didn’t even get / got not even
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 6:35 pm
Hi people!
In Spanish, there's an expression used when we haven't been able to guess the answer to a riddle, or a multiple choice exercise, or a quiz. If, of all the questions, we haven't even been able to get ONE right, we would say: "No le pegué ni (siquiera) a una", of which I think the English equivalent would be something like: "I didn't/couldn't even get one right" (Any other suggested translations, welcome).
Now, I don't think the translation expresses the meaning I want to convey, since EVEN should be modifying ONE and not GET. I'm having quite a hard time trying to figure out some other options, but I've come up with: "I got not even one right", which sounds rather awkward to me.
Considering that we can't deny twice in English, thus leaving out the combination "I COULDN'T get NOT EVEN* one right", which other option/s would be suitable for this example?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Mara.
In Spanish, there's an expression used when we haven't been able to guess the answer to a riddle, or a multiple choice exercise, or a quiz. If, of all the questions, we haven't even been able to get ONE right, we would say: "No le pegué ni (siquiera) a una", of which I think the English equivalent would be something like: "I didn't/couldn't even get one right" (Any other suggested translations, welcome).
Now, I don't think the translation expresses the meaning I want to convey, since EVEN should be modifying ONE and not GET. I'm having quite a hard time trying to figure out some other options, but I've come up with: "I got not even one right", which sounds rather awkward to me.
Considering that we can't deny twice in English, thus leaving out the combination "I COULDN'T get NOT EVEN* one right", which other option/s would be suitable for this example?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Mara.