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Friday, March 23, 2012
Nothing he says is stupid = Anyen li di estipid. Nothing he says isn't stupid = Anyen li di pa estipid. Correct? Or does "Anyen" demand "pa" to complete the negative?
Nothing he says is stupid. There's nothing he says that is stupid (literally). Pa gen anyen li di ki estipid.
I'm trying to understand the principle. Must "anyen" (or "okenn", or "san") be paired with a "pa", or does the "pa" create a double negative?
The actual sentence with which I am struggling is "Nothing about their service is self-centered." The suggested translation was "Anyen nan sèvis yo egoyis."
And syllables cost time, so I'm trying to minimize those by not starting with "Pa gen"
anyen will be accompanied by "pa" except if it's used alone as in: -Sa ou genyen? What's wrong? -Anyen. Nothing
Or other circumstances: -Se pou anyen mwen vin la. -I came here for nothing.
The same goes for "okenn"
As for "san →without?", no, we don't always use it with "pa". _____________ Now, your phrase "Anyen nan sèvis yo egoyis." sounds as if it could use the "pa" in order to be complete. I guess, you must really want the word "anyen" in there? How about changing it around:
Nan sèvis yo, pa gen egoyis. In their service, there's no self-centeredness
Anyen pa egoyis nan sèvis yo Nothing is self-centered in their service
Sèvis yo pa san kè. Their service is not self centered
Sèvis yo san egoyis Their service is without self-centeredness
I'm trying to understand the principle. Must "anyen" (or "okenn", or "san") be paired with a "pa", or does the "pa" create a double negative?
ReplyDeleteThe actual sentence with which I am struggling is "Nothing about their service is self-centered." The suggested translation was "Anyen nan sèvis yo egoyis."
And syllables cost time, so I'm trying to minimize those by not starting with "Pa gen"
anyen will be accompanied by "pa" except if it's used alone as in:
ReplyDelete-Sa ou genyen? What's wrong?
-Anyen. Nothing
Or other circumstances:
-Se pou anyen mwen vin la.
-I came here for nothing.
The same goes for "okenn"
As for "san →without?", no, we don't always use it with "pa".
_____________
Now, your phrase "Anyen nan sèvis yo egoyis." sounds as if it could use the "pa" in order to be complete. I guess, you must really want the word "anyen" in there?
How about changing it around:
Nan sèvis yo, pa gen egoyis.
In their service, there's no self-centeredness
Anyen pa egoyis nan sèvis yo
Nothing is self-centered in their service
Sèvis yo pa san kè.
Their service is not self centered
Sèvis yo san egoyis
Their service is without self-centeredness
I'll think of some more...