34 Comments
I always translate this one literally and it usually helps. 'How [does] one write your name?' In Duo's translation: 'How do you write your name?' the first 'you' is referring to people in general. Hope this helped anyone having trouble.
27
I msde thispoint, then saw you already had. Helpful explanation. Thank you.
For this level, I've had to do some extra research about indirect, direct, and reflexive pronouns. This particular sentence has a construct with "si" that has foiled me several times, but I found a good explanation of how it works. Here, the "si" is operating as an impersonal reflexive pronoun. Here is a website with a good explanation: http://www.netplaces.com/italian-practice/the-impersonal-si-piacere-commands/the-impersonal-si-construction.htm
Using scrivi it would translate as "how do YOU write your name". You need to use the scrive form to translate as "how is your name written". Hope this helps.
Thanks, AndreAndrez, I wondered about scrivi/scrive. Literally the Italian says: How is written your name? That explains the scrive.
- 951
The name is the subject, literally: "How does your name write itself?" In German one would say similarly: "Wie schreibt sich dein Name?"
I think that the most accurate translation here is: How is your name written?
1-How is your name written? come si scrive il tuo nome? The verb used here is the reflexive verb: "scriversi".
It could also be the verb "scrivere" with the "passive si". the litteral translation would be: how do people write your name?
2- How do you write your name? come scrivi il tuo nome? (informal) come scrive il suo nome? (formal) The verb used here is : "scrivere"
Am I wrong?
I don't understand the difference between si and se. Why not "come se scrivi il tuo nome"?
"Se" is "if" or "herself". Why exactly "si" and not "se" - I don't know for sure. But I think "se" is feminine, and "si" is masculine, maybe.
- 1729
I think in another example "si+ third person singular" was translated as "we do something". So shouldn't " how do we write your name" be a valid translation here?
No. "Si + 3rd personal verb" means a reflexive verb. So "si scrive" means smth like "writes itself". But in English (in this case) we use Passive.
So it's like passive voice in English, si scrive = be written. That makes sense by using scrive rather than scrivi
How does she write your name? i think because it's "scrive" for he and she so it'snot you and "Si"means it's about her
No. "She" wasn't meant here. "Si scrive" means a reflexive verb like "write itself". But in English we use Passive for this case: How's you name spelled? (How does you name spell itself? - not natural for English, but for Italian and e.g. Russian: Как пишется твое имя?)
Why is not it possible to translate as 'How your name is written'? IMHO, this will be the most adequate translation of the phrase, but Duo considers it an error.
It's because your sentence isn't grammatically correct.
How is your name written?
How do you write your name?
Wonder why: "how do we write your name" is not excepted. "We" as in the general "we".
