Responsible Paraphrasing and Citation | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Me preocupa que mis paráfrasis se mantengan demasiado cerca de las fuentes.

   I worry that my paraphrases stay too close to the sources.

   Me preocupa

   I worry

   paráfrasis

   paraphrases

   se mantengan

   stay / remain

   demasiado

   too

   cerca

   close

   fuentes

   sources

   More detail

   Me preocupa means “I worry” here. Spanish uses preocupar with the thing causing concern as the grammatical subject and an object pronoun for the person affected: me means “to me,” while preocupa is the present-tense third-person singular form agreeing with the following idea. A useful pattern is Me preocupa que + subjunctive: Me preocupa que llegue tarde = “I worry that he/she will arrive late.” paráfrasis is the noun “paraphrase.” In this sentence it is plural, as shown by mis; the written noun form is the same in the singular and plural, while the determiner changes: mi paráfrasis / mis paráfrasis. It is the subject of se mantengan. se mantengan means “stay/remain.” Mantengan is the third-person plural present subjunctive form of mantener, used here after Me preocupa que; se forms the pronominal construction mantenerse, “to remain.” The plural form agrees with mis paráfrasis: Me preocupa que las ideas se mantengan claras = “I worry that the ideas remain clear.” demasiado means “too” in this context and intensifies the following description. It signals an excessive degree, not merely a high degree: demasiado lejos = “too far.” cerca means “close” or “near.” In cerca de, it expresses proximity to something: El libro está cerca de la puerta = “The book is near the door.” Here demasiado cerca means “too close.” fuentes means “sources.” It is the plural of fuente; the plural ending -s is visible here. The preposition de in cerca de las fuentes identifies what the paraphrases are close to. Together, Me preocupa que introduces the content of the worry, mis paráfrasis se mantengan says that the paraphrases remain in that state, and demasiado cerca de las fuentes specifies the excessive proximity. The whole utterance means: “I worry that my paraphrases stay too close to the sources.”

2. Una prueba útil es comprobar si ha cambiado la estructura de la oración.

   A useful test is whether the sentence structure has changed.

   prueba

   test

   útil

   useful

   comprobar

   to check

   ha cambiado

   has changed

   estructura

   structure

   oración

   sentence

   More detail

   prueba means “test” here: a method used to evaluate something. It is a feminine noun, as shown by una prueba; the indefinite article marks an unspecified test, not necessarily one test as a numerical count. Example: La prueba funciona. — “The test works.” útil means “useful” and describes prueba. This adjective has the same form with masculine and feminine singular nouns: un método útil, una prueba útil. Its plural is útiles. comprobar is the infinitive “to check” or “to verify.” After es, the infinitive presents the activity that defines the test: Una forma de aprender es practicar. — “One way to learn is to practise.” It is different from probar, which can mean “to try” or “to test”; comprobar focuses on checking whether something is true or has happened. ha cambiado means “has changed.” ha is the third-person singular present form of haber, used here as an auxiliary, and cambiado is the past participle of cambiar. Together they form the present perfect: ha cambiado describes a change completed by the relevant point in the present. The subject here is la estructura de la oración, so the singular form ha is appropriate. Example: La situación ha cambiado. — “The situation has changed.” estructura means “structure,” here referring to how the sentence is organized. It is a feminine noun: la estructura. A useful pattern is la estructura de + noun, meaning “the structure of + noun.” oración means “sentence” in this context. It is a feminine noun, la oración, and the written accent is part of the spelling. In Spanish, oración can have other meanings in other contexts, including “prayer,” but the surrounding phrase la estructura de la oración clearly gives the sentence-related meaning here. The construction comprobar si means “to check whether/if.” si introduces the point being checked; it is not the conditional conjunction “if” in a hypothetical condition here. The clause ha cambiado la estructura de la oración asks whether the sentence structure has changed. In the full utterance, Una prueba útil es presents a useful test, and comprobar si... identifies the test itself: “A useful test is to check whether the sentence structure has changed.”

