Spanish word of the day
Quote: WizardSo, for lack of a better idea, today's word of the day is culebra = snake. Not to be confused with serpiente. A question for the advanced readers is to compare and contrast the two words for snake.
You missed "víbora," which is the most common word for "snake."
As to the difference between them, I've no idea what it is. I think "culebra" refers to some particualr kind of snake, but I'm not sure nor know which one.
Quote:Finally, is it just me or would anyone else have a terrible time pronouncing the names of these major cities and ruin sites in Campeche: Dzitbalché, Hecelchakán, Dzibilnocac, Edzná, Hocchob, Holactún, Uxul, Xicalango, Xpuhil, and Xtampak. Talk about a lot of Scrabble points.
I thought there was nothing in Campeche but Ciudad del Carmen and some ruins and beaches. The anmes you bring up are Mayan in origins. The Maya had a peculiar sense of pronunciation. They're also been credited with using and inventing the numeral zero, but that's not really so. Anyway that's your area of expertise.
Quote:Mi serpiente tiene hambre, entonces que voy a alimentarlo un ratón. = My snake is hungry, so I'm going to feed it a mouse.
You're having a real tough time with the word "que"
"Mi CULEBRA [no use setting it up as WOTD and then not using it] tiene hambre, entonces LE voy a DAR DE COMER un ratón." Or "...LA voy a alimentar CON un ratón."
In the frist instance "le" refers to you. In the second "la" refers to the snake."
Quote: pacomartinCampeche was, of course, the center of piracy in Mexico for hundreds of years.
And today that distinction probably belongs to Tepito, somewhere within Mexico City.
Quote: NareedAnd today that distinction probably belongs to Tepito, somewhere within Mexico City.
More probably like Somalia.
Quote: NareedYou're having a real tough time with the word "que"
Indeed. That is a difficult preposition. It often seems to just hold sentences together, without really meaning anything.
Quote: Nareed"Mi CULEBRA [no use setting it up as WOTD and then not using it] tiene hambre, entonces LE voy a DAR DE COMER un ratón." Or "...LA voy a alimentar CON un ratón."
In the frist instance "le" refers to you. In the second "la" refers to the snake."
Why does "le" refer to me? I thought the "voy" already established I was talking about myself. If I must add a pronoun, why wouldn't it be "me"?
Quote: WizardIndeed. That is a difficult preposition. It often seems to just hold sentences together, without really meaning anything.
It means "that."
Quote:Why does "le" refer to me? I thought the "voy" already established I was talking about myself. If I must add a pronoun, why wouldn't it be "me"?
You ask this late? Right now I'm not even sure what I said is right... Sorry. Between interruptions at work and 12 hour workdays, some small mistakes are bound to creep in.
Estado: Chiapas
Palabra: Chicle
Today's estado is Chiapas, an isolated state on the southern border and Mexico's poorest. Nevertheless, it has lots of natural resources. Among the many trees found there is the chicle, which is used for making chewing gum. The word chicle also refers to chewing gum itself.
Ejemplo time
No mastican chicle en mi clase y no lo ponen debajo de las mesas. = Don't chew gum in my class and don't put it under the desks.
For the truly adventurous is the Mayan ruins you can only get to by boat. Yaxchilan (also sometimes historically referred to by the names Menché and City Lorillard) is an ancient city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta, with Piedras Negras as its major rival.
Although you used to have to go over 100 miles by boat to get to Yaxchilan, in recent years the Mexican government has built a road to patrol the increasingly nasty border with Guatemala. You can now drive to the small town of Frontera Corozal , where you can take a boat ride of less than 45 minutes to the ruins. Hiking is essentially impossible, and would be extremely dangerous.
Here is a off topic question. Can caer be used to mean "like." In particular, how would you translate this:
A Rachel le caía bien Howard. This is supposed to be a translation of "Rachel liked Howard," but I've never seen caer used in that way.
Quote: WizardIf my Spanish isn't improving, at least I'm learning some good trivia about Mexico.
Here is a off topic question. Can caer be used to mean "like." In particular, how would you translate this:
A Rachel le caía bien Howard. This is supposed to be a translation of "Rachel liked Howard," but I've never seen caer used in that way.
My expert says yes. Apparently caer is a personal thing as you used in your context, as opposed to a car is like(caer) a truck(comparing similarities).
We'll see what Paco and Nareed have to say about it.
Quote: WizardIf my Spanish isn't improving, at least I'm learning some good trivia about Mexico.
