michiru's avatar
michiru

April 16, 2024

0
A difficult passage to me

I'm reading a novel and there's a passage difficult for me to understand.
Could you teach me the meaning?

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad for diamonds to be rich , but his family opposed his idea. Only his mom supported him. The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son. I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them."

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's saying.

Is this an old expression?
Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??
Is a version phrase without "will"??

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

It woul be nice, if you could advise me.


小説を読んでいて、難しい文章に出くわしました。
どう訳すのか教えていただけないでしょうか。

話n中で、ある若者は金持ちになるためにダイアモンドを探しに海外へ行きたがっています。でも家族全員が反対です。母親だけが彼を支持します。
母親が彼に言いました。
「息子よ、やると決めたことをやりなさい。I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them.」

この母親が言う、if there be diamonds thereの部分わかりません。

これ古い表現ですか?
これが意味するのは「if there will be diamonds there」ですか??
willを使わないバージョンの表現ですか??

この文章の代わりに、
"I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" と言ってもいいですか?

ご教示いただけると有り難いです。よろしくお願いいたします。

Corrections

A difficult passage to mefor me to read.

I'm reading a novel and there's a passage difficult for me to understand.

Could you teach me the meaning?

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad for diamonds to be rich , but his family opposed his idea.

Only his mom supported him.

The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son.

I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them."

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" inpart of what the mom's saying.

Is this an old expression?

Kinda. You typically see this speech with pirate like characters. In this case, it's just them not conjugating the word "to be" to "are"

Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??

I mean, it could. But it's more natural to see it as "if there are"

Is a version phrase withoutthis a phrase that omits the word "will"???"

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

It woul be nice, if you could advise me.

michiru's avatar
michiru

April 18, 2024

0

Thank you very much for the explanation!

A difficult passage to me

I'm reading a novel and there's a passage difficult for me to understand.

Could you teach me the meaning?

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad to look for diamonds to beand get rich , but his family opposed his idea.

Side note: technically, when you recount a novel/show/movie, you use present tense because the story happens again every time you read/watch it. It's not big deal though, especially in casual conversation.

Only his mom supported him.

The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son.

I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them."

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's saying.

Is this an old expression?

Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??

Is there a version of the phrase without "will"??

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

It woul be nice, if you could advise me.

Feedback

That's right! The mom basically just omitted the "will" which is grammatically incorrect so you should not copy her (lol). This is probably a dialect (that uses improper grammar).

michiru's avatar
michiru

April 17, 2024

0

Thank you very much for correcting my English! Understood. I will use present tense when I recount a novel or movie.

A difficult passage to me

ALSO POSSIBLE: I'm reading a novel and there'swith a passage difficult for me to understand.

Could you teach me the meaning?

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad for diamonds to be rich in search of diamonds to obtain wealth, but his family opposed his idea.

OnlyPTION A: However, his mom supported hims plan. OPTION B: However, his mom was supportive of his plan.

The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son.

I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them."

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's saying.COMMENT: The mother is unsure whether diamonds exists where her son wants to go. However, she believes in her son's ability to find the diamonds *if* they actually exist in that place. Is that clear?

Is this an old expression?ANSWER: No. It is a hypothetical states. The core is: "If X exists, (I believe that) you will find it."

Does this mean "if there will bare diamonds there"??

GRAMMAR: In this case, "will" is the best word. There is uncertainty. Maybe diamonds exist there, maybe not.

Is a version phrase without "will"??[SEE ABOVE]

Could I say "I don't know if/whether there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

Perhaps "whether" is a better choice than "if". (Whether is binary: either YES or NO.)

It woul be nice, if you could advise me.

Feedback

Hope this clear. If you wish, I could write the core idea in Japanese or Chinese.

michiru's avatar
michiru

April 17, 2024

0

Thank you very much for your kind explanation! Yes, it's clear!

A difficult passage to me

I'm reading a novel and there's a passage difficult for me to understand.

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad to build wealth by searching for diamonds to be rich , but his family opposed his idea.

Only his mom supported him.

The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son.

I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them."

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's saying.

Is this an old expression?

Yes, it's an old fashioned, colloquial way of speaking. Pirates used to speak this way, e.g. "Yarr there do be treasure over thar"

Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??

Is a version phrase without "will"??

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

Yes, this is much more natural / modern

michiru's avatar
michiru

April 17, 2024

0

Thank you very much for your nice advice! This novel is about a village in the UK, not pirates. But I've become interested in pirates English from your advice😁

I'm reading a novel and there's a passage difficult for me to understand.

Could you teach me the meaning?

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad for diamonds to be rich , but his family opposed his idea.

This is actually fine, but it;s for natural to say "...to get rich." or "to become rich" :)

Only his mom supported him.

The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son.

I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them."

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's saying.

