Question 1

How is using uno here different from using the impersonal se (like in se siente la fatiga)?

Accepted Answer

Both translate to the impersonal 'one' or refer to people in general. However, using uno often implies that the speaker is personally involved or has experienced it firsthand (i.e., the speaker has drilled stone before and knows how tiring it is). The impersonal se is a bit more detached or objective.

Question 2

If a woman is speaking, should she say una siente instead of uno siente?

Accepted Answer

Yes, she certainly can! While uno is the standard neutral default for general statements, female speakers often use una for impersonal references when they are including themselves in that generalization.

Question 3

Why doesn't the sentence use an article before the subject, like El perforar?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, the infinitive verb (perforar) functions perfectly as a noun on its own, acting as the subject just like the English '-ing' gerund ('drilling'). You can add the masculine article (El perforar), but it makes the sentence sound much more formal or literary. In everyday Spanish, just starting with the infinitive is preferred.

Question 4

Is extenuante a cognate for the English word 'extenuating'?

Accepted Answer

They share a root, but they are false friends! In Spanish, extenuante means 'exhausting,' 'draining,' or 'grueling.' If you want to say 'extenuating' in a legal or formal sense (like 'extenuating circumstances'), you would use the word atenuante.

Perforar la piedra es extenuante y uno siente la fatiga.

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