76 Comments
One day, we did not see the women, because the cook could not find the knife in the boot with the snake. So he ate the newspaper and spat the toad into the red pocket with the grams of tea and yo boi Giovanni, watching the insects walking on the orange but not the apple. Suddenly, the small/young girl was on the horses even though she was a twentieth century artist holding a pink beer bottle and black coffee. And the insects eating the sugar.
I suppose in Italy they use "I don't find the knife." like we use, "I can't find the knife", which would be "Io non posso il coltello."?
What you wrote is: I cannot the knife. The verb "to find" (Trovare) is missing in your sentence
I think what you mean, as chatee pointed out, is "Io non posso trovare il coltello." From an English perspective, yes, that seems like the natural thing to say. I can't think of a situation in which one would normally say "I don't find the knife" (at least, not using the present tense form - "I didn't find the knife" or "I can't find the knife" sound natural).
So your question is valid - is "Io non trovo il coltello" used in the same way in Italian as "I didn't find the knife" or "I can't find the knife" would be in English (in the context of: you went to search for it, and are telling someone the results)? Can any native speakers confirm?
More specifically the choice of a present means you're still looking for it, and not finding it; it's indeed the same as when you'd say "I can't find it", while in Italian "non posso trovare il coltello" is interpreted literally as not being able to find it, regardless of having looked for it.
Thank you for the answer. So 'posso' means more like being able to do something, rather than succeeding at something. 'I am not able to find it' vs. 'I did not succeed in finding it'
I would argue that in English "can't" literally means you're unable to find it. This is a frustrating translation for me. I think "don't"should be the only accepted answer.
It would be better to say "I can't" or "I didn't" but "I don't find the knife" wouldn't be out of place if you're responding to a question that uses "don't". Consider the questions that would be asked to prompt such a response:
Did you find the knife? I didn't. -- This implies that you failed the search.
Can you find the knife? I can't. -- This implies that something prevented you from finding the knife.
Don't you find the knife? I don't. -- This implies that there was some expectation of the knife being found and it is odd that you didn't find it.
Hope this helps!
784
The first two sound right to me, but the third seems awkward. I might say, "Don't you see the knife?" to someone actively looking (surely one of my children, who is undoubtedly standing right in front of it if it's not in his hand). I can only imagine using find with something like "Didn't you find the knife in the drawer" or "Won't you find the knife in the dishwasher" (if no knife is offered up as a reason for not doing something else) or "Is the knife going to be found with the snake and the body in the trunk, or did you dump the evidence?"
In English you say it like that, but in Spanish we say" no encuentro el cuchillo" the same as italian. So it make sense.
i just hovered over the word trovo and it says it also could mean to think. in what sense of the word does it mean think? is it something context wide or does it require a specific structure?
It would be in the same way you might say "I don't like that band much; I find them too loud" which means the same as "I think they are too loud". Not sure of the structure of the Italian translation of this use, though!
I think it's interesting how you can find something interesting, and it means the same thing as if you were to think it is interesting. Don't you find that interesting, too? I think so. I find grammar so interesting
All the things we dont find, they are in the boots or next to the snake or both
I agree in English nobody says "I don't find the knife"! It's I can not find the knife which would be using "Non posso" or I didn't (past tense).
I can imagine someone casually saying "I'm not finding the knife", meaning they're still looking but have had no success so far.
i didn't find the knife i think should still be marked as a correct answer!!!
Is it all words that should be conjugated in Italian or if not how do I know which ones to conjugate? Thanks
Why is cannot one word? I always thought that it was two separate words!
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It depends. Both spellings are valid. In some cases, only two words is correct. Here's some guidance from Grammerist:
"Can not may also mean an inability to do something, the denial of permission to do something, an incapacity to do or attain something. While considered an acceptable alternative spelling for cannot, it is used quite a bit less frequently. However, when the word not in can not is part of the construction of a term following can not, then it is rendered as two words. An example sentence: “Jenny can not only read, she can also write.” In this instance, the word not is part of the construction not only. Another case where can not would be rendered as two words: “Johnny can go to the fair or he can not go to the fair.” In this example, the word not is a part of the phrase not go to the fair, meaning that Johnny has a choice whether to go or not go. In general, it is safer to render the term as one word, cannot, except when the word not is part of the construction of a term following the word can not."
http://grammarist.com/usage/cannot-or-can-not/
The ads on this site detract from the experience, but I've never found incorrect information there.
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"I can NOT find the knife," said the police officer, soliciting a bribe in exchange for not searching diligently.
isn't it "i do not find the knife" instead? I cannot find the knife would read "io non posso trovare il coltello"?
Shouldn't this be: I am not finding the knife or I do not find the knife. "I cannot find the knife" would require an infinitive, hence: Io non posso trovare il coltello. No?
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DL, your translation is wrong. I do not see "cannot" in the Italian. A correct translation is "I do not find the knife"
Wow..what a sentence! First they keep the knife in the boot and now there are sentence that,''I cannot find the knife''.
Why would you bother to look if you do not find the knife, this implies that you never find said knife. I answered with "I didnt find the knife" and it was wrong, isnt that the more natural solution?
There's a difference between not finding something and not having found something. The former is present tense, the latter is past tense.
I just wish the verbalization was more clear. I heard her saying "provo" and thought it translated to: "I do not try the knife".....my error.
Every now and then, I forget that Duolingo asks for the literal translation.....I typed I didn't find the knife
come posso trovare una ragazza,dove posso trovare una ragazza,ho trovato una ragazza bella.....
anyone can explain what is the meaning of the word riesco? what is the full verb come riesco trovare una ragazza?
I believe "riesco" is the first person present tense of "riuscire" which basically means to manage to do something. In your example, it means "to manage to / to be able to find a girl".
so "i didn't find the knife" may be in the wrong tense, but "i don't find the knife" doesn't even make sense. guess which one was wrong
I put "Non trovo il coltello." and it was marked as wrong? Maybe as I've come back to practice and you are inspired to put the subject at this stage?!
