Jimbo wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:02 am
All I can say is, this makes me wonder why pretty much all sentence discussions for Tree 1 were filled with variations of 'Subject pronouns are usually dropped but you can use them to add emphasis', if it doesn't actually make any difference.
If you take a look at the Los pronombres personales en español page, you will see different reasons for the subject pronoun to be used, none of which is to transmit emphasis.
The first example presents a very simple narrative, therefore, the pronouns just need to be there:
- Yo tengo novia. Ella es muy simpática y a mí me gusta mucho [...] pero ella no las puede dejar de escuchar
Further down the page, after the text, "Sin embargo, los pronombres personales sí aparecen expresos en la oración en los siguientes casos," several possibilities are listed:
- to direct the listener's attention to the identity of the subject
- to answer questions that seek to identify the subject of an action
- in a comparison, after the particle that
- in front of some words like: same, also, neither
Regardless of those cases, it all depends on context, tone, and what one wants to transmit.
-- Ya casi es la hora de la comida (it is almost time to eat)
-- Yo no tengo hambre todavía, ¿y tú? (I am not hungry yet, what about you?)
If there is some emphasis in the answer given, it would be a very subtle one. I would say that the "yo" is present to flow or connect, so to speak, with the "tú."
-- ¿quién tiene hambre? (who is hungry?)
-- yo no tengo hambre (I'm not hungry —answers one of the children)
-- yo sí (I am —answers the other one)
The answer of the first child does transmit some emphasis.
Jimbo wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:02 am
gmads wrote:I'd say that emphasis is usually expressed by adding some particular words —like "sí"
Is that 'sí' in the sense of 'indeed'?
I'd say that is more like the emphatic "do," as in: "she did called you yesterday, but you weren't home," for example.
Jimbo wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:02 am
I knew the 'mismo' in 'ahora mismo' was idiomatically translated as the 'right' in 'right now' but that's clearly not how it's being used in your example. [Looks it up in dictionary]. This is the 'she herself' version isn't it? So it's literally 'She solved the problem herself' to emphasise that she was the one that solved it? That makes sense.
Again, thank you.
Indeed, that is the meaning and usage of "mismo."
You are welcome!