# de ha te igen



## favonius

Hi, I was wondering how you would translate "de ha te igen" in this context:


Én nem tudom elképzelni, de ha te igen... Amúgy köszi jól vagyok! És veled mi van?!


Thank you very much!


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## galaxy man

favonius said:


> how you would translate "de ha te igen" in this context:
> Én nem tudom elképzelni, de ha te igen...



I can't imagine [that], but if you can ...


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## Zsanna

My addition to galaxy man's contribution:



galaxy man said:


> I can't imagine [that]/such a thing (we/you had mentioned), but if _you_ can ...(then get on with it/do it, etc.)


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## Ateesh6800

"I cannot imagine this, but if you can..." is the literal translation. Obviously, this is an incomplete sentence. It is incomplete on purpose; the speaker does not want to commit himself or herself openly. So a lot depends on tone and context. It could be an expression to show that the speaker respects the other persons position (de ha te igen, akkor biztos ugy van / but if you can, then I am sure you must be right) or an expression almost provoking the other person (de ha te igen, akkor csinald egyedul / but if you can, then do it on you own, I am not going o be part of it).

Depending on the context, it could be:

"I cannot see this happening, but that is just me."
"I cannot see this happening, but then you obviously can, so..."
"I cannot see this happening, but that does not mean you cannot either, so..."

In other words, it is a piece of spoken language rhetorics that is used very commonly, but the context you give is not clear enough about the situation and therefore one cannot judge what translation would best reflect the implied idea of the speaker. Based on the next sentence, in which the speaker is friendly, I would say the "de ha te igen..." here expresses that the speaker does not agree but has no problems with the difference in opinions. S/he is also changing the topic, so it could be best translated this way:

"I cannot imagine it myself, but hey, if you can.... whatever. Anyway, I am fine, thanks..."

Maybe this clarifies not so much the language but the usage.


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## Zsanna

Ateesh6800 said:


> "I cannot imagine it myself, _but hey_, if you can.... _whatever_. Anyway, I am fine, thanks..."
> 
> Maybe this clarifies not so much the language but the usage.


 
I'm afraid I don't think the suggested register fits the original. 
Your sentence has some _colloquial _terms that the Hungarian doesn't. (Also, the fact that they are American terms, may not help with the  understanding of the use/meaning of the original.)

I would also say that if the sentence is left open, it is probably more in order to put things shortly -- meaning: _you asked for my opinion, here it is, but if you think about it otherwise, just get on with it, it's not a problem_ -- than not wishing to commit oneself (which you wouldn't in such short messages in any case).


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## Ateesh6800

Dear Zsanna,

I agree, there _might be_ a difference in register -- then again, you cannot really say much about the register of the original other than it is rather _informal_: note the informal _"te"_, the incorrect interpunctuation, and the use of a question mark in combination with an exclamation mark at the end of an otherwise less than dramatic sentence. The Hungarian may not have any colloquial _terms_ in it, yet it is obviously _informal and colloquial_ (ie: more akin to _spoken_ than to written language) in its _style_. I wasn't trying just to give a single perfect translation; I wanted the make it explicit that the utterance is indeed _ambiguous_ as it is elliptical.

I don't quite see how American terms can possibly be an _obstacle_ in understanding the explanation -- the explanation I gave was in _English_ (yes, American English) as the question was also asked in English. Am I supposed to be using Her Majesty's English for any reason? 

_"I would also say that if the sentence is left open, it is probably more in order to put things shortly..."_ -- I fully agree. My longer alternatives and my explanation only served the purpose of highlighting that the sentence was elliptical; that this was a solution used commonly in Hungarian spoken discourse; that it could be _polite_ or _provocative_ depending on tone, body language, and context; and that therefore it cannot be determined _exactly_ what the speaker has on his or her mind in this specific sample.

When studying a foreign language, one often assumes that an utterance must be unambiguous and that there must be a single correct translation (or a set of synonymous translations that roughly say the same). I just wanted to highlight that this utterance was _elliptical_ and therefore _ambiguous_ and, accordingly, _the translation also needed to be open and elliptical_. While I am certain that everyone who responded earlier was aware of this ambiguity, that fact of the ambiguity itself was _not_ reflected upon earlier in the thread.

You are right that the sentence may mean _"You asked for my opinion, here it is, but if you think about it otherwise, just get on with it, it's not a problem"_. However, it also may mean _"I disagree and I am not willing to discuss this with you"_:

-- Szia! Hogy vagy? Jobban? Láttam tegnap, milyen ideges voltál.  Szerintem a főnököd ki akar készíteni téged. Simán el tudom képzelni,  láttam már pár húzását.
-- Én nem tudom elképzelni, de ha te igen... Amúgy köszi jól vagyok! És veled mi van?!

The speaker _may_ or _may not_ have wanted to commit himself or herself; nonetheless, the sentence remains open because of a lack of context and supporting evidence (tone, etc.).

As far as _short messages_ vs _commitment_: my shortest ever _fully committed message_ consisted of four letters only: _"Igen"_. 

Thanks for the comment, Zsanna.


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## Zsanna

Thank _you_, Ateesh, for all those explanations.
Here is an example of great brains breaking legs and arms to answer a simple question which may have been needed just for 2 seconds...

We don't even know what sort of a translation was needed (word by word, literal, etc.) and as we have a suspended sentence and know virtually nothing about its context, it can really be almost anything.
(Word by word, however, it is 'but if you yes'.)

I'd wait and see what favonius'll say before going on.


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## Ateesh6800

Re: "I'd wait and see what favonius'll say before going on." -- Exactly my thought.


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