get what "yo soy la lluvia" means. Does that mean "I myself am the rain"?
Does "lluevo en esta casa, empapándola" mean "it rains in the house, it's soaking with water"?
But still feel pretty strange here with "lluevo", very hard to translate and get the meaning."
You might also imagine a school play for 1st/2nd graders. One kid comes out, raises his arms and hands above his head with his fingers pointing down and wiggling and recites James' poem. Probably to be followed by another kid who announces that he is the Sun, etc. etc.
The semi-technical (literary) term would be "personification".
Marco, it was just a poem I made up on the spur of the moment.
I am the rain.
I rain on this house, drenching it.
I rain on the people who live inside, chilling them.
etc.
It was just an example illustrating that the various conjugated forms of llover can be used, although only rarely.
James Santiago said:
In the first or third person it gets almost impossible, but you can't predict what the human imagination is going to come up with, so we include the full conjugation, just in case.¡Muy bien dicho! Y para demostrar tu punto:Yo soy la lluvia.Lluevo en esta casa, empapándola.Lluevo en la gente que vive adentro, enfriándola.etc.Es obvio que no soy poeta, pero espero que lo que he escrito esté correcto gramaticamente, por lo menos.
Hi James, I still didn't get what "yo soy la lluvia" means. Does that mean "I myself am the rain"?
Does "lluevo en esta casa, empapándola" mean "it rains in the house, it's soaking with water"?
But still feel pretty strange here with "lluevo", very hard to translate and get the meaning.
Thank you, James and lazarus.
Marco
James Santiago said:
I can imagine a scene in which a farmer, starving because of a drought, raises his hands to the sky and shouts at the heavens, "Rain!" Wouldn't that be an imperative?
It would! That's why context is so important! Thanks for the example. I'll keep it in mind.
However, due to the Spanish idiosyncrasy, I'd have said "¡Ojalá llueva!".
lazarus1907 said:
jc said:
what about the imperative conjugation?
You, let's rain!!!
Is that what you wanted to say?
I can imagine a scene in which a farmer, starving because of a drought, raises his hands to the sky and shouts at the heavens, "Rain!" Wouldn't that be an imperative'
jc said:
what about the imperative conjugation?
You, let's rain!!!
Is that what you wanted to say'
what about the imperative conjugation?
lazarus1907 said:
jc said:
sorry for the confusion
It's OK. Indicative is used when you want to others to know something you think, know or believe:Creo que va a llover - I think it is going to rain.You can easily say:Va a llover - It is going to rain....and still convey the same meaning, even without "I think that...". You are stating something you believe it to be true, so you use indicative.However, in:No creo que vaya a llover - I don't think it is going to rain.You can't say:Va a llover - It is going to rain.... and convey the same meaning, because you do not want to inform others that you believe that it is going to rain. In these cases, the "rain" verb would be expressed in subjunctive in Spanish.
>
lazarus1907 said:
Marco said:
Hi lazarus, have a question from your post.I checked the dictionary and got that "llover" means "to rain". When it is conjugated to "lluevo", "llueves", "llovemos", etc, do they mean "I rain", "you rain", "we rain", etc? Or do people not use conjugated verb forms for "llover" except "llueve" which means "it rains"'The reason why I am asking this question to you is because "I rain", "you rain" or "we rain" doesn't make sense or I am wondering if my understanding is incorrect.
Strictly speaking, a verb like "llover" or "nevar" (to snow) can only be used in the third person singular (it rains, it snows), so the rest of the forms are useless. However, you always have the possibility of using metaphors:Llovieron sapos/ranas (like in the movie "Magnolia")In the first or third person it gets almost impossible, but you can't predict what the human imagination is going to come up with, so we include the full conjugation, just in case. In a comic, a made-up character (created by me right now) called "water-man" could easily evaporate and "rain" ("itself"), as described in: "Lloví durante horas". I know it is extreme, but you asked for it.
Thank you, lazarus for your reponse. That made sense for me. This kind of verbs can only be used in the third person singular from. That was what I was thinking and asking "do people not use conjugated verb forms for "llover" except the third person singular form "llueve" which means "it rains".
It is pretty interesting and not easy for me to get the meaning because can not translate these words as same as usual. 
Gracias, mi maestro.
Marco
James Santiago said:
Es obvio que no soy poeta, pero espero que lo que he escrito esté correcto gramaticamente, por lo menos.
Te ha quedado mucho mejor que mi triste ejemplo.
In the first or third person it gets almost impossible, but you can't predict what the human imagination is going to come up with, so we include the full conjugation, just in case.
¡Muy bien dicho! Y para demostrar tu punto:
Yo soy la lluvia.
Lluevo en esta casa, empapándola.
Lluevo en la gente que vive adentro, enfriándola.
etc.
Es obvio que no soy poeta, pero espero que lo que he escrito esté correcto gramaticamente, por lo menos.
Marco said:
Hi lazarus, have a question from your post.I checked the dictionary and got that "llover" means "to rain". When it is conjugated to "lluevo", "llueves", "llovemos", etc, do they mean "I rain", "you rain", "we rain", etc? Or do people not use conjugated verb forms for "llover" except "llueve" which means "it rains"? The reason why I am asking this question to you is because "I rain", "you rain" or "we rain" doesn't make sense or I am wondering if my understanding is incorrect.
Strictly speaking, a verb like "llover" or "nevar" (to snow) can only be used in the third person singular (it rains, it snows), so the rest of the forms are useless. However, you always have the possibility of using metaphors:
Llovieron sapos/ranas (like in the movie "Magnolia")
In the first or third person it gets almost impossible, but you can't predict what the human imagination is going to come up with, so we include the full conjugation, just in case. In a comic, a made-up character (created by me right now) called "water-man" could easily evaporate and "rain" ("itself"), as described in: "Lloví durante horas". I know it is extreme, but you asked for it. 