3. A veces cambio el vocabulario, pero mantengo la lógica original.

   Sometimes I change vocabulary but keep the original logic.

   A veces

   sometimes

   cambio

   change

   el vocabulario

   the vocabulary

   pero

   but

   mantengo

   keep; maintain

   la lógica

   the logic

   original

   original

   More detail

   A veces means “sometimes” and places the action in an occasional, repeated pattern rather than describing one specific occasion. It is a reusable time expression: A veces + verb (“Sometimes + verb”). cambio is the first-person singular present form of cambiar, “to change.” Here it means “I change,” with the speaker as the actor. Compare cambio (“I change”) with cambias (“you change”); the ending identifies the person in this present-tense form. el vocabulario means “the vocabulary.” Vocabulario is a masculine singular noun, so it appears with el here. The article marks the noun phrase as definite; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. A useful related noun is la palabra, “the word,” but it refers to an individual word rather than vocabulary as a body of words. pero connects two clauses in contrast and means “but.” It does not cancel the first clause: the speaker changes the vocabulary and states that another property is kept. mantengo is the first-person singular present form of mantener, “to keep” or “to maintain.” It means “I keep/maintain” here. This is an irregular form: the base is mantener, but the first-person present form is mantengo, not a regular first-person form. Compare mantengo la estructura (“I maintain the structure”) with mantienen la estructura (“they maintain the structure”). la lógica means “the logic.” Lógica is a feminine singular noun, which is why the definite article is la. In this sentence it refers to the logic being preserved, without specifying further what that logic consists of. original describes la lógica and means “original.” It is a singular adjective agreeing with the singular noun lógica; its form is the same for masculine and feminine singular nouns, while the plural form is originales. For example, el texto original means “the original text,” and las ideas originales means “the original ideas.” Together, A veces cambio el vocabulario means “Sometimes I change the vocabulary.” Pero mantengo la lógica original contrasts that change with what remains preserved: “but I keep the original logic.” Thus the complete utterance is: “Sometimes I change the vocabulary, but I keep the original logic.”

4. Entonces, la paráfrasis todavía puede depender demasiado de la fuente.

   Then the paraphrase may still depend too heavily on the source.

   Entonces

   Then

   paráfrasis

   paraphrase

   todavía

   still

   puede

   may

   depender

   depend

   demasiado

   too much; too heavily

   fuente

   source

   More detail

   Entonces connects this statement to what came before. Here it means “then,” introducing the resulting point: “Then, …” It can also mean “so” in other contexts. paráfrasis is a feminine noun meaning “paraphrase.” The accent mark is part of the spelling. Its plural is paráfrasis, so the singular and plural forms are written alike; the article or surrounding agreement can show the number. todavía means “still” here: the possibility remains at this stage. It is different from ya (“already” or, in some contexts, “now”), as in Todavía espera. — “He/She is still waiting.” puede comes from poder and is the present-tense third-person singular form. In puede depender, it acts as a modal before an infinitive and expresses possibility: “may/can depend.” The form agrees with the singular subject la paráfrasis; it is not a command. For example, El texto puede cambiar. — “The text may change.” depender is the infinitive “to depend.” Spanish uses the construction depender de (“to depend on”), so the preposition de introduces what the dependence is on. For example, El resultado depende del contexto. — “The result depends on the context.” demasiado is an adverb here, modifying depender and expressing excess: “too much” or “too heavily.” It does not mean that the source itself is excessive; it says that the paraphrase relies on it to an excessive degree. fuente is a feminine noun meaning “source.” In this sentence, la fuente is the source on which the paraphrase may depend. The article la marks feminine singular agreement; it does not by itself specify what kind of source it is. Together, la paráfrasis todavía puede depender demasiado de la fuente means “the paraphrase may still depend too heavily on the source.” puede expresses the possibility, todavía says that this remains possible, and demasiado evaluates the degree of its dependence. The full utterance is therefore: “Then, the paraphrase may still depend too heavily on the source.”

5. Probablemente debería cerrar el artículo antes de redactar.

   I should probably close the article before drafting.

   Probablemente

   probably

   debería

   should

   cerrar

   to close

   artículo

   article

   antes de

   before

   redactar

   to draft

   More detail

   Probablemente is an adverb meaning “probably.” At the beginning here, it qualifies the whole statement and makes it probable rather than certain. Example: Probablemente llegará mañana. — “He/She will probably arrive tomorrow.” debería is the conditional form of deber. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as first-person singular: “I should.” The same written form can also represent third-person singular or usted in other contexts, so the surrounding subject or context determines that reading. deber + an infinitive expresses obligation or an advisable action; the conditional makes the recommendation less direct than a plain present form. Example: Debería descansar. — “I should rest.” cerrar is the infinitive “to close.” After debería, it names the action that the speaker considers advisable. With a document such as an article, cerrar can mean bringing it to a finished or closed state, matching “close” here. Example: Debo cerrar el archivo. — “I must close the file.” artículo is the singular noun “article.” In this sentence, it is the direct object of cerrar, and el artículo is a singular masculine noun phrase. The plural is artículos: Los artículos están listos. — “The articles are ready.” antes de is the reusable pattern “before.” When the following action is expressed with an infinitive, the pattern is antes de + infinitive. Here, antes de redactar places drafting after the closing action in the relevant sequence, while the understood subject is the same speaker. Example: Antes de salir, debo llamar. — “Before leaving, I must call.” redactar is the infinitive “to draft” or “to write” a text. It is the action placed after antes de here. Example: Necesito redactar el informe. — “I need to draft the report.” Together, debería cerrar el artículo says that the speaker considers closing the article advisable. antes de redactar adds the time order: the closing should happen before the drafting. The complete meaning is “I should probably close the article before drafting.”

6. Eso puede obligarte a reconstruir la idea con tus propias palabras.

   That can force you to reconstruct the idea in your own terms.

   Eso

   That

   puede

   can

   obligarte

   force you

   reconstruir

   reconstruct

   idea

   idea

   propias

   own

   palabras

   words

   More detail

   Eso means “that” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun referring to something already understood from the situation or text; the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific referent. Its form is singular and neuter, so it does not name a particular masculine or feminine noun. puede is the present form of poder for a third-person singular subject. In this sentence, poder expresses possibility or ability: “can.” A useful pattern is puede + infinitive, as in Puede ayudar (“It can help”). The following infinitives remain unchanged after this verb. obligarte combines the infinitive obligar (“to force”) with the attached direct-object pronoun te (“you,” singular informal). The -te is written together with an infinitive: obligar → obligarte. This says that the person being forced is you; it does not identify who or what performs the forcing beyond the singular subject represented by Eso. reconstruir is an infinitive meaning “to reconstruct” or “to rebuild.” Here it follows obligarte a, giving the reusable pattern obligar a alguien a + infinitive: obligarte a reconstruir means “to force you to reconstruct.” The first a introduces the required action, not a destination. idea is a feminine singular noun meaning “idea.” In the fixed sentence it appears with the definite article in the phrase la idea, as the direct object of reconstruir. The plural is ideas. propias is the feminine plural form of the adjective propio (“own”). It agrees with palabras, not with idea: propia is feminine singular, and propias is feminine plural. In tus propias palabras, it emphasizes that the words belong to or are chosen by “you.” palabras is the feminine plural noun palabra (“word”). The singular is palabra; the plural is formed by adding -s. In this sentence, con tus propias palabras means “in your own words,” describing the form in which the idea is reconstructed. Tus is the possessive form used with a plural possessed noun such as palabras; it does not itself state how many words there are. Together, Eso puede gives “That can,” obligarte a reconstruir gives “force you to reconstruct,” and la idea con tus propias palabras gives “the idea in your own words.” The complete meaning is: “That can force you to reconstruct the idea in your own terms.”

