"si" "if"

Ava Dawn

Ava Dawn

Pero sí se escucha de una alta tasa de interés. But you hear about a high interest rate. Looks like it's missing the word "if" in the translation. Is my observation correct?
Steven-W15

Steven-W15

The accent over the i (in sí) starts the sentence off with "But yes..." (as opposed to "if" if there were no accent). That said, it could be a typo - I have sent in many corrections (and many false corrections!) with respect to these accents. A broader look at the context might tell you what meaning was intended.
Ava Dawn

Ava Dawn

Thanks. One of the things I sent was "Trate de citar Pablo Neruda and I thought there should be an a before Pablo Neruda. I got an answer back saying there should be no a. My feelings don't get hurt. I figure the more exposure and discussion will make me learn and remember. Muchas gracias for your input.
Steven-W15

Steven-W15

Isn't this terrific all the activity we're seeing now in the forum?
Dan-H24

Dan-H24

I agree, Steven. We seem to have a small but consistent core of learners who are helping one another out here now. Aurora, I think that the si in your initial post should not be accented and is a typo. I had noticed the missing personal a before the Pablo Neruda statement...in fact, later I think I spotted nearly the same sentence in another lesson. I think it is a positive sign of learning progress when we can spot errors on our own.
laura-rocket-tutor

laura-rocket-tutor

Hi everyone. It's wonderful that you help each other through the learning process and that you inject such positive energy to this forum! Regarding the original question, Aurora, I believe the English script is what's causing the confusion. The "sí" included in the Spanish phrase is a means to reaffirm something. Eg: "no escuché hablar de Diego Maradona, pero sí escuché de Lionel Messi" / "I didn't hear talks about Diego Maradona, but I did hear about Lionel Messi". This is one of the cases in which a literal translation is difficult; "but yes I heard..." doesn't sound right, does it? Would it be clearer if the English phrase was changed to: "But you <do> hear about a high interest rate."? I look forward to your comments!
maha266

maha266

sí vs si different in meaning and writing but is it the same in pronunciation? every time i tried to pay attention seems the same for me
ricardo-rich

ricardo-rich

Hola Maha, They are pronounced the same and which is which will depend on the context. Saludos, Ricardo
maha266

maha266

thanks Ricardo/Rich

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