# explain me how could I / how I could....



## gantolu

Which one is the correct one?

please could you explain me how *could I get* a invitation for this fair?

please could you explain me how *I could get* a invitation for this fair?

I am looking forward getting any answer! 

thank you!


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## paiane

Yo iría a por la segunda:

Please could you explain me how I could get an invitation for this fair?

Sería como si preguntaras:

Please could you explain me something?
and this something is "how I could get an invitation"

El primer could es el que empieza la pregunta, la frase de la invitación queda subordinada o está dentro de la pregunta general.
Con tu primera opción estás construiendo una pregunta dentro de una pregunta lo cual no es correcto.

A native speaker might expain it in a better way


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## jemain

Creo que la segunda es más correcta, pero no estoy del todo seguro.


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## gantolu

paiane said:


> Yo iría a por la segunda:
> 
> Please could you explain me how I could get an invitation for this fair?
> 
> Sería como si preguntaras:
> 
> Please could you explain me something?
> and this something is "how I could get an invitation"
> 
> El primer could es el que empieza la pregunta, la frase de la invitación queda subordinada o está dentro de la pregunta general.
> Con tu primera opción estás construiendo una pregunta dentro de una pregunta lo cual no es correcto.
> 
> A native speaker might expain it in a better way



Muy interesante tu planteamiento la verdad, pero como bien dices a ver que opina un nativo....


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## Lilith Moore

paiane said:


> Yo iría a por la segunda:
> 
> Please could you explain me how I could get an invitation for this fair?
> 
> Sería como si preguntaras:
> 
> Please could you explain me something?
> and this something is "how I could get an invitation"
> 
> El primer could es el que empieza la pregunta, la frase de la invitación queda subordinada o está dentro de la pregunta general.
> Con tu primera opción estás construiendo una pregunta dentro de una pregunta lo cual no es correcto.
> 
> A native speaker might expain it in a better way



Completamente de acuerdo con tu opinión, la correcta sería la segunda opción. Sin embargo, yo también añadiría 'to' después del verbo 'explain': 'Please, could you explain *to* me how I could get an invitation for this fair?'

Otra pequeña anotación es sobre el verbo 'to look forward to'. Cuando se utiliza este verbo hay que mantener las tres palabras que lo componen, así que tu última frase quedaría: 'I am looking forward *to *getting any answer'. 

Hope it helps!


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## sound shift

Sí, la segunda opción es la correcta, en la versión propuesta por Lilith Moore: "Please could you explain *to *me how I could get an invitation to .."


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## Twist-ful

Concuerdo completamente con todo los que han dicho los demás foreros. La segunda opción es la correcta ya que se trata de una pregunta indirecta, con la estructura sujeto + verbo conjugado.

También, el verbo _to explain_ se debe usar con la preposición _to_, _Could you explain *to* me_.


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## JennyTW

Twist-ful said:


> Concuerdo completamente con todo los que han dicho los demás foreros. La segunda opción es la correcta ya que se trata de una pregunta indirecta, con la estructura sujeto + verbo conjugado.
> 
> También, el verbo _to explain_ se debe usar con la preposición _to_, _Could you explain *to* me_.



De aciuerdo con lo de arriba, pero ya que la pregunta queda un poco larga, ofrezco las siguientes opciones;

Please could you explain how to get an invitation for this fair? (O .....how I could get...)

Please could you tell me how to get an invitation for this fair? (O ......how I could get,,,,)


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## gantolu

Gracias a todos!!!


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## wordcrafter82

La segunda es correcta, la primera no es que con no es correcta pero muy raro usar una pauta cordial como 'Please could you explain' con la pregunta directa, solo usarías "how could I get an invitation" pero bueno aunque esté mal usado, sí que se dice.

please could you explain me, how *could I get* an invitation for this fair?

La forma formal usamos estas pautas como 'Please,excuse me, I was wondering' para una petición cordial, y en la forma cordial simpre usamos la forma indirecta que es cambiar el sujeto para delante del verbo. Perro es una pregunta indirecta entonces no lleva signo de interrogación.

please could you explain me, how *I could get* an invitation for this fair.

También es importante el usa de las comas.


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## paiane

wordcrafter82 said:


> La segunda es correcta, la primera no es que con no es correcta pero muy raro usar una pauta cordial como 'Please could you explain' con la pregunta directa, solo usarías "how could I get an invitation" pero bueno aunque esté mal usado, sí que se dice.
> 
> please could you explain me, how *could I get* an invitation for this fair?
> 
> La forma formal usamos estas pautas como 'Please,excuse me, I was wondering' para una petición cordial, y en la forma cordial simpre usamos la forma indirecta que es cambiar el sujeto para delante del verbo. Perro es una pregunta indirecta entonces no lleva signo de interrogación.
> 
> please could you explain me, how *I could get* an invitation for this fair.
> 
> También es importante el usa de las comas.




Puedes omitir el "to"?
Es decir "could you explain me" instead of "could you explain to me"
¿?


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## wordcrafter82

paiane said:


> Puedes omitir el "to"?
> Es decir "could you explain me" instead of "could you explain to me"
> ¿?



Tienes razón no es un verbo indirecto como tell es como say. Entoces hay que usar el 'to'

 "please could you explain to me"


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## klp5d

The first 'could' is a polite way of asking someone to do something.  Could you .....??? Rather than saying "Can you??  Both are correct but to me 'could' is bit more polite.  Why are you stating that "no es correcto?"   I would say "Could you please explain *to *me how I could get an invitation to the fair?"  "Could you please explain *something to me*?"  "How *could I *get an invitation to the fair?"  When you are separating the two sentences it sounds correct to me to put 'could' before 'I'.  I would not say it the other way around.  Also, when using the verb 'explain' remember to put the direct object first than the indirect object.  Explain + direct object + indirect object.   For example "Could you please explain *this *to me?" You need the direct object...unless you are adding another clause.  "Could you please explain to me *how to get to your house*."  This part would be become the direct object (*this*).  Hope this helps!