Here is a off topic question. Can caer be used to mean "like." In particular, how would you translate this:
A Rachel le caía bien Howard. This is supposed to be a translation of "Rachel liked Howard," but I've never seen caer used in that way.
It is possible to use caer to mean "to like" or "to fall for" (it's a phrasal verb in English-because without the preposition for you would not understand that particular meaning).
As Nareed pointed out, in Spanish you would not used the past tense like you do in English. It is vague in English if Rachel still likes Howard in the present, but in Spanish you know for certain she no longer likes him. Use the present tense if you want to indicate that she still likes him. If she no longer likes him, then indicate so with overtly with another clause: "Rachel liked Howard, until he puked on her".
Quote: WizardHere is a off topic question. Can caer be used to mean "like." In particular, how would you translate this:
A Rachel le caía bien Howard. This is supposed to be a translation of "Rachel liked Howard," but I've never seen caer used in that way.
I can't say for other countries, but in Mexico that would be perfectly well understood to mean just that.
If you said "Me cae bien," you mean "I like her."
Quote: WizardNo mastican chicle en mi clase y no lo ponen debajo de las mesas. = Don't chew gum in my class and don't put it under the desks.
Why don't you pick an easy word, like "magnetohidrodinámica"? :P (That's, naturally, magnetohydrodinamycs in English; the study of plasma).
Anyway...
"No MASTIQUEN chicle en mi clase y no lo PONGAN debajo de las BANCAS"
The conjugation yuo used is in third person, when on the example I assume the teacher is addressing the students, which she'd do in second person.
A desk in a classroom where the students sit is usually called a "banca." The word should mean "bench" or "bank," but somehow it also mens "small desk where the srudent sits at in a classroom." The real formal word for sucha thing is "pupitre," which I see why it isn't used; it sounds too clumsy.
Quote: NareedIt means "that."
In this article about relative pronouns of which "que" is the most common the author points out that the usage is different than in English.
While "that" is the most common English word used to translate "que", sometimes "which" or "who" or another relative pronoun is more appropriate. These three examples are proposed:
Los libros que son importantes en nuestra vida son todos aquellos que nos hacen ser mejores, que nos enseñan a superarnos.
Compré el coche en que íbamos.
Mi hermano es el hombre que salió.
Relative pronouns are pronouns that are used to introduce a clause that provides more information about a noun. Thus in the phrase "the man who is singing," the relative pronoun is "who"; the clause "who is singing" provides further information about the noun "man."
Quote: WizardWhy does "le" refer to me? I thought the "voy" already established I was talking about myself.
I've been mulling this over. You could also have said "entonces voy a darLE un ratón...." but you see the "LE" remains stubbornly there. I can't say for sure it refers to you, though that made sense when I first said it. I would suggest asking someone who know the rules of grammar explicitly rather than implicitly. I think "le" in these cases refers to you performing an action, giving in this case, on the snake. Whereas "LA voy a alimentar..." means on what or whom your'e performing the action on.
Me, you could use me for this joke:
Q Why is it important to have good grammar?
A Because she's nice to you even when your parent's ain't.
Estado: Chihuahua
Palabra: Cumbre
Note: Philadelphia Eagles colors! Or is it closer to the Jets?
Today's estado is Chihuahua, the largest by area in Mexico. The largest city, Juarez, is known for both economic prosperity, as well as having one of the highest homicide rates in the world in a country not at war.
Personally, I have been Chihuahua, having spent about a few hours in Juarez once.
I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't ask about the relationship between the state of Chihuahua and the dog by the same name. Are chihuahuas from Chihuahua?
Today's word comes from a state park in Chihuahua, the Cumbres de Majalca National Park. The word cumbre means summit.
Another question for the advanced readers is what is the difference between cumbre and cima?
Ejemplo time
Estoy orgulloso que llevé la cumbre de la montaña. = I am proud that I reached the summit of the mountain.
Quote: WizardI would be remiss in my duties if I didn't ask about the relationship between the state of Chihuahua and the dog by the same name. Are chihuahuas from Chihuahua?
The ancient history of the breed is in dispute. Botticelli described a dog that sounds very similar in 1480.
A progenitor of the modern breed was reputedly found in 1850 in old ruins near Casas Grandes in the Mexican state of Chihuahua from which the breed gets its name, although most artifacts relating to its existence are found around Mexico City.
The breed originally became popular in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico and the breed was first recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1904.
Casas Grande
I believe that "cima" specifically refers to the highest point, while "cumbre" can refer to not just the "cima" but the major portion of the mountain (i.e. not the foothills).