7. También debería citar las afirmaciones aunque la redacción sea diferente.

   I should also cite claims even when the wording differs.

   También

   also

   debería

   should

   citar

   to cite

   afirmaciones

   claims

   aunque

   even when

   redacción

   wording

   sea

   is

   diferente

   different

   More detail

   También adds this action to another relevant action: “also” or “too.” It does not replace the earlier action. Example: También leo el informe. — “I also read the report.” debería is the first-person singular conditional of deber here: deber → debería (“I should”). In this sentence it expresses what the speaker considers advisable or appropriate, not a simple present obligation. The conditional form changes with the subject: debería is “I/he/she/you formal should” depending on context, while the fixed translation identifies the intended subject as “I.” citar is an infinitive meaning “to cite.” It follows debería as the action that is advisable. After a conjugated form of deber, Spanish uses the infinitive: Debería revisar la fuente. — “I should check the source.” las afirmaciones means “the claims.” afirmaciones is the plural of the feminine noun afirmación; the article las and the noun show feminine plural agreement. The definite article presents the claims as identifiable in context, without by itself specifying how many there are. Example: Cito las afirmaciones principales. — “I cite the main claims.” aunque introduces a concession: “even when” or “although.” It keeps the condition in view rather than excluding it. Here it introduces the situation in which the wording differs. redacción is a feminine singular noun meaning “wording” or “formulation.” In this sentence it refers to how something is written, not to the underlying claims. The plural is redacciones when referring to multiple formulations. Example: La redacción es clara. — “The wording is clear.” sea is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of ser, “to be.” The subjunctive appears because aunque introduces a possible or concessive circumstance here: aunque la redacción sea diferente — “even when the wording is different.” sea agrees with singular la redacción; it is not a command. diferente is an adjective meaning “different.” It agrees with singular redacción in number. Its plural form is diferentes, as in redacciones diferentes (“different wordings”); the singular form does not show a masculine/feminine spelling contrast here. Together, También debería citar means “I should also cite,” and las afirmaciones identifies what should be cited. aunque la redacción sea diferente adds the concession that this remains appropriate even when the wording is different. The complete meaning is: “I should also cite claims even when the wording differs.”

8. Eso es esencial, porque las ideas también requieren atribución.

   That is essential, because ideas require attribution too.

   Eso

   That

   esencial

   essential

   porque

   because

   ideas

   ideas

   también

   also; too

   requieren

   require

   atribución

   attribution

   More detail

   Eso means “that” and is a demonstrative pronoun referring to an already established matter or situation. Here the translation supports a reference to something previously discussed; it does not identify a specific noun. Its neuter form presents a matter or proposition rather than referring to a masculine or feminine noun. esencial means “essential” here. It is an adjective used after es to describe eso. Esencial has the same form with singular masculine and feminine nouns, and Spanish does not give it a separate neuter form. Example: La precisión es esencial. — “Accuracy is essential.” porque introduces the reason for the preceding statement: “because.” It connects the claim that something is essential with its explanation. Example: Es importante porque ayuda. — “It is important because it helps.” ideas means “ideas.” The surrounding article las shows that this noun is feminine plural; the noun itself is the plural form of idea. Example: Las ideas cambian. — “Ideas change.” también means “also” or “too.” It adds this requirement or fact without excluding other requirements or facts. Example: Las fuentes también importan. — “Sources matter too.” requieren means “require.” It is the present indicative form of requerir for a third-person plural subject, here las ideas: las ideas requieren. Example: Los informes requieren revisión. — “Reports require review.” atribución means “attribution,” the acknowledgment of the source or creator of material. It is a feminine singular noun; the form commonly appears with la, as in la atribución. Example: La cita incluye atribución. — “The quotation includes attribution.” Together, Eso es esencial says “That is essential.” porque then introduces the reason, las ideas también requieren atribución: “because ideas require attribution too.” The whole utterance is therefore: “That is essential, because ideas require attribution too.”