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Re: Grammar of "something to do."

From:Roger Mills <romilly@...>
Date:Sunday, March 24, 2002, 22:51
Raymond Brown wrote:
> >I have to agree with William. The Latin for "I have nothing to do" is >surely _Nihil habeo quod faciam_; "they had nothing to eat" _nihil habebant >quod essent_; "I need some to love" _desidero quam amem_ / _desidero quem >amem_ (depending on the sex of the someone).
Aha. A similar construction (with subjunctive) serves in Spanish, for the "someone to love" that I couldn't figure out earlier. Busco a alguien que (yo) ame 'I'm looking for someone [that I may love]' (though it still sounds awkward........) Unless I'm mistaken, there would be a difference between: No tienen nada que comer 'They have nothing to eat' [there is no food] vs. No tienen nada que coman 'They have nothing [that they can eat]' -- there may be ample food, but none that they want.

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William Annis <annis@...>A solution, WAS: Grammar of "something to do."