Spanish word of the day

Quote: pacomartin

Acaso from <<de caso>> which might be translated as "perhaps", but it means literally "in case" .
Quizá translated as "perhaps" first and also "maybe"

No. The usage for it to mean "in case" is "por si acaso." As in "Llevate un paraguas por si acaso llueve."

Quote:

"tal vez" translated as "perhaps" or "maybe", but more literally "equal time".

Hell no! ;) "Tal vez" means "maybe." Literally it would be "such time." There are a number of prefixes that mean "equal," for example "iso" as in "isotérmico" meaning "same temperature." But "tal" isn't one of them.

Thanks, as always, for the help from yesterday. However, there are a lot of words in Spanish, so let's move on.

Fecha: 22 de Enero, 2012
Palabra: capilla

Today's SWD means chapel, at least according to the dictionary. How is that different from iglesia, you might ask. How is a chapel different from a church? A church is where people go on Sundays to pray, sing, and be told how great/wretched they are (depending on what sells better). I would say that a chapel is still a so-called holy place, but more for the purpose of marriages and funerals, especially for those who don't go to church on a regular basis. Then again, the distinction is fuzzy, and the study of language is not exact science, so I'm sure one could easily find counter-examples.

Ejemplo time.

Qué extraño que el relámpago cayó sobre la capilla en la noche anterior. = How strange that lightning struck the chapel last night.

p.s. Quiero que los Cuervos ganar hoy!

Quote: Wizard

Today's SWD means chapel, at least according to the dictionary. How is that different from iglesia, you might ask.

The Latin word ecclesia means "assembly" and is the obvious basis for ecclesiastical.

Capilla is derived from a Latin word which also gives us the English words cape, capture, and the root word behind receipt, deceit, and conceit.

Quote: Wizard

Today's SWD means chapel, at least according to the dictionary. How is that different from iglesia, you might ask. How is a chapel different from a church?

Beats me. In Yiddish any place of prayer is a shul regardless of size, location or attendance. So long, as I understand, as it contains a torah.

Quote:

Qué extraño que el relámpago cayó sobre la capilla en la noche anterior. = How strange that lightning struck the chapel last night.

Nothing wrong with that, but the common usage would be "rayo" rather than "relámpago."

Quote:

p.s. Quiero que los Cuervos ganar hoy!

Literal: I want the ravens win tonight :)

"Quiero que los Cuervos ganEN hoy."

Good luck

Quote: Nareed

Nothing wrong with that, but the common usage would be "rayo" rather than "relámpago."

Then what does relámpago mean?

Quote: Nareed

Quiero que los Cuervos ganar hoy!

Literal: I want the ravens win tonight :)

"Quiero que los Cuervos ganEN hoy."

Since the game starts at noon PST, I meant to say "today" not "tonight." So, how would I say "today" and not imply the the night?

Quote: Wizard

Then what does relámpago mean?

Lightning. That's why I said there's nothing wrong. Just that few people say "relámpago." This is a common trend in most languages, where people will tend to use the shorter word.

Quote:

Since the game starts at noon PST, I meant to say "today" not "tonight." So, how would I say "today" and not imply the the night?

"Tonight" was my mistake. I don't know why I wrote that. "Hoy" means "today." There is no single word for tonight, but it's covered by the phrase "esta noche.

Quote: Wizard

Then what does relámpago mean?

re- prefix
1. indicating return to a previous condition: rebuild ; renew ; retrace ; reunite
2. indicating repetition of an action: recopy; remarry
2. In Spanish often an intensification; rebueno, relámpago (intense lamp)

It looks like the word can mean literal lightening or it can be figurative.




LA RONDA RELAMPAGO
Ross: All right, we have a tie. Luckily, I have prepared for such an event. (He opens up an envelope and holds up some note cards.) The Lightning Round!
All: Ohhhh.
Ross: Thirty seconds, all the questions you can answer.
Monica: You guys are dead, I am so good at lighting rounds.
Chandler: I majored in lightning rounds. All right, we’re gonna destroy you.
Monica: Huh, wanna bet?
Chandler: Well, I’m so confused as to what we’ve been doing so far…
Monica: How about we play for more money, say 150?
Ross: 150 dollars.
Chandler: Say 200?
Ross: 200 dollars.
Monica: You’re doing it again.
Ross: Excuse me.
Rachel: Monica, I don’t want to lose 200 dollars.
Monica: We won’t. (to Chandler) 300?
Rachel: Monica?!
Monica: I’m just trying to spice it up!
Rachel: Okay, so let’s play for some pepper! Stop spending my money!
Monica: I got it! How about, if we win, they have to get rid of the rooster?
Rachel: Oooohh that’s interesting.
Joey: Hey, no way, that rooster’s family!
Rachel: Throw in the duck too!
Joey: What do you have against the duck?! He doesn’t make any noise!
Rachel: Well, he gets the other one all riled up.
Joey: Look, we are not gonna…
Chandler: (interrupting) All right, hold on! If you win, we give up the birds.
Joey: (shocked) Dah!! (Chandler motions for him to calm down.)
Chandler: But if we win, we get your apartment.
Joey: Oooooh!
Monica: Deal!

Fecha: 23 de Enero, 2012
Palabra: perdonar

¡Feliz Nuevo Año Chino todos! This is the year of the dragon, which is the most important year in the 12-year cycle. Dragon years are supposed to be lucky, and any new venture you try in a Dragon year will be have the odds in its favor. The word in Spanish for dragon is el dragón, which is an easy cognate.

One of the many traditions surrounding Chinese New Year is that it is a time of forgiveness. It is a time to reconcile old grudges and start a new year with a clean slate. Isn't this the same tradition with the Jewish new year?

So, I'm making perdonar, which means forgive, the SWD. Perhaps it is a pretty obvious. I think most gringos that make the least effort to learn some Spanish know that perdón means excuse me.

Ejemplo time.

Me perdóna, Padre, porque he pecado. = Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

Quote: Wizard

Me perdóna, Padre, porque he pecado. = Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

Padre, me perdone, porque he pecado.
You want to use the conditional mood (same ending as imperative mood). It isn't a command, but you use "conditional" as a courtesy. With the 'a' ending it is indicative mood which is incorrect since you are not making a statement but a request.

Also correct would be
Padre, perdoneme, porque he pecado.

It is similar to the One Semester Love Song Lyrics
Perdoneme, perdoneme.
Uno dos tres y cuatro,
Cino seis siete ocho nueve diez.
No remembero how to say eleven.

Nareed will correct me if I am wrong.

Quote: Wizard

¡Feliz Nuevo Año Chino todos!

Gracias,

But it's "Feliz Año Nuevo Chino A todos."

Quote:

One of the many traditions surrounding Chinese New Year is that it is a time of forgiveness. It is a time to reconcile old grudges and start a new year with a clean slate. Isn't this the same tradition with the Jewish new year?

I'm not sure. As I recall, you ask god to forgive you. I don't recall anyone ever asking my forgiveness, or me asking anyone's, either at new year's or at Yom Kippur.

Quote:

Me perdóna, Padre, porque he pecado. = Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

That's technically correct, but I'll let our esteemed member of the clergy correct it, if it needs corerection.