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Eladio Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Please, tell me the difference between these sentences

Could anyone tell me the difference between the following two sentences?
1.- What is there to do? (Maybe, this question is related to an answer like this: There are potatoes and chicken, do what you wish)
2.- What do I have to do? (You have to prepare chicken with potatoes)

But what about these?
1.- What is there to say?
2.- What do I have to say?
In this case, the difference is not so clear to me.

Thank you in advance!
Eladio

CalifJim, could you help with an Spanish translation?
  

Top answer

- What is there to say? - What do I have to say? " You've asked me to speak to X.

  • - What is there to say?
  • - What do I have to say?
  • " You've asked me to speak to X.
  • "
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4 Answers
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1.- What is there to say? "There is nothing I can say in this situation"


2.- What do I have to say?
" You've asked me to speak to X. What do I need to tell him?"




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Eladio,

I don't think you need a translation! The first of each pair is impersonal, the second has "I". It's like the difference between "hay que hacer ..." and "tengo que hacer ...", only in question form.

You may be bothered by the somewhat idiomatic meaning of "What is there to say?", i.e., "There is nothing to say", "There is nothing to be said", "There is nothing one ca
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0 Thanks both of you for your answers. Too many idiomatic forms in English! But now I got it thanks of you. 02br
00Anyway, in the case of the sentences I posted: 02br
001.- What is there to do? 02br
002.- What do I have to do? 02br
00Are the following answers correct? (That would mean I understood their meaning) 02br
00Answer to (1): T
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0 I'll make slightly different answers, if I may! 02br
02br
001.- What is there to do? - Well, I've already peeled the potatoes, you can put the chicken into the oven, if you want. 02br
02br
002.- What do I have to do? - We have divided the chores among us: You peel the potatoes and do the washing. 0-

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