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Hey, it is. You never know when you might need to talk about a bear (emergency hiking situations?) and there will may be several instances in the future when you will have to say that one thing does not fit through another.
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I think a lot of people don't have the accents available to them in the discussions. I see, as I'm typing, that I don't. Edited 3/28/15 Using an iPad I can easily access the accent marks.
This is NOT said snarkily: you can google how to include accent marks for your operating system/device. I had to do that.
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Or you can set Spanish as the second language in Windows and flip between English and Spanish. I used a sharpie pen to mark where the special characters (ie ñ) and accents are. Works really well.
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I use the US-International keyboard input method on Windows (less confusing than a proper Spanish keyboard layout). It gets annoying when typing in English, but you can switch back and forth easily.
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Yep, here's a site with the keyboard shortcuts. It's important when an accent can change the meaning of the word. (Esta vs. está for example)
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For anyone on Windows, I highly recommend this program: http://www.onehourprogramming.com/spanish-accents/ You basically hold caps and type the letter to get the accented version!
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I am on a kindle fire and if I hold the letters with accents the accented options appear.
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One of the reasons I use an Android Nexus 7 tablet PC. With it, accents aren't the slightest problem.
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The point of the provided sentences is to give us building blocks. This one can be used for all kinds of things that does not fit through whatever with but small changes.
¡"Yo no quepo por la ventana!"
(Note: "quepo" is the correct conjugation of "caber - to fit, as used in this sentence.)"
It's the structuring of this sentence that is important to look at, here. Fail to do that the lesson is then meaningless.
Very useful, indeed. And actually, not merely jokingly.
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Still they should teach us these building blocks in a more probable context.
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Well, maybe the bear served its purpose even better. The peculiarity of the sentence attracted my attention more :)
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I am assuming you consider the sentence's use of a bear makes it not useful. But the bear does not matter. We can use the sentence by switching "bear" to anything we like making the sentence extremely useful. And an excellent building block.
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i think in the case of emergency like that "a bear trying to fit through door", do not need to say anything!! just yelling in any language will do the same work, you could contact even with aliens in the case...
Very useful for Betsy Devos, US education secretary, since bears are a hazard in schools, and if they don't fit in doors, students could be trap inside.
This sentence is poor with no normal context to assist in determining what is oso. Meaning is derived from context as any linguist would know.
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Yes, the sentence is indeed poor that way. The goal, however, is to learn vocabulary and grammar, since context will not always aid you. Also, what is natural for you is not necessarily so for a mountain-dweller who has to deal with dangerous bears on a daily basis.
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Husband: "Honey, this cabin in the middle of nowhere is perfectly safe. The bear does not fit through the door."
Bear: These Spanish tourists are a bit on the spicy side. <burp>
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@Daniel re: accents I found out how to access accents on this tablet. Yay! I'm learning more than Spanish here.
Nice, I didn't realize until now that por was used in place of the word through. Very good sentence for memorizing that fact.
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I just had a discussion with a Spanish person (Santi - if you are around) about this very thing yesterday. 'Por' is only sometimes used to mean 'through', it depends how you are using the word. He said that "a través de" is more commonly used to mean 'through', although this is on a bigger scale.
If a bear is drinking a lot of beer, it might be dazed and confused enough to try to fit through the door.
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Is the pronunciation of 'cabe' correct here? It sounds like the emphasis is on the e, when it shouldn't be.
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I agree. I've learned in my spanish course that you stress the 2nd to last syllable when the word ends with a vowel. E.g. cansado is stressed on the 2nd A.
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We will count this among "Good things to know."
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Right, if you are paying attention to what is being taught. What the sentence say is irrelevant.
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Why don't I get "the bear doesn't fit through the door" as a right answer. It should be
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You should, and you should be able to report it as a right answer, they will hopefully update translation to accept it.
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You convey the same thought but with "cannot fit," you've changed the (primary) verb to "poder." This in Spanish would translate as "el oso no puede caber por la puerta" using infinitive for the (secondary) verb "(to) fit" and conjugation for only "poder."
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I think the writer was thinking of the reflexive verb quedarse = to fit (in clothes, usually). It's a good question...
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I translated it as "The bear can't pass through the door" and I believe it should be accepted.
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DL prefers translations that keep the verbs being used the same unless there's no alternative. You've used "can" (poder) and "pass" (pasar) there. This section is on verbs too; so, you have to be accurate.
I do not think the computer voice correctly pronounces "cabe". Sounds like the accent is on the second syllable, but it should be the first.
I'm reminded of this... http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21600988-new-building-rules-will-help-old-folkswho-now-risk-being-eaten-bears-knobless-oblige
This app is getting suspicious...This isnt the dirst time...yesterday I got one that freaked me out that I got right for the first one..."You know who I am"
Why should we use" por" for the word "through"?? Does "por" mean "through"?
The word for "fit" what is the full word? Is it "cabe" Or is that a variation of that word for a personal pronoun? Does that make sense?
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The infinitive ("to fit") is "caber". "Cabe" is a conjugated form, in this case third person singular, present tense. See: http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=caber and http://www.wordreference.com/conj/EsVerbs.aspx?v=caber
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i was marked wrong with the bear will not fit through the door. Surely in English the two sentences are jus about equivalent, especially if there is no other context.
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I agree. In English I would say, "The bear won't fit through the door" but it marked that answer wrong. Grrr
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For all those discussing about accents not being on your keyboard, you can switch a usa keyboard to 'international' mode. then if you use the ' and ~ keys before you type the letter that needs the accent, it will appear.
Why can't I write "the bear cannot fit through the door"? isn't it basically the same as 'does not'?
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I got it wrong because I didn't believe what I was hearing. What a strange sentence!
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racism between animals... i'm sure that a polar bear wrote this sentence!
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Me: Don't worry, guys. The bear doesn't fit through the door.
Little Brother: You mean THAT bear?
Bear: Rwar?
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It would be nice not to have these nonsensical sentences at the beginners' level, however funny they are. Using words in a logical setting helps memorize them, while these random statements do quite the opposite.
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That's not even true in the least. There is a reason why kids learn nursery rhymes and nonsensical songs as kids. They engage the brain better because they are evocative and unusual. You remember them more because they are striking in their imagery.
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Right, that's why all English courses for adults always start with 'ring of roses, a pocket full of poses'.
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A lot of English as a second language classes do include nursery rhymes and poetry to teach English, yes. It helps you learn the language. If you want travel phrases and such Berlitz and Lonely Planet are your best option. Learning should be fun not serious.
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It's not though because "thru" isn't the correct spelling of through.
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Sentences like this stand out due to their oddity (bear) hence making it easier to remember the sentence structure rules and grammar.
good to know in case a bear is running at your friends who only speak spanish
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I know I am old, and have some hearing loss (long story- Led Zepelin concert), but in the "turtle version", does it not sound like she is saying "poso"? The less than usual sentence makes it particularly difficult to understand for me. Maybe it's just me (or my laptop speaker).Anyone else... anyone?
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Hi Ronald - Yes, the robot pronunciations can be very misleasing sometimes. And the uptempo version can sound very different from the turtle version. There are online pronunciation sites that can be helpful. But consulting with my Spanish-speaking friends is more fun.
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I tried " The bear does go through the door" but was marked wrong, so obviously English is a little more flexible
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Ok, i have learned to look up other nouns to replace the ones duolingo gives inorder for it to be useful!
