formal 2nd person pronoun (Spanish)

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Spanish uses a formal vs. informal second-person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Spanish Bibles all use only the informal second-person pronoun (tú), with the exception of Dios Habla Hoy (third edition: 1996) which also uses the formal pronoun (usted). In the referenced verses, the formal form is used.

Sources and for more information: P. Ellingworth in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 143ff. and R. Ross in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 217ff.

See also the use of the formal vs. the informal pronoun in the Gospels in Tuvan.

complete verse (Genesis 44:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 44:19:

  • Newari: “[My] Lord asked us like this — ‘Do you have a father and a younger brother?'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (sing.) asked us (excl.) before if we (excl.) still have a father and sibling/(brother),” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?'” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 44:19

My lord asked his servants: My lord is, of course, Joseph, and his servants are the brothers. So the clause means “You asked us….” In the first encounter in chapter 42, Joseph did not ask about their father; but in 43.7 Judah reported to Jacob that the ruler had asked, “Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?”

In some translations this statement is referred back in time to the previous visit: “At an earlier time you asked…” or “On our first trip here you asked….”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .