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- "In questo momento lui sta ca…
"In questo momento lui sta capendo il calcio italiano."
Translation:At this moment he is understanding Italian soccer.
202 Comments
"tense" is, uh, technically not the right word here. It's "aspect." The problem in the English sentence may be "at this moment," as it is suggests an instantaneous event or experience. "Day by day he is better understanding the game of soccer" is surely quite natural...understand in that sense suggests something ongoing rather than stative, like "grasping" in its metaphorical sense. That might be a more "literal" translation. (As a linguist and translator, I would say that the word "literal" must be used quite cautiously. Another misleading term is "word-for-word translation," suggesting that such is more accurate. It isn't.)
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learning is an ongoing activity. this seems to be an epiphany (in questo momento) no 'imparare', 'istruirsi', 'apprendere', 'acquisire', etc,
if you said "in questo momento ha iniziato/cominciato a imparare..." that would work, but then 'capere' might be a better choice than 'imparare'.
Comon misunderstanding! Soccer is not originally an American word. Football is the generic term and includes many different codes. In England the two main types are Association Football and Rugby Football. In the last century these were colloquially referred to as Soccer and Rugger, although those terms are now obsolete.
Agreed. And unlike other stative verbs like 'love' (people now actually say 'I'm loving this', I've never heard 'understand' used like this before. I'm going to mark the English sentence wrong. https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/stative-verbs.html
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then, is the Italian also wrong or is it untranslatable or do you have a suggested translation?
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'at the moment' (al momento) means 'presently and until further notice' (at the moment the policy is to...) 'at this moment' (a questo momento) means 'right now'. this, of course, is the source of the awkwardness of this sentence which is in present progressive tense and the qualifier doesn't match that.
1411
Like 'know' and 'believe', 'understand' is a non-continuous verb in English (called state or stative verbs by some). DL got this right in another question / thread in which 'sta credendo' was translated as 'believe'. I just posted a comment in another thread about 'hear' and 'see', which are likewise not usually used in the progressive, except when hallucinating. For a number of other English non-continuous verbs, see https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_vmwct_1.htm
I think that many people who give a comment on this or other sentences forget that Duolingo ist trying to teach us, in this case, the Gerundium and is "constructing" sentences so they "fit" for the respective lessons. Therefore we cannot expect that the formulation always meets the expectation of each and everyone here. Just take a step back and remember this is all for free !!!!!
1076
In English we do not use modal verbs in the present perfect. "Yes, I am understanding" = no better way to say "I am from a foreign land, and I speak broken English." Once again, this speaks to the idiocy of translating everything into English instead of the language we're trying to learn.
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Haha, on the other hand when they don't use a translation close to the literal one, lots of Anglos cry because how come Italian doesn't translate directly? Poor lads from Duo don't have an easy task.
surprisingly this discussion helped me appreciate one the nuances of Italian time maybe "in questo momento io sto capendo che cosa italiani pensano di tempo" meaning right now I have a continuous understanding of the Italian concept of time. It didn't start right now and it may go away later, but within the context of the current moment, I have a feeling of understanding it. Just like "he" is understanding calcio italiano. Understands would imply something that couldn't be taken away "is understanding" implies something different, it feels continuous, but only in the context of this moment. So, while it may be more idiomatic in English to say "understands" when one does, one loses some subtlety. Moreover, understands implies completion, where as "is understanding" suggests something that is happening but is not complete yet, so there are facets that are understood, but the complete understanding still may take more time....
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Native UK English - this would never be spoken. "at that moment he understood Italian football' or 'NOW he understands It football' maybe 'Finally, he understands Italian football' depending on context. This DL is a a straight translation, but not an English native speaker sentence.
It is indeed unusual because "to understand" is a stative verb. More usual translations are suggested in other previous comments.
Reference: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-intermediate/stative-verbs
The comments here tie in with what I have written elsewhere in this section. In English, understand is fundamentally stative in meaning. capire derives from Latin capere 'grasp', a common metaphor for "understanding," cf. German begreifen. "He is undertanding more and more about Italian soccer" is natural English, suggesting that he repeatedly has "learning moments." But the English translation here is, as many have pointed out, quite faulty. But that doesn't matter. What's important is how STARE + GERUND differs semantically from BE + V-ing.
