# How does "Yoda speak" translate to spanish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380 "2009-08-05T02:22:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/1 "2009-08-05T02:22:39Z")
More normal, does he sound? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/2 "2009-08-05T02:42:09Z")
There’s some Yoda quotes in this [Spanish Wiki](http://es.wikiquote.org/wiki/La_Guerra_de_las_Galaxias) Here’s a few examples in which Yoda reverses normal word order, as in English: > [@](#): > > “Sin duda, maravillosa la mente de un niño es” —Yoda refiriéndose a la respuesta de un pequeño padawan. “Surely, marvelous the mind of a child is.” > [@](#): > > “El miedo a la pérdida un camino hacia el lado oscuro es” —Yoda “Fear of loss a road to the dark side is.” > [@](#): > > “Difícil de ver el futuro es” —Maestro Yoda a Anakin Skywalker “Difficult to see the future is.” Many more are like that. So sound more normal does he not. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/3 "2009-08-05T03:07:57Z")
Ditto with Colibrí. Also, Spanish is, like English, a mostly Subject-Verb-Object language (SVO), the OSV structure is poetical an rarely if ever used in conversation ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/4 "2009-08-05T03:24:06Z")
How would you translate him to Latin? Word order doesn’t really matter there, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/5 "2009-08-05T17:39:49Z")
Well, it matters some, in that word order usually changes the emphasis, and at least some attention to word order is necessary to match adjectives up with the correct nouns, and such. But the construction itself wouldn’t seem ungrammatical. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/6 "2009-08-05T18:58:55Z")
How about German, where the verb is often at the end placed? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/7 "2009-08-05T21:03:32Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > How would you translate him to Latin? Word order doesn’t really matter there, does it? Latin is normally a SOV syntax – while inversions are not uncommon for appropriate effect, normal non-_esse_ sentences will be in SOV construction as a general rule. (X=Y sentences using ofrms of _esse_ are the same as in English, SVO). _Magister Ioda Ordinis Diediensis_ would probably use a OSV syntax. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/8 "2009-08-05T22:15:11Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > How about German, where the verb is often at the end placed? I believe you “How about German, where the verb often at the end placed is?” mean. Or perhaps, “I you “How about German, where the verb often at the end placed is?” mean believe.” ? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/9 "2009-08-06T12:41:38Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I believe you “How about German, where the verb often at the end placed is?” mean. > > Or perhaps, “I you “How about German, where the verb often at the end placed is?” mean believe.” ? Much better that is. Germans on this board are there? Perhaps enlighten us as to how Yoda was translated they can. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/10 "2009-08-06T13:52:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, it matters some, in that word order usually changes the emphasis, and at least some attention to word order is necessary to match adjectives up with the correct nouns, and such. But the construction itself wouldn’t seem ungrammatical. Grammatical errors in Latin not involving word order, one can make, I think. Make you sound like an alien (or barbarian) they could. But that like a Yiddish grandfather they would make you sound, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/11 "2009-08-06T15:41:10Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Much better that is. Germans on this board are there? Perhaps enlighten us as to how Yoda was translated they can. Much the same as in the English, the inversions are. Unusual emphasis or a poetical style, rather than faulty grammar, the impression is. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/12 "2009-08-06T15:57:21Z")
Weird, the structure, syntactical (of course), sentences, despite their intelligibility, can have. ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/13 "2009-08-06T17:56:13Z")
Alphabetical intelligibility is is preserved syntax used when? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/14 "2009-08-06T18:06:31Z")
Aches, my head does. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/15 "2009-08-06T19:00:14Z")
> [@EdwardLost](#): > > Alphabetical intelligibility is is preserved syntax used when? For short sentences in context read, preserved intelligibility is. (Yoda’s voice in my head is, every time sentences like this I read.) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/16 "2009-08-06T21:52:50Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > But that like a Yiddish grandfather they would make you sound, not so much. This to mention, I came in for. A normal sounding Yoda, you want? Yiddish you should speak. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/17 "2009-08-06T21:59:06Z")
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! (palate cleanser) ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-yoda-speak-translate-to-spanish/505380/18 "2009-08-07T04:11:31Z")
"Inigo Montoya my name is. Kill my father you did. Die. Mmm. Prepare, you should." Nope, Yoda doesn’t sound any more normal in Spanish.