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## JennyTW

wordcrafter82 said:


> Tienes razón no es un verbo indirecto como tell es como say. Entoces hay que usar el 'to'
> 
> "please could you explain to me"



Sí, es lo que ya se ha dicho en #5, 6 y 7, chicos. ¡Que no estáis atentos!


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## paiane

wordcrafter82 said:


> Tienes razón no es un verbo indirecto como tell es como say. Entoces hay que usar el 'to'
> 
> "please could you explain to me"



Muchas gracias por la aclaración, sólo quería estar seguro de que no me había perdido algo 



klp5d said:


> [...]
> You need the direct object...unless you are adding another clause.  "Could you please explain to me *how to get to your house*."  This part would be become the direct object (*this*).  Hope this helps!



Regarding this quote: could you change the order and say "Could you please explain *how to get to your house* to me." ?


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## JennyTW

paiane said:


> Muchas gracias por la aclaración, sólo quería estar seguro de que no me había perdido algo
> 
> 
> 
> Regarding this quote: could you change the order and say "Could you please explain *how to get to your house* to me." ?


No.


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## paiane

Muchas gracias!


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## Chasint

paiane said:


> ...Regarding this quote: could you change the order and say "Could you please explain *how to get to your house* to me." ?


Usually we don't 'explain' how to get to a house, we 'tell' someone how to get there. The verbs have different meanings and are used differently. For example the verb 'to tell' can be used with two direct objects.

Examples

Can you explain me how to get to your house?   (incorrect)

Can you explain to me how to get to your house?  (correct but doesn't sound like native speech)

Can you tell me how to get to your house?    (correct and idiomatic)


_____________________________________________________________________________________
Difference between 'to tell' and 'to explain'

"Please explain the theory of relativity." 

"Please tell the theory of relativity."


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## paiane

Biffo said:


> Usually we don't 'explain' how to get to a house, we 'tell' someone how to get there. The verbs have different meanings and are used differently. For example the verb 'to tell' can be used with two direct objects.
> 
> Examples
> 
> Can you explain me how to get to your house?   (incorrect)
> 
> Can you explain to me how to get to your house?  (correct but doesn't sound like native speech)
> 
> Can you tell me how to get to your house?    (correct and idiomatic)
> 
> 
> _____________________________________________________________________________________
> Difference between 'to tell' and 'to explain'
> 
> "Please explain the theory of relativity."
> 
> "Please tell the theory of relativity."



Even better, thanks!


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## gringuitoloco

JennyTW said:


> No.


I disagree. "Could you please explain how to get to your house to me?" sounds like what most people would say (around here).


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## JennyTW

gringuitoloco said:


> I disagree. "Could you please explain how to get to your house to me?" sounds like what most people would say (around here).


I find that really surprising. It's just not logical to place "to me" so far away from the verb it's supposed to belong with.


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## gringuitoloco

JennyTW said:


> I find that really surprising. It's just not logical to place "to me" so far away from the verb it's supposed to belong with.


Would you mind explaining that to me?


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## JennyTW

gringuitoloco said:


> Would you mind explaining that to me?



Sure, no problem. The verb is "explain (to me)". If the DO is short we would put it after the verb "explain it/the situation/the problem to me" but if the DO is long, the "to me" would end up too far away. For example;

Could you explain what you think you're going to do with all those old toys in your room to me?

Here (and in the original example, in my opinion) it would be better to say;

Could you explain to me what you think you're going to do with all those old toys in your room?


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## Forero

gringuitoloco said:


> I disagree. "Could you please explain how to get to your house to me?" sounds like what most people would say (around here).


It is a matter of balance. "To me" is shorter, so it sounds better first. That does not make it wrong to put it last.

Compare:

_Could you please explain your name to the people trying to register you?_ ["Your name" is shorter.]
_Could you please explain to them what your name is and what it means in Polish?_ ["to them" is shorter.]


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## JennyTW

Forero said:


> It is a matter of balance. "To me" is shorter, so it sounds better first. That does not make it wrong to put it last.
> 
> Compare:
> 
> _Could you please explain your name to the people trying to register you?_ ["Your name" is shorter.]
> _Could you please explain to them what your name is and what it means in Polish?_ ["to them" is shorter.]



Sure, but in both examples "to ...somebody" comes very shortly after the verb "explain". I'm saying it wouldn't be so normal to say this. 

Could you you please explain what your name is and what it means in Polish TO THEM. 
(What's more, here it's an even more serious mistake because it leads to ambiguity - means in Polish TO THEM - not generally what it means).


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## Rodrigo 3111

Pienso que lo mejor sería, "Could you please tell me how I could get an invitation for this fair?" No es incorecta el orden que tiene, pero en California cuando la primera palabra es "please" tiene el efecto de urgencia o casi como un mandato. Por ejemplo, "Please, I need to get in this fair" o "Please get your feet off the table."  Pienso también que tell me es mejor que explain porque usamos "explain" si conseguir el objeto fuera un proceso más complejo (puede ser que es así). Pero si quiere usar "explain" tiene que decir "explain to me" Otra cosa, si quiere decir "how could I" tiene que usar la coma "Could you please tell me, how could I get an invitation to this fair"


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## gringuitoloco

I usually put the IO before the DO, except when the IO is prepositional. "Give him the ball." "Give the ball to him." I'd still prefer that order, even when the DO is sentential/phrasal. I wouldn't necessarily say it's wrong to put a prepositional IO before the DO in this case, rather that I prefer the other way.


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