I see no semantic difference between the Italian "stare" + gerund construction and the English Present Continuous for non-stative verbs, eg walk, eat, write. I think you meant that the former may be used for any verb in Italian and the latter is not usually used for English stative verbs such as "to understand".
Yes...I'd like to know more about the semantics of STARE + gerund constructions. In English, the present progressive is now obligatory in some contexts; it isn't, for example, in Shakespeare's language: "She speaks, yet she says nothing." (Romeo) Parla, ma non dice niente. One would say in contemporary English: She's talking but isn't saying anything...There's nothing archaic about the Italian here, i.e. one doesn't have to say sta parlando ma non sta dicendo niente...In English, the present progressive can be used with a future implication: "Hey, I'm not telling anyone anything about that!" How about Italian?
I now realize that the question is one not of futurity but rather of intention/will. a. I'm not risking my life for your cat! (You can ask your boyfriend for help in getting it down from the tree!) b. I'm not risking my life for your cat! (But rather for your dog.) (a) might be in Italian "Non metto a rischio la mia vita per il tuo gatto!" (b) might be rendered in the progressive form. Native speakers?
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Hmm, I'm going to take the chance and proclaim the English sentence potentially wrong! Here's my reasoning: "to understand" is a non-action verb which makes it wrong to use it in a continuous tense. Some verbs can be used as both "an action verb" and as a "non-action verb", for instance "to have" - you would never use its non-action meaning (the one expressing ownership, belonging) in a continuous tense, like "I'm having a car." as "having a car" is not considered an action. However the action meaning can be used in a continuous tense, for instance "I'm having dinner right now.", as "having dinner" is considered an action (in this case "having" means "eating"). I just don't see how "to understand" could be considered an action-verb.
The crucial factor is not action but rather process or change of state. The verb "understand" can describe both a state and the process of perception. "My hearing aid battery may need recharging, as I am understanding less and less of what you are saying." I see that Japanese is one of the languages you are studying. In Japanese, the -te iru construction varies in meaning according to the semantics of the verb. taberu 'eat'/tabete iru '()) am eating." But hareru 'become clear' is a process verb, so "sora wa harete iru" doesn't mean 'the sky is clearing' but rather 'the sky is clear'. shinde iru doesn't mean 'Is dying' but rather 'is dead.' motsu means 'take', but motte iru doesn't mean 'is taking' but rather 'has'.
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the translation is not English. Before i scan down the comments, i can see 163 instances of people finding this translation worthy of comment. My contention with it is that the progressive tense is indicating that he suddenly understands Italian football, which can be perplexing (remember when Channel 4 ran the Gazzetta Football Italia about the time Paul Gazza Gascoigne joined Lazio from Spurs?). Football is a far more (or was then) strategic game in Italy than in Britain, where the emphasis was always on physicality, so watching it on telly could be for the uninitiated, boring- until suddenly you get it, and it becomes fascinating. At that moment, you understand Italian football, and you are hooked. You are not understanding at that moment, you understand. Hence i reported this, 30/07/2020.
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The English translation is so bad that I have had to write it down and copy it out to get it marked correct. Time for Duolingo to remove this one
I'm English by birth and have traced some English ancestors back to 1316 - the year, not the time!- the sentence may just be pass as English 'At this moment, he understands Italian soccer', implying a third person can see into the mind of the person watching soccer. The whole thing makes much better sense as 'At that moment, he understood Italian soccer', switching the the whole lot into the perfect tense. In my daytime job as a teacher (now retired) I would have spent a lot of time with the child or young person who had written the first sentence trying to make the meaning clear. The second sentence would have been acceptable.
Incidentally, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that there's an Italian word which specifically means, passing the ball around at the back and not even trying to go forward or go anywhere (because you want to keep the score as it is?) .. but I can't remember what the word is now (or even if I remembered this correctly). Do you know if there is such a word, or did I imagine this?
1922
If I were making an idiomatic translation (which is what we're supposed to be doing for Duo), I would say: "Right now he understands Italian soccer."
