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Thread: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

 
  1. #1
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    Default What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    Some context:

    A: Bien y tu?

    B: Bien aunque estoy cansado

    A: De que hacer?

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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    From doing what?
    vicente

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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    I thinks it is "DE hacer que?

    A fine and you
    B fine but tired
    A- of what?
    QUE LES PARECE?

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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    Hello Diego! You're either tired from doing[/B] something (work, travel, etc.) or tired of something. To me the context here appears to suggest that the person is tired from having done something and you'd ask: What made you tired? or (from [doing] what?. If you say "of what", that is asking "what are you tired of"....the weather, watching TV, politics?

    You certainly could say "of what" and that would be completely understood and I suppose it is a matter of what your spontaneous response would normally be, without thing about it.

    Hope this makes sense.
    Last edited by vicente; 12-18-2015 at 01:21 PM.
    vicente

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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    Definitely Vicente, but there is not context. Someone asks "de hacer que" given for granted he is tired from working or travelling of whatever.
    The other one might be tired of his work environment, of the rain, someone's behaviour, etc.

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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    Hi there
    I join the guys in their explanation...
    "A: De que hacer?" Person A is asking "tired of doing what?" Actually, the correct word order in Spanish would be "(Cansado) de hacer qué? and that "qué" goes with accent because it´s an indirect question. There´s lack of information there, so, the "qué" should take the accent. The different word order and the lack of accent might have led you to confusion...


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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    One more thing...
    Sometimes, when you ask someone "What are you tired of?" like in this example, you might be being ironical... like "if you didn´t do anything, what can you be tired of".
    So, check your context, there might be some sort of irony from A...

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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    Hi Ana

    I'm not confused by what B says. At least I don't think I am. lol Maybe there is a Spanish nuance that I'm missing but in English the exchange between A&B seems like everyday speech.

    The operative word here is "doing" (de hacer)... I agree that there is a lack of clarity but as I mentioned, in normal conversational English if a person (B) says "I'm fine but tired", 98% of the time B means he is physically tired (from having done something) and the usual response is "From what", i.e., "What have you been doing?"

    However, if A thinks B is saying he is mentally tired then the response would usually be "of what", "What are you tired of?" But in that case B's initial response would probably have been "I'm fine but I'm tired of ..."

    Maybe B is both:

    "I just got off work so I'm tired right now and I'm tired of that job and tired of having to come home tired and explain why I'm tired. Have you ever been tired and tired of what makes you tired, and tired of people asking why you're tired, all at the same time? It's tiring?"
    Last edited by vicente; 12-22-2015 at 12:19 AM.
    vicente

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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    ahahhaha, Hola Vincent.
    Hillarious!
    Well, here A is asking "A: De que hacer?" Tiring of doing what? here the question aims at "doing", because in Spanish, if you ask someone "what are you tired of" that would be "de qué estás cansado". And here A is saying "doing what?"
    hhahaha, amazying how we can spin around and around, we can imagine a context, add drama, etc. Well, all that might influence in the way you translate something after all, right?

    By the way, in case we don´t talk again this week, have a wonderful Christmas time.

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    Default Re: What does "De que hacer?" mean?

    Thank you Ana...and the same the same to you my friend.
    vicente

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