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- Topic: Spanish >
- "Tengo que ir a la escuela."
59 Comments
1681
I always notice when watching British TV shows that they say "go to hospital". In English, we do say "go to school" AND "go to the school", indicating that it is a specific school, but we never say "go to hospital"....
2148
Do you mean: "in US English"? (British) English speakers most certainly do say "go to hospital"; e.g. "You have a serious injury there, don't mess about, just go to hospital".
183
same as reinhild: I translated the sentence: I must go to school. Why is that wrong?? anyone?
Maybe no one reported it, I will, since I am at the report button option. To me, 'must do something' and 'have to do something' are the same in English. However the verb 'deber' + infinitive is also used to mean 'must' in Spanish but deber is more used like that you 'should or ought to' rather than the English 'must'.
Correct - I think people are scared they arent getting things right which lets the "i should just give up thoughts creep in". I wonder if Spanish people learning English just use one word when we say must, need, etc etc. People need to stop fighting what duo is trying to teach. We arent even halfway through the course
1681
I thought tengo was reserved for actual possession and the various forms of he / has/ has were reserved to be the auxiliary verb
You have the right idea, but . . . . ;) "Tener que" followed by an infinitive is a VERY common Spanish expression that translates to "must" or "have to." The "have" that you see in English is not a translation of "haber," it is there to make sense in English. Tengo que ir = I must go, tienes que comer = you must eat, and so on. "Tener" is involved in several expression that you'll need to get used to. "Tener hambre" is to be hungry, "tener frio" is to be cold, "tener prisa" is to be in a hurry -- and many more! :)
649
'I've to go to school' is not good English! 'I have to go to school' and 'I must go to school' are exactly the same thing!!
What are the rules on using the articles in reverse translating. In this sentence we don't say the "la" in la escuela when we translate to English but how do we know when to include them if we were translating, i have to go to school, from English to Spanish. Saying, i have to go to "the" school is a bit different, as in, my kid is in a play and i have to go to the school tomorrow to see it. Anyone? Thank You! :)