Forum Rocket Spanish Spanish - Grammar Podrías haber aprendido a hablar español.

Podrías haber aprendido a hablar español.

Steven-W15

Steven-W15

Habrías podido aprender a hablar español.
You could have learned to speak Spanish.

Are both phrases correct and be used interchangeably?

 
marieg-rocket languages

marieg-rocket languages

Hey Steven,

Yes, they're both grammatically correct in Spanish; if you are translating from English to Spanish, I would use "Podrías haber aprendido a hablar español". They both mean the same and you can use them interchangeably.
Steven-W15

Steven-W15

Thanks, Marie!
 
Dan-H24

Dan-H24

When I first started learning Spanish I experienced a lot of frustration when something was translated a little differently than I expected. Finally I came to realize that language is an art, not a science, there are more guidelines than hard rules in languages, and more exceptions to the rules. Now that I have learned to accept more ambiguity it is less helpful.

I think that stressing to new learners that things often don't translate literally, and that just as in English there are often more than one way to say something would be helpful in reducing this frustration.
 

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