# It is you that sometimes doesn't listen to me



## Pilar Polledo

Hello everybody,

Which is the correct one:?

"It is you that sometimes *doesn't* listen to me"

"It is you that sometimes *don't* listen to me"


Thanks.


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## Alicia Translator

i'd say DOESNT, but im not a native speaker...


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## eric crowder

Pilar.
It is you that sometimes doesn´t listen to me.
It is you that sometimes does not listen to me


By the way who´s having the argument!!!! ja ja

Eric


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## Pilar Polledo

Thanks Alicia and Eric, but ... Any explanation of why *'does'* instead of *'do'*??

Eric, of course I am having the argument with a MAN (why the hell men never listen to women?)


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## Alicia Translator

The reason why:

"It is you that sometimes *doesn't* listen to me"

the subject of the sentence is THAT, meaning, 3rd person singular, thus: doesn't!

Es igual que en español:

Eres tú quien a veces no me escucha! CORRECTO
Eres tú quien a veces no me escuchas!* es incorrecto

exactamente por la misma razón, el sujeto de escuchar es "quien"

Q aprenda tu hombre!


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## Residente Calle 13

To me, a native of US English, it would seem more natural to say:

*You're the one who doesn't listen to me.*

Especially in an argument.
*
Doesn't *agrees with _*the one*_ (third person).


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## Pilar Polledo

Residente Calle 13 said:
			
		

> To me, a native of US English, it would seem more natural to say:
> 
> *You're the one who doesn't listen to me.*
> 
> Especially in an argument.
> 
> _*Doesn't *_agrees with _*the one*_ (third person).


 
Thanks Residente Calle 13, I know there are a lot of ways of saying that but I want to use the expression just like it appears ("It is ....... that..."). So, can you help me with my question?


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## Residente Calle 13

Pilar Polledo said:
			
		

> Thanks Residente Calle 13, I know there are a lot of ways of saying that but I want to use the expression just like it appears ("It is ....... that..."). So, can you help me with my question?



My guess would be "It's you who is doesn't listen to me."

doesn't agrees with who (who is in the third person).
*
who doesn't listen to me *agrees in the third person for the same reason*the man who loves me does*.

But I must repeat, this sounds very stuffy to me. Like something Prince Charles would say with a very stiff upper lip.


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## vince

Pilar Polledo said:
			
		

> Hello everybody,
> 
> Which is the correct one:?
> 
> "It is you that sometimes *doesn't* listen to me"
> 
> "It is you that sometimes *don't* listen to me"
> 
> 
> Thanks.


What context is this statement in?

I can't think of a situation off hand where this type of construction would be used. In most cases, what Residente Calle 13 said seems most natural: "*You're the one who doesn't listen to me."*. "it is you that" is not a very common way of speaking in English, although it is grammatically correct.


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## bout_de_souffle

I agree with Vince that this construction is a bit odd... it's a little *antiquated *in English. This phrase would sound good in the context of Victorian England or something similar.


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## Alicia Translator

Actually, since the person who asked the question is Spanish, I think the problem here is that she translated directly from Spanish into English (Eres tú el que no me escucha), so that might be why it sounds odd in the first place.


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## Pilar Polledo

Alicia Translator said:
			
		

> Actually, since the person who asked the question is Spanish, I think the problem here is that she translated directly from Spanish into English (Eres tú el que no me escucha), so that might be why it sounds odd in the first place.


 
Well, I didn't translated it directly from Spanish into English and, even so, as you said before, it is the same structure in Spanish than in English (although it could be the English of my dear Prince Charles).

My doubt wasn't about the structure, but about the subject of that sentence. I know it is a not a very colloquial structure, but sometimes you can find it:

'It was then that Vicent Van Gogh began to draw the miners and their families.'

'It was Theo who, as a dealer, introduced thim to artists like Gauguin, Pissarro, Seurat and Tolouse-Lautrec'

'It is Van Gogh's paintings that fetch the highest prices in auctions today' 

(Adapted from The Bulfinch Guide to Art History)


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## Alicia Translator

apologies! i take back my words!


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## germinal

Pilar Polledo said:
			
		

> Hello everybody,
> 
> Which is the correct one:?
> 
> "It is you that sometimes *doesn't* listen to me"
> 
> "It is you that sometimes *don't* listen to me"
> 
> 
> Thanks.
> [/quote
> 
> 
> If you change it slightly and say: You are the one who sometimes doesn't listen! it will sound more natural I think.


