Groups - Ending with "With" or "to" ...what do I do?
Maybe this is a simple question, but enquiring minds want to know….
Often times in English I say something like “I don’t have anyone to hike with”; “Do you want someone to talk to?” or “I need a fork to eat with” etc. Now perhaps I’m using incorrect English to end the sentence or phrase with “to” or “with”, but if not, how does that constructions work in Spanish?
For example, do I say, “Quieres alguin hablar a or con?” or maybe “Quieres alguin con quien a hablar?” Can I end a sentence with con, a etc or is there another way this kind of thing is said?
in the Group the deep end .
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Hi russhuntley, stranding a preposition at the end of a sentence in English is considered non Standard and poor form, but I think it's a rule up with which I cannot put (thanks Winston Churchill).
I know you can do it in French sometimes ("et voilà du ketchup pour manger avec") but that's bound to make some French people uptight.
As for Spanish, you can't do it at all; you'll throw people. Your hunch about putting it before the relative pronoun is correct: "necesito alguien con quien hablar."
:)
Thanks JP
russhuntley, speaking of stranding prepositions, I found this video over at the language log. It's a scene from a recent Hitler movie, redubbed (and subtitled) to be about grammar.
Dios mio, hombre! Another laugh out loud thing from the internet. Thanks!!
hehe that videos brilliant.
I remember watching that film on tv, the actor playing hitler was really good.
I thought about something today that is kind of related to this, what happens if I want to end a sentance with '...have to'
E.g. I will do it if I have to
Is it possible to say Lo haré si tengo que
The above sounds wrong to me, so what would be the spanish equivalent?
Guessing again... ? wrong last time out, but ...
Más que nada es importante de intentar.
Lo haré si me necesitaría.
Another guess here...
Rearrange the sentence to say something like
"If I have to do it, then I will do it" ~ "Si tengo que hacerlo, entonces lo haré" ..Maybe?