Quote: Wizard
That's Chihuahua, BTW.
Quote:Note: Philadelphia Eagles colors!
Fancy that. I touched off an Ubran Legend... That's a motorcycle plate. car paltes ahd thsoe colors, or near enough, if memory serves, around 80-82.
Quote:as well as having one of the highest homicide rates in the world in a country not at war.
That last clause is debatable.
Quote:I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't ask about the relationship between the state of Chihuahua and the dog by the same name. Are chihuahuas from Chihuahua?
Most likely not. There are many things here named for palces they ahve no relation to. Off hand, did you ever see or taste "cacahuates Japoneses" while in Mexico? They're very popular, but there's nothing Japanese about them. they're sold under Oriental sounding brands, like Nishikawa, Karate and so on. They're plain peanuts, roasted, covered with a crunchy shell.
Quote:Another question for the advanced readers is what is the difference between cumbre and cima?
As words to refer to the top of a mountain, none that I'm aware of. However, a high-level meeting of the top officials of different countries is called a "cumbre" which means "summit," and that word is used or ws used in English as well.
Quote:Estoy orgulloso que llevé la cumbre de la montaña. = I am proud that I reached the summit of the mountain.
"Estoy orgulloso que lleGUé a la cumbre de la montaña."
You actually said "I'm proud that I took the summit of the mountain
Quote: pacomartinI believe that "cima" specifically refers to the highest point, while "cumbre" can refer to not just the "cima" but the major portion of the mountain (i.e. not the foothills).
I can't contribute to the Spanish discussion, but perhaps I can add to the confusion on highest parts of a mountain. On my recent visit to Lake Tahoe, I drove several times between the lake and Carson City, along route 50. At the highest point of the road, there is a sign saying "Spooner Summit, Elev. 7141 ft." (if memory serves correctly on the elevation.) I thought it was interesting that this point was labeled a "summit" since the land clearly went higher on both sides of the road. I considered it more of a pass or a saddle in the mountain. I have done a quick check on line and found a trail map and a reference to Spooner Summit as having an elevation of 7150 ft. I would be very surprised if the land on the sides of route 50 does not extend more than 9 feet above the roadway.
So what is the "summit" of a mountain and where should its elevation be measured? Does this have any relation to a "cima"?
Quote: WizardIf my Spanish isn't improving, at least I'm learning some good trivia about Mexico.
If you have $1600-$2000 for a couple, the Mayan Express is train ride that will take you on a tour through the ruins in Mexico
You can rent a car and do the same trip for a fraction of the price. If you are looking to do something that none of your friends have ever done, the car ride is about 3-4 hours from Palenque to the small town on the river dividing Mexico and Guatemala. The next morning you do the 50 minute boat ride to the hidden city of Yaxchilan which is just on the Mexican side of the border. You can cross into Guatemala with papers and go to Tikal, but that takes considerably more time and money.
The border with Guatemala is a nasty one. Chiapas is "considered one of the worst places in the world in terms of child prostitution", where young girls can be bought for $100 to $200. But you should be OK if you follow simple precautions.
The majority of American tourists have only seen Tulum and Chichen Itza.
If you are not as ambitious to spend that much time on an adventure, you can rent a car and see Coba ruins inland from Playa del Carmen area. That is safe enough that you can bring your children. It is one thing to see ruins covered with tourists surrounded by neat lawns, and another to see them just being uncovered from the jungle where you can rent an old beat up bicycle to navigate through the jungle paths. That should be worth an afternoon.
Quote: NareedI wouldn't eat green eggs, either. BTW it's "No me gustan LOS huevos verdes..."
I caught this video from the Food Network about eating "Tacos de Cabeza" from a stand in Oaxaca Mexico. For those of you who were squeamish about eating animal organs, they give you an idea of how many parts of the head you can make into a taco.
OAXACA, Mexico - Street Foods, Cow's Head Tacos.
Susan Trilling (who is in the video) lives on a ranch in Etla (just north of Oaxaca city) where she runs a very expensive cooking school. She is not 100% Mexican, but I think her husband is. She is probably the best known person on the international food circuit who lives in Oaxaca.
Quote: pacomartinI caught this video from the Food Network about eating "Tacos de Cabeza" from a stand in Oaxaca Mexico. For those of you who were squeamish about eating animal organs, they give you an idea of how many parts of the head you can make into a taco.
Food can be pretty gross. And people ask me why I only order maciza when we get carnitas. The other decent choice is rib, and that often comes with bone. The rest includes things like skin, mouth, tongue, brains and I hesitate to speculate on some others. Oh, and that's pig parts, BTW.
