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Grammar

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  • aquí and allá vs de aquí and de allá

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    K

    Bringing this back up to the top because I'm still not getting it. Thanks

  • Past versus imperfect

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    No one has replied
  • Present versus future

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    I

    Subtle but mostly clear! 🙂

  • The verb "poder"

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    I

    Makes sense. Thanks.

  • when to accent "donde"?

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    I

    That's helpful and clear. thanks.

  • Entonces versus así

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  • Use of que versus qué

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    Fluenz User SupportF

    In this case, "qué" is used with an accent because it is functioning as an interrogative word (meaning "what") in a direct or indirect question.

    Here’s the breakdown:

    Qué with an accent is used in direct or indirect questions to ask for specific information. It translates to "what" or "which" when asking about something.

    Example: "¿Qué detalles son necesarios?" (What details are necessary?)
    Que without an accent is used as a relative pronoun or conjunction, meaning "that," "which," or "who."

    Example: "Los detalles que son necesarios..." (The details that are necessary...)
    In your sentence:
    "Debería saber qué datos son necesarios para la visa de trabajo argentina,"
    The qué is used because it's asking about the specifics of which details are necessary. Even though it’s not a direct question, the structure suggests an indirect question, which is why the accent is used.

  • Unos/unas and algunos/algunas

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    Fluenz User SupportF

    In general, unos/unas and algunos/algunas both mean "some," but they are used slightly differently.

    Unos/unas are more often used with countable nouns and imply an approximate quantity. For example: "unas semanas" (some weeks) suggests a non-specific number of weeks.
    Algunos/algunas can be used in similar contexts, but they are often used to express "some" in a more general or uncertain way, and they can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
    In your example, "unas semanas" is correct because it's referring to a countable, but unspecified, number of weeks.

    So, the difference is subtle, but unos/unas tends to be used more when you're talking about a quantity that can be counted, and algunos/algunas is a bit more flexible for a wider range of situations.

  • Use of mínimo and mínima

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    Fluenz User SupportF

    In Spanish, the adjective mínimo can be used both as an adjective that agrees with the noun (mínima) or as an adverb (mínimo) when indicating a minimum amount or extent.
    In the phrase "una semana mínimo," mínimo is functioning as an adverb, meaning "at least" or "a minimum of." It's similar to saying "one week at a minimum" in English, which is why it doesn't need to agree with the noun semana.

    If you were describing something as the "smallest" or "least" of its kind, then you would use the adjective form that agrees with the noun, for example:

    una cantidad mínima (a minimum amount)
    una duración mínima (a minimum duration)
    In summary:

    Mínimo (adverb): "una semana mínimo" (one week minimum)
    Mínima (adjective): "una semana mínima duración" (a week with minimum duration)

  • Imperfect or Gustar versus Quisiera

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    Fluenz User SupportF

    Great question! Both quisiera and le gustaría can express "would like," but they have slightly different nuances in Spanish.

    Le gustaría is the more common and neutral way to say "would like." It’s often used for wishes, desires, or polite requests, like in the sentence: A tu sobrino le gustaría tener un gato (Your nephew would like to have a cat). This phrasing is more straightforward and typically used when expressing someone's preferences.

    Quisiera, which is the imperfect subjunctive of querer, carries a slightly more formal or polite tone and is often used in hypothetical or more polite contexts. It's commonly used for making polite requests or expressing more tentative desires, e.g., Quisiera un poco de agua (I would like some water).

    In your example, while Tu sobrino quisiera tener un gato is grammatically correct, it might sound too formal or hypothetical for the given context, which is likely why it wasn't accepted as the correct answer. The sentence is simply stating a straightforward desire, so le gustaría is the preferred choice here.

  • 0 Votes
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    JenniferPHJ

    Hi @Keats ! In August this year you were working through Level 1. It took me several years to start and restart to complete levels 1, 2, and finally level 3. What is your learning journey like today?

  • When to put accent marks on question words

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    Fluenz User SupportF

    Hi!​ ,
    In the software, we do not provide the rules for placing accents, and there's a reason for that. These rules are based on knowing how the word sounds, so providing them would likely be frustrating. The way the rules work is that you sound out the word, then, depending on where you place the emphasis and which letter the word ends with, you determine where the accent should go.

    Here is a link that can guide you through the rules: https://www.thoughtco.com/stress-and-accent-marks-3079562

    Best regards,

  • Use of ir to express future

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    Emilie PoyetE

    Hi James,
    Your doubt is perfectly valid here since the English translation doesn't change, but the Spanish structure does. Actually what happens in the second sentence is that it is not expressing a real future in Spanish, but rather an immediate action. Sometimes you can use a present tense in Spanish to express something that you're planning to do right away. So to translate more precisely, we could say:
    Voy a llamar a Sandra = I'm going to call Sandra > near future
    Yo llamo a Sandra (enseguida) = I'm calling Sandra (right away) > immediate action
    To avoid further confusions, we'll make sure the translation in English matches -even if it's not the most natural- in the next update. Thanks for pointing out this issue and enjoy the rest of level 5!

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