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- "It is true."
"It is true."
Translation:Es cierto.
33 Comments
204
Real and true are different concepts. The tree in front of your house is real, but it's not true. The claim that you have a tree in front of your house is true.
204
Normally, the best English translation for the sentence "Es verdad," as opposed to trying to go word by word, is "It's true."
204
Here's a general observation about why Duolingo may reject a translation that seems obviously OK to the learner: Probably because no one says it that way, and if Duolingo told you your answer was correct, they would be encouraging you to speak Spanish like a foreigner.
Another possibility is that your answer is fine, but it didn't occur to Duolingo that someone would add an unnecessary word. However, after a question has been on Duolingo for a few years, Duo has probably added all the reasonable translations to their list of correct answers. "It is true" has been here for 5 years. Duo accepts "Es verdad" and "Es cierto." So apparently those are better translations, corresponding to what Spanish-speakers actually say.
Btw, the correct use of "lo" can be tricky. Example: I sleep enough. = Duermo bastante. = Duermo lo suficiente. "Bastante" can be either an adjective or an adverb. Here it's an adverb. "Suficiente" can only be an adjective, but "lo suficiente" together act as an adverb. :-)
204
"Verdad" and "cierto" have overlapping meanings. For "It is true," you can use either word. In other sentences "cierto" or "verdad" might be a better choice than the other.