the song "If I Had Words", the phrase "to make a day for you" is used and I'd like to translate it. Fari tagon or fari tago?
1 Answer
The tense or form of the verb doesn't matter. If the verb is transitive, the direct object should be in the accusative.
Having said that the Esperanto expression fari tagon literally means, that you fabricate or produce an object such as a day, as if you were a god making the day to rise. The English expression "to make a day" is an idiom with a different meaning: to make someone happy or be a source of satisfaction, for the rest of the day. To make someone happy is in Esperanto feliĉigi:
- Bonaj infanoj gepatrojn feliĉigas (by Zamenhof)
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Thank you for a clear answer. The song does indicate a wish to actually create a day, with specific attributes, rather than just make someone happy. Commented Jul 1, 2020 at 16:48
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1Poems and thereby songs are hard to translate. They are full of figurative expressions and the words should have a certain rhythm. If you can provide more context, lyrics, perhaps someone can give you a more singable translation. Commented Jul 1, 2020 at 19:50