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An awkward sentence, no native English speaker would ever say - but a true sentence to read the day the Azzurri lost the World Cup qualifier.
169
This translation is way too stilted 'at this moment he UNDERSTANDS Italian football ' or 'at this moment he IS BEGINNING to understand Italian football.'
I understand that we are learning to use gerunds here so some sentences will be a bit forced. My question is, is this sentence as nonsensical in Italian as it is in English? i.e would an Italian say this? Also, I am concerned that sentences like this might confuse non native English speakers and lead them to believe that this is reasonable English.
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Whoa! What happened to the lady who was saying the sentences! My first sentence with a male voice. Maybe I'll learn later that it's not uncommon.
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Please could the Duolingo moderator do something about the awful translation of this sentence, So far there have been 105 comments surely this merits a drastic change in the translation and to remove the word soccer and replace it with the word football. After all we are using true English not American English,
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1) basically, any verb ending in "-ing" in English.
2) I'm not going to explain this in much detail, but you use a determiner with a T added (sta, sto, stanno, stiamo, etc.) followed by a verb ending "-ando" or "-endo". You'll pick it up fairly quickly.
3) no idea, but I tend not to read them anyway. Try accessing the site from a different device.
4) I would say that's just a random coincidence.
1411
One thing to add to what TheFinkie said. Although in English, the term gerund is generally applied to verbs ending in -ing only when they are used as nouns, not, for example, as verbs in the progressive (=continuous) tense. In Italian, however, I believe the term gerundio is applied to all verbs of the -ando / -endo form.
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Hilarious - if you write the answer as an Italian who doesn't speak very good English might, they mark you correct. So "In this moment he is understanding the Italian football" is apparently perfectly fine! Fawlty Towers!
"In this moment" is grammatical in American English, though its meaning differs from "at this moment".
"At this moment" is used to remark on a something that could be asked about over a wide range of times, to stress that you are only remarking on the state at a specific time. For example: "At this moment, the item is out of stock" leaves open the possibility that it could come back into stock soon.
"In this moment" is a more literary construction, usually used for cognitive or emotional states. It describes states that manifest instantaneously and which dominate the subjective experience. For example, "in this moment, he was afraid" describes a sudden manifestation of fear, such that every other thought, fact, or feeling becomes irrelevant.
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I was just marked wrong for using 'football' rather than soccer (everything else was correct). In Britain we are just as likely to use the word football (if not more so) than soccer. I have reported, but am not hopeful!
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In Britain we would also be much more likely to say 'at the moment' rather than 'at this moment' - I tried the former in my second go at this sentence and was marked wrong again
is completely contradictoryThe bar is not high, but this is possibly just about the worst piece of English I have seen from DL. The use of the gerund suggests a continuation however short. The introductory phrase is completely contradictory suggesting an instantaneous revelation. Incidentally the game is football, not soccer, at least for English speakers who don't live in USA.
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why is duo so hard in understanding that calcio needs to be soccer. As if football is not the same?
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It still gets me every time: every now and then I come across this silly phrase in a practice, answer it weirdly and wonkily as I know they want and get marked correct. If I end up speaking like this in real life as a consequence I will be really worried!
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I think it makes sense. Something happens at a game or during a game whuch means the person understands the style of italian football
barterelli: Soccer in the US is the sport most other countries refer to as football as you say. We god damn Americans call it soccer, because I believe that's what World Cup Matches are called as well. And if we called it football, well it'd confuse it with what else, football. World Cup matches take place in soccer if I'm not mistaken, not football. Football is what's played in the US and Canada, professionally as on most college campuses. It has very little relationship to soccer, except for those former soccer players who've made the transition to football where they've earned positions as punt specialists. Soccer's become increasingly popular in the states because it's essentially (in theory at least) a non-contact sport, at a time here when the fear of concussions in football is so much in the news; it's relatively inexpensive when it comes to equipment; it can be played by both boys and girls of all ages, and it's terrific aerobic exercise mainly because it encourages participants to run up and down a field for hours on end, back and forth, occasionally kicking a soccer ball -- or is it called where you are the football ball ? -- until finally one team scores a goal for a thrilling and dramatic 1-0 win.