Breakdown of Siguen sin domar al lobo, pero adiestran halcones.
pero
but
seguir
to continue
el lobo
wolf
sin
without
al
personal 'a' + the (marks a human direct object)
adiestrar
to train (animals)
el halcón
the falcon
domar
to tame
Questions & Answers about Siguen sin domar al lobo, pero adiestran halcones.
Why is "Siguen sin domar" translated as "They still haven't tamed" instead of using "todavía no"?
The structure seguir sin + infinitive is a very common verbal periphrasis in Spanish. While you could say todavía no han domado, using siguen sin domar emphasizes the continuous, ongoing nature of the negative state. It literally translates to "they continue without taming."
Why is there an "al" (a + el) before "lobo"? Do wild animals take the personal "a"?
If they used "al" for the wolf, why isn't it "a los halcones" for the falcons?
Unlike the specific wolf, halcones here represents an unspecified, generic plural category. When a direct object is an undetermined quantity or a generic class of things/animals, you drop both the personal a and the definite article.
What is the exact difference between the verbs "domar" and "adiestrar" here?
Domar means to tame or break a wild animal, focusing on making a beast docile or manageable. Adiestrar means to train, focusing on teaching an animal specific skills, tricks, or commands. The sentence cleverly contrasts struggling to calm a wild beast with successfully teaching complex skills to birds of prey.
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