"si" "if"

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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

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

thanks Ricardo/Rich