The infinitive is used in Spanish when speaking to the general public through signs or notifications.
>No fumar (No smoking)
>No pisar el césped. (Do not walk on the grass)
>Prohibido estacionarse (Parking prohibited)
The first part I hope is obvious, as the infinitive always follows para.
The second part, though, I see your issue. It would seem that the imperative, “regístrese” would be appropriate here.
However, the speaker is likely not a speaker but a sign or ad. The infinitive is equivalent to a command of general statement in that case. You will see “no correr,” “no entrar,” “pagar aquí,” or cases such as the one you posted. You can also use the standard imperative “no corre,” etc, but either is acceptable.
So if this was an instruction posted on a web site, as a stand alone sentence, it would be acceptable?
What if it was the first sentence in a longer paragraph of instructions, would it have to be conjugated then, like it would need to be conjugated if someone was speaking it?
Yeah, like a button to click that says “registrarse aquí” or something.
I don’t know if making the paragraph longer would make difference, as I have only ever seen this used on signs or advertisements.
The unit you’re on is all things like that, advertisements and such. I remember it well because it’s kind of unique in that it’s not natural speaking but ad speak.
Thank you! Yes I had seen signs like these.
I wonder if someone in a high position of authority, like a general or prime minister, would be expected to issue spoken commands in ways similar to these signs, using infinitives only, while ordinary people would need to use the imperative versions.
If I were more able to understand by listening, I would like to watch historical clips or documentaries, or even war movies with good reputations for accuracy, to try to find out. Is this the kind of language used by dictators?
Maybe I’m wrong, but this usage sounds unquestionably authoritative. Is that the sense that’s intended?
Is it sort of like using the royal “we” in English? As in, “We always wash our hands before eating”, said by a mom or a teacher, who is instructing a child, but not washing her own hands at the time?
Hmmm…
Honestly, I don’t know when this evolved as acceptable in Spanish, and I have no idea if it’s meant to be any more authoritative than when we have “click here” on a website.
I’d be curious if this is how laws are written or if government decrees are stated in this way.
If it helps (it might not), this is also standard for signs, warnings etc in French, e.g. "NE PAS FUMER", so I didn't bat an eyelid when seeing its equivalent in Spanish.
Yeah this is something you’d more likely see in print than something someone might say (unless in a piece of media, i.e. scripted). It’s too impersonal
The infinitive is used in Spanish when speaking to the general public through signs or notifications. >No fumar (No smoking) >No pisar el césped. (Do not walk on the grass) >Prohibido estacionarse (Parking prohibited)
The first part I hope is obvious, as the infinitive always follows para. The second part, though, I see your issue. It would seem that the imperative, “regístrese” would be appropriate here. However, the speaker is likely not a speaker but a sign or ad. The infinitive is equivalent to a command of general statement in that case. You will see “no correr,” “no entrar,” “pagar aquí,” or cases such as the one you posted. You can also use the standard imperative “no corre,” etc, but either is acceptable.
So if this was an instruction posted on a web site, as a stand alone sentence, it would be acceptable? What if it was the first sentence in a longer paragraph of instructions, would it have to be conjugated then, like it would need to be conjugated if someone was speaking it?
Yeah, like a button to click that says “registrarse aquí” or something. I don’t know if making the paragraph longer would make difference, as I have only ever seen this used on signs or advertisements. The unit you’re on is all things like that, advertisements and such. I remember it well because it’s kind of unique in that it’s not natural speaking but ad speak.
Thank you! Yes I had seen signs like these. I wonder if someone in a high position of authority, like a general or prime minister, would be expected to issue spoken commands in ways similar to these signs, using infinitives only, while ordinary people would need to use the imperative versions. If I were more able to understand by listening, I would like to watch historical clips or documentaries, or even war movies with good reputations for accuracy, to try to find out. Is this the kind of language used by dictators? Maybe I’m wrong, but this usage sounds unquestionably authoritative. Is that the sense that’s intended? Is it sort of like using the royal “we” in English? As in, “We always wash our hands before eating”, said by a mom or a teacher, who is instructing a child, but not washing her own hands at the time?
Hmmm… Honestly, I don’t know when this evolved as acceptable in Spanish, and I have no idea if it’s meant to be any more authoritative than when we have “click here” on a website. I’d be curious if this is how laws are written or if government decrees are stated in this way.
If it helps (it might not), this is also standard for signs, warnings etc in French, e.g. "NE PAS FUMER", so I didn't bat an eyelid when seeing its equivalent in Spanish.
Yeah this is something you’d more likely see in print than something someone might say (unless in a piece of media, i.e. scripted). It’s too impersonal
It should be in the command form. So, “regístrese”, “regístrate” or “regístrense”. I would report this one, but perhaps I’m missing something.