Perfective-Imperfective (2) - Habitual

[Eduard Selleslagh]

-----Original Message-----
From: Miguel Carrasquer Vidal <mcv at wxs.nl>
Date: Friday, October 15, 1999 6:05 PM

>"Patrick C. Ryan" <proto-language at email.msn.com> wrote:

>>Is it therefore appropriate to say that:

>>'Lisa suele fumar'

>>can be interpreted as: 'Lisa is accustomed to smoking'?

>>And if 'Lisa is used to smoking' is equivalent to 'Lisa is accustomed to
>>smoke', is it possible, in some contexts, for 'Lisa suele fumar' to be
>>interpreted as virtually equivalent to 'Lisa esta' acostumbrada a fumar'?

>If you consider English "Lisa used to smoke" to be in some
>contexts virtually equivalent to "Lisa was used to smoking".

>Miguel Carrasquer Vidal

[Ed Selleslagh]

I think the problem here is one of lacking proper equivalents ('traduttore
traditore'), at least in some tenses.

Couldn't we just say that the Spanish verb 'soler' indicates having a habit, in
casu Lisa being a habitual smoker? IMHO (as a plurilingual but native Dutch
speaker que suele hablar Castellano en casa) 'being accustomed to' is not
exactly the same thing: doesn't it imply an adaptation to some external
(habitually occurring) circumstances?

I guess that's roughly what you meant with your 'if-sentence', Miguel?

P.S. I have often wondered whether 'soler' is a late re-introduction of a Latin
verb (i.e. bypassing the Latin-Romance-Castilian evolution), namely the
semi-deponent 'solere' ('soleo, solitus sum', which seems to indicate a remnant
of an earlier medio-passive status, vel sim.), or a true Spanish verb that went
through the natural evolution. The trend to diphtongation of the accentuated o
is so strong in Spanish that diphtongation is no guarantee of antiquity. (In S.
America some people even diphtongate where it shouldn't be done, like 'toser,
tueso' [= to cough]).

Ed

Dr. Ir. Eduard Selleslagh edsel at glo.be
B-9120 Haasdonk
Belgium