Help translating please

Een hoekje voor absolute beginners. Hier schrijf je alleen eenvoudige zinnen en over eenvoudige onderwerpen / A corner for absolute beginners. Here, you only write simple phrases and about simple topics.
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Iouri
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Help translating please

Post by Iouri »

Ik ga spelen - I am going to play

ANd how will it be in the past

I was going to play.

And another question is how to translate English future in the past
I knew he is going to come at 5. or I knew he would come at 5

Thank you
ngonyama
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Re: Help translating please

Post by ngonyama »

Iouri wrote:Ik ga spelen - I am going to play

ANd how will it be in the past

I was going to play.

Ik ging spelen.

And another question is how to translate English future in the past
I knew he is going to come at 5. or I knew he would come at 5

The first does not make much sense even in English, (sorry) The second is "ik wist dat hij om vijf uur zou komen" The "zou + infinitive" tense in Dutch is even called "onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd" imperfect past future tense. I.e.: imperfect future-in-past. We have a future-in-past tense that is used as conditional. Not the other way around as in most languages.

We used to have a past subjunctive (hij kwame, hij ware, hij hadde) that functioned as conditional, but that has been long gone. You may still see it in the written language of the 19th century or earlier. In the spoken language it was long gone even then. The written language was pretty artificial, inspired by Latin grammar and its enthusiasts.


Thank you
Iouri
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Re: Help translating please

Post by Iouri »

I knew he is going to come at 5. or I knew he would come at 5

The first does not make much sense even in English, (sorry)


You are right. It does not make sense. I ment --> I knew he was going to came at 5

Thank you very much
Gules
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Re: Help translating please

Post by Gules »

Iouri wrote:I knew he is going to come at 5. or I knew he would come at 5

You are right. It does not make sense. I meant --> I knew he was going to come at 5.

Thank you very much
Ik wist dat hij om vijf uur ('s ochtends/'s avonds) zou komen.

's ochtends = in the morning
's avonds = in the evening


Groetjes,

Gules
Iouri
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Re: Help translating please

Post by Iouri »

Thank you Gules
Gules
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Re: Help translating please

Post by Gules »

Graag gedaan :)
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HalloweenHJB
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Re: Help translating please

Post by HalloweenHJB »

ngonyama wrote:
Iouri wrote:Ik ga spelen - I am going to play

ANd how will it be in the past

I was going to play.
If what Spanish or French calls "imperfect past" [jouais, jugaba] is the simple past in Dutch, then would the same simple past be used for the English form [used to + infinitive]?

e.g., "When I was young, I used to play the piano" [... ik speelde piano]

Ik dank jullie bij voorbaat voor je hulp.
ngonyama
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Re: Help translating please

Post by ngonyama »

HalloweenHJB wrote:
ngonyama wrote:
Iouri wrote:Ik ga spelen - I am going to play

ANd how will it be in the past

I was going to play.
If what Spanish or French calls "imperfect past" [jouais, jugaba] is the simple past in Dutch, then would the same simple past be used for the English form [used to + infinitive]?

e.g., "When I was young, I used to play the piano" [... ik speelde piano]

Toen ik jong was, speelde ik piano

Ik dank jullie bij voorbaat voor je hulp.
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HalloweenHJB
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Re: Help translating please

Post by HalloweenHJB »

Thanks for the quick confirmation. I appreciate it.
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