"Vi ricordate quegli anni?"
Translation:Do you remember those years?
81 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
What is the difference in meaning? I think "ricordate quegli anni?" Would also mean "Do you remember those years" - is this correct? What added meaning does the reflexive version add? I would expect it means something like "Do you remember yourselves in those years", but that's not the translation given. Or does it mean, "do you yourselves remember those years?" to stress who is doing the remembering. It would be great if someone could clarify.
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Romance languages have reflexive verbs that aren't reflexive in English. "Remember" is one such verb. In Italian, the reflexive pronoun is grammatically required, but it would not be translated in English. So "[Io] mi ricordo" = I remember; "[Voi] vi ricordate" = you (pl) remember, etc.
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Uhm no. This verb is optionally reflexive, albeit its one of the few, but it can be ricordate as well.
The "di" is optional in "ricordarsi di" when the expression is followed by a noun. It is only required when followed by a verb (eg "Ricordati di mettere fuori lo sporco"). Ref: https://italian.stackexchange.com/questions/10785/does-ricordarsi-require-the-preposition-di
I have updated my previous comment to make it clear.
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For me it helps to think about it as a passive voice and then translate the sentence as "Are those years remembered to you?". Not sure if it's a valid translation, but it does help wrap your head around it.
Here's a link that helped me understand the difference between "ricordare" and "ricordarsi": https://langsandlit.tumblr.com/post/146947201038/when-does-one-use-ricordarsi-di-vs-ricordare
If I understand correctly "Vi" indicates that "ricordare" is a reflexive verbs, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflexive_verb This should be taught in a seperate section i.m.o., it's very confusing coming across it sporadically.
You understood incorrectly. "ricordarsi" is a pronominal verb, not reflexive.
In a reflexive verb, the object of the action is the subject (eg tagliarsi = to cut oneself).
In a pronominal verb, the object of the action is not the subject. Either the action has no object (eg svegliarsi = to wake up) or the object is something/somebody else (eg ricordarsi dell' estate = to remember the summer). The reflexive pronoun has no purpose in those, but it is idiomatic to use them.
In the specific case of "ricordare", the non-pronominal and pronomimal forms are interchangeable.
Actually, the full sentence would be, "Voi vi ricordate quegli anni?" When you drop the subject, it becomes "Vi ricordate quegli anni?" That's because the verb here is "ricordarsi" and not "ricordare;" and "ricordarsi" is what's known as a reflexive verb. So to be grammatically correct, the "vi" must accompany "ricordate."
It might be optional, as this comment suggests: "It seems to be a bit of a grey area, and some people say that with ricordarsi it is just a matter of personal taste if you use the 'di' with the object or not. It seems that if you are using ricordare then you do not need the 'di' but if using 'ricordarsi' you can either use the 'di' with a following noun or not." (Found at https://www.duolingo.com/comment/3801975)
I wholeheartedly agree. I'm a midwesterner and we do not say y'all or you all. We, among others, say you guys to represent the second person plural that is absent from English. I do understand that "you guys" is somewhat of a colloquialism and would not be used in academic or formal writing but c'mon duolingo.
I do not understand why is 'vi' used here. In previous comments I saw many explanations that said that it is there because the verb used here is 'ricordaRSI' (I see ricordate). I don't know if I have missed something, but I haven't yet seen such a word in DL, and have no idea what it means and also because of that do not understand the explanation
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I think "You remember those years?" should be accepted. It can be said with a rising inflection.
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And what is the role of the " do you all" part of the suggested translation? Is it due to using the reflexive verb? "Do you remember those years" was also accepted. Is there a distinction between the two in Italian?
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Or possibly "yous guys". Here's a helpful map http://myfunnymemes.com/you-guys-youse-yall-map-chart/ But I only type that when I am feeling cheeky and not trying to get an acceptable answer.
It's amazing that in a language as rich as English, full of redundant words nobody knows, cares to know, or uses, you can't differentiate between you singular and you plural... When I hear my coworker say "you guys's" on the phone, it makes my skin crawl. Of course, she only does it so that nobody takes it personally and gets "offended"... Because Americans are such fragile and easily offended critters! For the record, I'm talking about AZ. In TX, for instance, they have "ya'all." Glad I don't have to hear at least THAT!
"quei" is used before a noun which begins with a consonant (except s+consonant, z, ps, x, nh), "quegli" is used before all other nouns except before a noun which starts with the vowel i. In this case, quegl' is used.
"quelli" is the plural masculine pronoun and thus it is used on its own. Example: Questi cellulari sono costosi. Quelli sono più economici. (= These cellphones are expensive. Those are cheaper. )
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Does anyone else notice that the male speaker in this sentence (as well as in other sentences) puts the accent on the wrong syllable? I can always understand the female speaker but I can't understand him half of the time :/