"Have I made myself clear?" Warning!! --- How interesting! In English, 'Have I made myself clear' is used as an admonition and would therefore have very different connotations, possibly even expressing a threat (depending on context, of course!). This is a good example of how the same locution can have different illocutionary force: a concern for clarity in Spanish versus an implied threat of "you'd better understand what I want from you or you'll have to face the consequences!" in English.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu