"Te vas?" vs "Vas a salir?"

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Chip00

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I have noticed here in the DR that a lot of times if you ask someone "Te vas" that thet will respond with a question "para donde?" - which I really don't understand.

My wife has answered me in this way for many years but I always thought she was being facetious(not to bright now am I?:ermm: ). However, I asked someone today if a certain person "se va" and he asked me "para donde" whereupon I said "yo no se" whereupon he gave me the "dominican eye squint" and another person more or less "translated" by saying "el quiere decir se el se va a salir" which leads me to the conclusion that if you want to ask someone if they are leaving that it's better to say here in the DR at least "se va a salir, el? as opposed to "se va?".

Any of you experts want to explain to me if I am understanding correctly or if there is something I am missing. BTW please be aware that I am sure of what was said. This is important to know so that we don't go around in circles as to what was said.

Thanks!
 

2LeftFeet

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Nevermind--yo entiendo! but I don't have an answer for you!! aprendo espanol
 
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M.A.R.

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Feb 18, 2006
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well I think is simple chip, if you are asking your wife, te vas? she should know that you are asking if she's leaving. They are not understanding you or are not too bright or are just kiddin around. Actually you should also add, "Ya", Ya te vas?

Maybe you asked someone this question when they weren't ready to leave, lol. so they answered in this manner. But if they are not understanding - diles de nuevo......te estoy preguntando que si te vas...de la oficina....o que si vas a salir...

Chip I love these posts.:)
 
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Chip00

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well I think is simple chip, if you are asking your wife, te vas? she should know that you are asking if she's leaving. They are not understanding you or are not too bright or are just kiddin around. Actually you should also add, "Ya", Ya te vas?

Maybe you asked someone this question when they weren't ready to leave, lol. so they answered in this manner. But if they are not understanding - diles de nuevo......te estoy preguntando que si te vas...de la oficina....o que si vas a salir...

Chip I love these posts.:)

MAR - I'm glad you're having fun and thanks for the help btw.

However, I do believe it is very common if you ask a peson "tu te vas" that they will respond pa' donde? which I don't understand at all but then I don't understand why my wife answers every question I ask her with a question of her own - many Dominicans I've noticed do this to!

So to make things easier so I don't have to worry about if they are going to ask me where they are going I'm going to start using "te vas a salir?

You know the more I think about it it is damn hilarious to me anyway that people would ask me where "they" are going - maybe they think I'm asking for a ride - who knows!
 

AnnaC

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Answering a question with a question is a good way to avoid the real answer. Don't ask, don't tell :laugh:


Ok never mind me. ;)
 

M.A.R.

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Feb 18, 2006
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MAR - I'm glad you're having fun and thanks for the help btw.

However, I do believe it is very common if you ask a peson "tu te vas" that they will respond pa' donde? which I don't understand at all but then I don't understand why my wife answers every question I ask her with a question of her own - many Dominicans I've noticed do this to!

So to make things easier so I don't have to worry about if they are going to ask me where they are going I'm going to start using "te vas a salir?
You know the more I think about it it is damn hilarious to me anyway that people would ask me where "they" are going - maybe they think I'm asking for a ride - who knows!


Oh lord :ermm: I do that all the time, answering a question with a question, now my kids do that too :ermm:

lol Chip if you say "te vas a salir"? they will get more confused, :D
"Te vas a ir"? is the other way of saying it.
 

rolfdog

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Hi Chip. Wow I feel pretty accomplished helping you!!

Ir = to go

Irse = to go away

While not truly reflexive, Me voy = Yo me voy = Yo salgo - I go away

Te vas = Tu te vas = Tu sales = you go away

etc.

Similarly, no bamo, or nos vamos = We are going away.

Hope that helps

Steve
 

rolfdog

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Oh, and to say dont leave (imperative) is no te vayas and not no te ve.
The negative imperative, 2nd person fam. uses the subjunctive. I ve made that mistake before.
 
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Chip00

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Hi Chip. Wow I feel pretty accomplished helping you!!

Ir = to go

Irse = to go away

While not truly reflexive, Me voy = Yo me voy = Yo salgo - I go away

Te vas = Tu te vas = Tu sales = you go away

etc.

Similarly, no bamo, or nos vamos = We are going away.

Hope that helps

Steve

Thanks Steve but I know what the phrases mean already - it's just I don't know why sometimes Dominicans ask "para donde" if you ask them "te vas?"

I think I understand now that it is more of a "set phrase" here as I have seen this "dynamic" with more that one person.
 

juancarlos

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Sep 28, 2003
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?te vas? means "are you leaving? while ?vas a salir? means "are you going out? Irse is more permanent, or sometimes leaving for the day, in other cases when you can't wait any longer for somebody or something and you get up, someone may ask you ?te vas?, "are you leaving?". If you are at home, you took a shower, put on cologne and a new suit, someone may ask the obvious ?vas a salir? are you going out? Those are the main differences I see between the two questions.
 

Mephs

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Thanks Steve but I know what the phrases mean already - it's just I don't know why sometimes Dominicans ask "para donde" if you ask them "te vas?

If they are being sarcastic they will usually respond '?y para donde?', which really means that they don't have anywhere to go at the time. If it is my wife responding that way, it means 'I'm bored and I would really like to go out, but I have nowhere to go and you should be taking me out instead of asking stupid questions'. Bottom line is that when they respond that way it means they are not leaving.

On the other hand, if you ask a cute girl '?nos vamos?' and she respond '?para donde?', it means you just got yourself a date.

Hope that helps.
 

Norma Rosa

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Feb 20, 2007
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Chip
"?Te vas a salir?" is not idiomatic in the situation you want to use it. (However, if you lock up someone, your wife, for example, you might say: I cannot give you the keys because "te vas a salir." Meaning, you are going to let yourself out. "Te" is reflexive.

You may use verb IR (to go)
familiar: ?Te vas? or ?Ya te vas? (Are you leaving already?)
You may use the infinitive in this question: ?Te vas a ir ya? (A bit redundant)

formal: ?Se va?
Verb SALIR (to leave): ?Ya sales?
When you ask if someone is leaving, make sure your voice has the right entonation, because if your voice goes down at the end, it becomes an affirmative statement: "Te vas" =You are leaving. This might prompt someone to reply: Where to? (?A d?nde? ?Para d?nde)

Or are they just being sarcastic with you?
 
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Chip00

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When you ask if someone is leaving, make sure your voice has the right entonation, because if your voice goes down at the end, it becomes an affirmative statement: "Te vas" =You are leaving. This might prompt someone to reply: Where to? (?A d?nde? ?Para d?nde)

Thanks! - this is probably what has been happening. I'll make sure that I do it in such a way that it is a question a partir de hoy.

Also, "entonation" should be "intonation"
 
If they are being sarcastic they will usually respond '?y para donde?', which really means that they don't have anywhere to go at the time. If it is my wife responding that way, it means 'I'm bored and I would really like to go out, but I have nowhere to go and you should be taking me out instead of asking stupid questions'. Bottom line is that when they respond that way it means they are not leaving.

On the other hand, if you ask a cute girl '?nos vamos?' and she respond '?para donde?', it means you just got yourself a date.

Hope that helps.

I couldn't have explain it any better. LOL
 

Kyle

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Jun 2, 2006
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isn't there a bachata song "ya que te vas a ir" or something like that by Domenic M ??
 
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