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- "Lei poteva fare di tutto."
45 Comments
1623
For what it's worth (if anything) Google Translate https://translate.google.com left the di off - (lei) poteva fare tutto
Tutto is everything and di tutto is anything (in Duo's sense of everything possible). Be careful translating 'anything' to Italian because it has other senses too.
I don't like Duo's "could" because it is ambiguous and translates just as well to the conditional potrebbe. "She was [or used to be] able to do anything" is unambiguous, and accepted.
1623
Non-native-speaker, but your question may have answered a question (I had. I will have to apologize in advance to anyone who is doing this module for the first time, because my point involves conditional tense, a module which appears later in the sequence. My comments, however, will be clear in the context).
I plugged the English "She could make everything" into Google Translate www.translate.google.com and got the imperfect:
lei poteva fare tutto
The imperfect is a past tense, here meaning "she was able to do/make anything/everything" - "could" is the past tense of "can". This wording comes very close to the idea of "she had many talents" (Past tense, so it's "had" rather than "has".)
When I entered the English "She could do anything" into www.reverso.net I got the conditional lei potrebbe fare tutto. "Potrebbe" also means "could" but is NOT the past tense of "can" - it is a present tense which presents the possibility that she may or may not = she might/could - "do anything".
In this regard, Google translated "She might do anything" as the conditional lei potrebbe fare tutto.
So, in answer to your question, I think that the essential thought of "She has many talents" is parallel-translated by the imperfect, past-tense "could" while "Her actions could not be predicted" is parallel-translated by the conditional "could/might".
Since the words are so different, your sentences present the essence or meaning of the sentence, but are not accurate translations.
Comments on my thinking here are very welcome.
Again, sorry to those who haven't studied conditional yet, but it is so related to the question posed, I felt I had to mention it.
1623
Perhaps it's just not an answer in the database.
When I entered "She could do all of it" in an online translator, I got Duo's answer
When I entered you translation, I got "Lei era capace di fare tutto."
I don't know whether the distinction is valid, but it may be that potere is closer in meaning to "can", and, since there is no English verb "to can" applicably here, "to be able to" is a way of explaining what "can" means, rather than a direct translation. That's just a thought, so it should not be relied on to support any answers. That's a long-winded way of saying that you probably will be closer in meaning if you use "can" rather than "be able to" - but I'm completely ready to be disputed on this and told I'm 100% wrong.
Lilian I think this one highlights the problem of a computer answering. Poteva is clearly and simply imperfetto, a past and habitual tense. Could in English might be a past tense of can, ora present conditional. Have done opens even more possibilities including a pluperfect. There are so many permutations it is probably best to focus on the Italian and put it down to "the computer says no"
317
I put 'She couId do everything.' but DLG put WRONG!! In past coments at least one said DLG marked correct. I am quite confuse with this.
370
Excuse me, but doesn't"tutto" mean "everything"?! Isn't "She was able to do everything" mean the same thing as "She could do anything"?!