"Con que" what does it mean, how to use it Hi, I would really appreciate it if somebody can help me out on this sentence in O Henry's The Ransom of Red Chief. I'm reading it in Spanish (with the Engli

Jun

"Con que" what does it mean, how to use it Hi, I would really appreciate it if somebody can help me out on this sentence in O Henry's The Ransom of Red Chief. I'm reading it in Spanish (with the English original on the side), but can't figure out how the wording is for the following sentence. Volví para desayunar y me encontré con que el chico amenazaba a Bill con golpearlo con una piedra del tamaño de un coco. The English (original) is I went back for breakfast and found the boy threatening to hit Bill with a rock the size of a coconut. I understand the Spanish sentence without the translation, but can't figure out why they use "con que." What does "con que" mean or translate into? What is its function? I would REALLY appreciate an answer! Thank you!

Dec 18, 2017 4:52 AM

Answers · 11

Hi jun, my dictionary says that "encontrarse con que" means "find that". The example is: "Al volver de su viaje, Andrés se encontró con que alguien había dormido en su cama". So I think that the Spanish translation is accurate although the sentence in Spanish is built a bit differently. It says: "I went back for breakfast and *found that* the boy is threatening to hit Bill with a rock the size of a coconut."

December 18, 2017

Hi, I agree with Ado's answer. "Find that" is a simplification that, although it can work to quick or general understanding of the text, it doesn't represent the whole meaning of the "encontrarse con que" expression. If you translate it as "find that" you're losing the unexpected/surprising discovery part of the sentence. I'm learning English but perhaps "find out", "discover" or "realize" are closer than "find that". Regards... Marcelo

December 22, 2017

"Me encontré con que" it is an expression of surprise. Always is used with a sudden event. "I was very surprised to..." A) Under my point of view, the English text doesn't show any surprise, so the right translation would be: "Volví para desayunar y me encontré al chico que amenazaba a Bill con golpearlo con una piedra del tamaño de un coco." B) But if you would like to know how to express this "me encontre con que" in English. I suggest: ""I went back for breakfast and then, I was very surprised to find the boy threatening to hit Bill with a rock the size of a coconut." C) My final conclusion is the translator interpreted the meaning of the sentece and included a very common Spanish expression of surprise.

December 18, 2017

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