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## eric crowder

Pilar
For Do to work in this context you would need to say (as all women do!!!)
"Why DO YOU never ( ever ever ever ! ) listen to me!!! "   bracketed words are usually inserted in an ever increasing high pitched voice! 
I think Pilar it would be worth telling everyone that an argument is going on and the man says " Why is it that you sometimes never listen to me? "
and the woman of course can´t resist having the last word and says in a rising voice "It is YOU who sometimes doesn´t  listen to me. I´ve really  really got a headache tonight! "
Or some thing like that ! ja ja


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## unicito

Alicia Translator cuando dices que fue traducido directamente del ingles al espanol a que especificamente te refieres, cuantas clases de traduccion tu conoces, dedusco entonces que la mejor forma es una traduccion indirecta, cual es esa forma de traduccion indirecta?


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## Alicia Translator

Con traducción directa me refiero a palabra por palabra, con el resultado que no queda natural en el idioma meta. Así de pronto, un ejemplo....

"A mí me encanta el helado de fresa que hace tu madre"
"To me I love the ice cream of strawberry that does your mother"

jajjaja, qué mal suena por dios...

A eso me refiero con traducción directa. La traducción tiene que ser idiomática, es decir, que suene natural en la lengua meta y no "huela" a traducción.


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## forever delayed

eric crowder said:
			
		

> I think Pilar it would be worth telling everyone that an argument is going on and the man says " Why is it that you sometimes never listen to me? "
> and the woman of course can´t resist having the last word and says in a rising voice "It is *YOU* who sometimes doesn´t listen to me. I´ve really really got a headache tonight! "


I totally agree with you. In that context it seems like a natural thing to say and definitely not antiquated or like a direct translation from Spanish.
IMHO.


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## Inés06

Pilar Polledo said:
			
		

> Well, I didn't translated it directly from Spanish into English and, even so, as you said before, it is the same structure in Spanish than in English (although it could be the English of my dear Prince Charles).
> 
> My doubt wasn't about the structure, but about the subject of that sentence. I know it is a not a very colloquial structure, but sometimes you can find it:
> 
> 'It was then that Vicent Van Gogh began to draw the miners and their families.'
> 
> 'It was Theo who, as a dealer, introduced thim to artists like Gauguin, Pissarro, Seurat and Tolouse-Lautrec'
> 
> 'It is Van Gogh's paintings that fetch the highest prices in auctions today'
> 
> (Adapted from The Bulfinch Guide to Art History)


 
Hola Pilar,
Si te fijas en tus ejemplos, usas that cuando te refieres a "algo", y who cuando te refieres a "alguien".
Entonces no deberías decir "it is you that", sino "it is you who", y luego el verbo concordando con el "who", es decir, tercera persona de singular.


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## forever delayed

Hola Inés, que yo sepa, tanto "it is you _that_" como "it is you _who_" son correctos para referirse a "alguien", aunque estoy de acuerdo en que suele sonar mejor usar "it is you *who*".


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## Inés06

Bueno, siempre hay varias formas correctas de decir algo, pero normalmente hay una que suena más natural... No quería decir que "it's you that" sea incorrecto, pero a mí me suena mejor "it's you who"...

Aunque como no soy nativa, reconozco que no puedo opinar demasiado...


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## forever delayed

Claro que puedes opinar siendo no nativa , y estoy de acuerdo contigo en que suele sonar mejor "it is you who" que "it is you that", pero sólo quería aclarar que los dos formas son correctas (...que me corrija un gramático si no es así =p) y que "it is you that" no suena raro, al menos para mí.


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## Inés06

Entonces estamos de acuerdo.


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## Pilar Polledo

Inés06 said:
			
		

> Si te fijas en tus ejemplos, usas that cuando te refieres a "algo", y who cuando te refieres a "alguien". Entonces no deberías decir "it is you that", sino "it is you who"


 
Efectivamente, Inés; El ‘that’ lo puedes usar siempre, y el ‘who’ sólo para personas, con lo cual las frases anteriores, que no cierto no las he inventado yo, son sacadas del texto al que hago referencia, están bien.


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## estudioso

_It__ is you who does not listen/It is you that does not listen_ suena anticuado, pero:

_*It's you that/who doesn't listen*_

Sería bastante común, si bien un poco frío, y totalmente admisible.

Como ya se ha dicho, es mejor el _who_.

Además

_*It's you that don't listen*_aunque es incorrecto gramaticalmente, y suena horroroso a los angloparlantes más refinados, incluso esto se dice en algunos dialectos.  en el mío, por cierto, el neoyorquino, así se dice.  desde luego, es algo que he dicho a varios miembros de mi familia bastantes veces.


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## natasha2000

Residente Calle 13 said:
			
		

> To me, a native of US English, it would seem more natural to say:
> 
> *You're the one who doesn't listen to me.*
> 
> Especially in an argument.
> 
> _*Doesn't *_agrees with _*the one*_ (third person).


 
This was exactly my first thought when I read the first post... (Although I am not a native speaker...)

Although, I would say that *doesn't* reffers to WHO and not to THE ONE.....


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