¿Hay algún las rayas venenosas en este acuario que me permitiera tocar?

Question

I'm trying to say Are there some stingrays in this aquarium that I am allowed to touch? is ¿Hay alguna las rayas venenosas en este acuario que me permitiera tocar? correct. If you make corrections can you explain why the correction was made. Gracias

Answer 1

I think are getting it wrong all the way, it should be:

¿Hay alguna raya en este acuario que se DEJE tocar?

Trust me, it is not easy to get to touch a stingray.

Answer 2

Would it be absolutely ridiculous to say "que podamos tocar" or "que (yo) pueda tocar" or would it just be slightly improper.

No, it would be perfect grammatically speaking, and very straightforward and natural, but it would not be exactly like you "am I allowed to touch", where a passive construction is used. A simple, common and perfectly correct sentence can be:

¿Hay alguna raya venenosa en este acuario que pueda tocar?

But here you are not talking about other people allowing you to do so, so it is different form the original, even though it is the same for practical purposes. Anyway, I wouldn't bother asking for permission to touch a stingray.

Answer 3

In that particular option, you're just asking about how rules apply to anyone, and not specifically to you. After all, rules in aquariums apply to all visitors alike; there is no reason to believe that you are special enough to deserve your own rules. The whole sentence is about sting rays, and whether they can be touched, without any specific mention to anyone.

"Alguna raya" would refer to any ray -if any- that can be touched (even if the answer is "all of them").

If I were at an aquarium say with my family I would ask are there any stingray we can touch. I wouldn't be saying it as if there were rules that only apply to us but simply because "we" want to touch them. Whether saying that is proper or not that's what I would say in English. Would it be absolutely ridiculous to say "que podamos tocar" or "que (yo) pueda tocar" or would it just be slightly improper. Speaking improperly in English is normal (so much so we forget what we're saying is improper) as I am sure you are aware of. We (or at least I, I don't want to offend somebody by being over general) speak differently than we write by a fairly distinct measure unless you're like an English professor (just being sarcastic) or you are intentionally trying to speak properly. Is this different in Spanish. I am sure not everything you speak in Spanish is grammatically correct but is it moreso in Spanish than it is in English. Someone help me out here. Ever since I started learning Spanish it seems as if it is more proper than English both written and spoken. Oh, don't forget to reply to the words in bold that is my main question i wanted to ask. Gracias

Answer 4

But in english it would sound wrong to say that "I am allow to touch"

But that is NOT what I wrote. My sentence is literally more like "is permitted to be touched by me" (forgot the dreaded "se"'), and more properly translated as "I am allowed to touch".

1. ¿Hay alguna raya venenosa en este acuario que se pueda tocar? Wouldn't it be necessary to insert me before pueda in order to differentiate between asking if there are some stingray that he can touch (se pueda tocar) vs. are there some stingray that I can touch (se me pueda tocar). Or would it just be normal to say se pueda, would people just assume you are referring to yourself.

In that particular option, you're just asking about how rules apply to anyone, and not specifically to you. After all, rules in aquariums apply to all visitors alike; there is no reason to believe that you are special enough to deserve your own rules. The whole sentence is about sting rays, and whether they can be touched, without any specific mention to anyone.

"Alguna raya" would refer to any ray -if any- that can be touched (even if the answer is "all of them").

Answer 5

Thanks 2 questions

1. I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to translate the allowed in the sentence as permitera. But in english it would sound wrong to say that "I am allow to touch" or that "I am permit to touch" so would you just interpret se me permita as I am allowed even though it means allow or permit

2. ¿Hay alguna raya venenosa en este acuario que se pueda tocar? Wouldn't it be necessary to insert me before pueda in order to differentiate between asking if there are some stingray that he can touch (se pueda tocar) vs. are there some stingray that I can touch (se me pueda tocar). Or would it just be normal to say se pueda, would people just assume you are referring to yourself.

Answer 6

You've written "Are there some the stingrays...". You should suppress "the" in English, and "las" in Spanish. Also, with "alguna" you have to say "raya", in singular (unlike in English).

Now, you've written "... that you'd allow me to touch", referring to someone in particular to give you permission, but your English sentence uses a passive construction to avoid making references to anyone in particular. To achieve the same result, you can use the "dreaded SE":

¿Hay alguna raya venenosa en este acuario que se me permita tocar?

Although it sounds more natural if you say:

¿Hay alguna raya venenosa en este acuario que se pueda tocar'