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  3. Poetry & Literature

Ci voleva lui per farsi dare i tre assegni…?

English translation: Couldn't you get the three cheques without him?

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:Ci voleva lui per farsi dare i tre assegni…?
English translation:Couldn't you get the three cheques without him?
Entered by: Angela Monetta

12:36 May 15, 2009
Italian to English translations [PRO]
Poetry & Literature
Italian term or phrase: Ci voleva lui per farsi dare i tre assegni…?
Si tratta di una conversazione telefonica
Angela Monetta
Italy
Local time: 16:30
Couldn't you get the three cheques without him?
Explanation:
The implication of "ci voleva lui" is that without him it wouldn't have been possible. You can substitute "you" with he, she, they accrding to the context.
Selected response from:

James (Jim) Davis
Seychelles
Local time: 18:30
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7Couldn't you get the three cheques without him?
James (Jim) Davis
3 +3did we really need him in order to obtain the 3 cheques?
Stephanie Bryant
3 +1Did he/she have to rely on him to obtain the three cheques?
Susan Gastaldi
4Was it really necessary to get him involved/to involve him... just for 3 cheques?!
Helen Matthews
3 -1Are you really saying that, if not for him, you wouldn't be able to get the 3 checks back?
Maria Vita Licata
3 -1Did you really need him to be given the three cheques?
Giuseppe Bellone


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Did he/she have to rely on him to obtain the three cheques?


Explanation:
No context so impossible to be sure

Susan Gastaldi
Local time: 16:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  wordgirl: They needed to involve him to get the three checks? (US variant!) ;)
8 mins
  -> Thanks, wordgirl
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
did we really need him in order to obtain the 3 cheques?


Explanation:
I am assuming the meaning is 'ci voleva proprio lui? non potevano dare gli assegni senza di lui?' (British English spelling of cheque)

Stephanie Bryant
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  potra: Yes : "He had to get involved in order to obtain the 3 checks
37 mins
agree  Lirka
1 hr
neutral  Michael Korovkin: in order to obtain!!! Why not "to fulfil the exigency of obtaining the three banking instruments commonly referred to as cheques"? Sure, that's how people usually sound on the phone!
1 hr
agree  Ambra Giuliani: to make it more colloquial you could use *did we really need him to get the 3 checks?
1 hr
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Was it really necessary to get him involved/to involve him... just for 3 cheques?!


Explanation:
or: Did we really need to get..... etc...

Another alternative that perhaps emphasises the fact that the person speaking sees this is ridiculous...

Hope this helps ;-)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2009-05-15 13:53:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

thinking about it... forjust 3 cheques sounds better to me than just for...

Helen Matthews
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
Couldn't you get the three cheques without him?


Explanation:
The implication of "ci voleva lui" is that without him it wouldn't have been possible. You can substitute "you" with he, she, they accrding to the context.

James (Jim) Davis
Seychelles
Local time: 18:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 130

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Michael Korovkin: the best so far. the rest are wooden and anything but conversational
37 mins
agree  Barbara Carrara
53 mins
agree  Jim Tucker (X)
1 hr
agree  Vincenzo Di Maso: that's exactly what I was going to suggest!
1 hr
agree  Sarah Jane Webb
1 hr
agree  Oliver Lawrence: that's the one
3 hrs
agree  manducci
2 days 23 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
Are you really saying that, if not for him, you wouldn't be able to get the 3 checks back?


Explanation:
the "register" sounds like a reproach, so it could be a solution

Maria Vita Licata
Local time: 16:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Oliver Lawrence: far too long
2 hrs
  -> did the asker say that the phone call was a short one?;-) just kidding
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19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
Did you really need him to be given the three cheques?


Explanation:
Al posto di "you" ovviamente ogni altro pronome , secondo chi sta parlando. Ciao.

Giuseppe Bellone
Italy
Local time: 16:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Italian
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Oliver Lawrence: too ambiguous, sounds like 'he' is receiving the cheques
1 hr
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