So I think this actually sounds like she is a pirate or something :D I think maybe this is part of her regional dialect or she is maybe from Cornwall in UK.
In natural English we would normally say "if there are diamonds there". And I suspect that you already correctly thought that :)

Is this an old expression?

It sounds like its very old (but not grammatically correct) or a pirate :D

Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??

Yes, exactly.

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

This is exactly correct, yes. This is much more natural.

It woul be nice, if you could advise me.

Feedback

Yes, I believe you have understood what it was intended to say perfectly and that maybe the mother is a pirate (probably not :D) or has some regional or improper dialect. Perfect ⭐

michiru's avatar
michiru

April 17, 2024

0

Thank you very much for your nice explanation! Yes, this story is about UK! not pirates😆 Your advice is helpful for me to understand real English, regional...dialect...

apostrophedottilde's avatar
apostrophedottilde

April 18, 2024

0

You are welcome! I am glad to help :)

I'm reading a novel and there's a passage too difficult for me to understand.

Could you teachll me the meaning?

"Teach" is okay but "tell" is more natural.

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad for diamonds to be rich , but his family opposed his idea.

Only his mom supported him.

The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son.

I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them."

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's sayingpart.

Is this an old expression?

It's more like an dialect rather than an old expression.

Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??

It does!

Is this a version of the phrase without "will"??

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

you can.

It would be nice, if you could advise me.

michiru's avatar
michiru

April 17, 2024

0

Thank you very much for correcting my English! Recently, I'm curious about English dialects. They motivate me to study English.

A difficult passage to me


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

A difficult passage to mefor me to read.

I'm reading a novel and there's a passage difficult for me to understand.


I'm reading a novel and there's a passage too difficult for me to understand.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

ALSO POSSIBLE: I'm reading a novel and there'swith a passage difficult for me to understand.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Could you teach me the meaning?


Could you teachll me the meaning?

"Teach" is okay but "tell" is more natural.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad for diamonds to be rich , but his family opposed his idea.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad for diamonds to be rich , but his family opposed his idea.

This is actually fine, but it;s for natural to say "...to get rich." or "to become rich" :)

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad to build wealth by searching for diamonds to be rich , but his family opposed his idea.

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad for diamonds to be rich in search of diamonds to obtain wealth, but his family opposed his idea.

In the story, a young man wanted to go abroad to look for diamonds to beand get rich , but his family opposed his idea.

Side note: technically, when you recount a novel/show/movie, you use present tense because the story happens again every time you read/watch it. It's not big deal though, especially in casual conversation.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Only his mom supported him.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

OnlyPTION A: However, his mom supported hims plan. OPTION B: However, his mom was supportive of his plan.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

The mom said to him, "You do what you must, son.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I don't know if there be diamonds there, but if there be, you'll find them."


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's saying.


I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's sayingpart.

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's saying.

So I think this actually sounds like she is a pirate or something :D I think maybe this is part of her regional dialect or she is maybe from Cornwall in UK. In natural English we would normally say "if there are diamonds there". And I suspect that you already correctly thought that :)

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" in the mom's saying.COMMENT: The mother is unsure whether diamonds exists where her son wants to go. However, she believes in her son's ability to find the diamonds *if* they actually exist in that place. Is that clear?

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I don't understand the part of "if there be diamonds there" inpart of what the mom's saying.

Is this an old expression?


Is this an old expression?

It's more like an dialect rather than an old expression.

Is this an old expression?

It sounds like its very old (but not grammatically correct) or a pirate :D

Is this an old expression?

Yes, it's an old fashioned, colloquial way of speaking. Pirates used to speak this way, e.g. "Yarr there do be treasure over thar"

Is this an old expression?ANSWER: No. It is a hypothetical states. The core is: "If X exists, (I believe that) you will find it."

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Is this an old expression?

Kinda. You typically see this speech with pirate like characters. In this case, it's just them not conjugating the word "to be" to "are"

Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??


Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??

It does!

Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??

Yes, exactly.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Does this mean "if there will bare diamonds there"??

GRAMMAR: In this case, "will" is the best word. There is uncertainty. Maybe diamonds exist there, maybe not.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Does this mean "if there will be diamonds there"??

I mean, it could. But it's more natural to see it as "if there are"

Is a version phrase without "will"??


Is this a version of the phrase without "will"??

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Is a version phrase without "will"??[SEE ABOVE]

Is there a version of the phrase without "will"??

Is a version phrase withoutthis a phrase that omits the word "will"???"

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?


Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

you can.

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

This is exactly correct, yes. This is much more natural.

Could I say "I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

Yes, this is much more natural / modern

Could I say "I don't know if/whether there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them" for that sentence?

Perhaps "whether" is a better choice than "if". (Whether is binary: either YES or NO.)

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

It woul be nice, if you could advise me.


It would be nice, if you could advise me.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

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