But then people eat all sorts of disgusting items, like shrimp, even.
Estado: Coahuila
Palabra: Saltillo
Detroit Lions?
Coahuila is another border state, whose main industries are coal mining and auto manufacturing. The capital is Saltillo, which is where we get our word of the day, which means a small jump. It comes from the verb saltar, meaning to jump.
Ejemplo time.
Hice un saltillo, por qué me sorprendió. = I made a small jump, because you surprised me.
Quote: WizardDetroit Lions?
See? :P
Quote:The capital is Saltillo, which is where we get our word of the day, which means a small jump. It comes from the verb saltar, meaning to jump.
I'm not so sure that's the case. The suffix "illo" does mean small, but not necessarily. In Mexico de suffix for smallenss is "ito." I'm not sure it applies tot he word "salto." I'm less sure that's the reason for the name of the capital of Coahuila
Quote:Hice un saltillo, por qué me sorprendió. = I made a small jump, because you surprised me.
That's right, but it uses a formal pronoun implicitly. The more informal way would be "..porque me sorprendiste."
Also, usage in mexico would go more along the lines of "Dí un saltito..." or ""Pegué un saltito...." rather than "hice un saltillo...."
And for trivia, up in the north they tend to swallow or skip the "ll" and "y" sounds when they go in the middle of a word. So the natives pronounce the name of their city more like "Saltio."
Quote: NareedQuote:The capital is Saltillo, which is where we get our word of the day, which means a small jump. It comes from the verb saltar, meaning to jump.
I'm not so sure that's the case. The suffix "illo" does mean small, but not necessarily. In Mexico de suffix for smallenss is "ito." I'm not sure it applies tot he word "salto." I'm less sure that's the reason for the name of the capital of Coahuila
I would use saltito as Nareed suggested to mean "small jump". While saltillo also literally means "small jump" it is now a highly specialized word. It is used by early Spanish linguists to describe a particular sound in the Aztec language (what we call a glottal stop in English).
As a place name for the Mexican city it probably literally means "Small Salta" where Salta is a well-known city in Argentina. But the Argentine city name is of uncertain origin, and is probably an interpretation of an Indigenous place name and may not be related to the verb saltar.
In American English we have several similar examples. The Algonquian word quinetucket, was translated (corrupted) into French as Connecticut and then taken literally into English.
In general, I agree with Nareed, that place names often have unusual origins and may not always lead to common words in the spoken language. For example, a Spanish fantasy writer wrote about a fabled paradise, peopled by black Amazonian women (and no men) who were ruled by Queen Califia. Her country was known as California. The story was used in naming the Western shore of Spanish North America. Pennsylvania means "Penn's Woods" using the colorful, but relatively rare English word "sylvan" from the Latin word silva for "wood, forest, grove". While the etymology is correct, if you tell it to a new speaker of English, he is likely to try and use "sylvan" in a sentence, and many people won't understand him.
BTW: "Saltar" has a colloquial use as in "Saltarse un semáforo" or to "I took a jump through the stop light", whereas in English we say the less colorful "I went through a stoplight".
Quote: NareedAnd for trivia, up in the north they tend to swallow or skip the "ll" and "y" sounds when they go in the middle of a word. So the natives pronounce the name of their city more like "Saltio."
The letter ll, in Spain, is pronounced high on the palate, rather than behind the teeth. It sounds like the double l in the English word million.
Speakers from most other countries pronounce ll closer to the English y sound.
Argentina and Uruguay: One of the most distinctive features of these two southern cone countries is the pronunciation of the letters ll and y, which Argentines and Uruguayans pronounce rather like sh or zh.
Quote: pacomartinI would use saltito as Nareed suggested to mean "small jump".
And again I answered too quickly.
In common modern usage, people would be more likely to say "Pegué un brinco..." the diminutive of "brinco" is "brinquito."
Quote:For example, a Spanish fantasy writer wrote about a fabled paradise, peopled by black Amazonian women (and no men) who were ruled by Queen Califia. Her country was known as California. The story was used in naming the Western shore of Spanish North America.
I had a geography teacher who taught us the name derived from the Spaniards' mispronunciation of a Latin term meaning "warm place," or something like that. It sounded plausible because "calido" means "warm" in Spanish, so it should be the same in Latin.
Quote:BTW: "Saltar" has a colloquial use as in "Saltarse un semáforo" or to "I took a jump through the stop light", whereas in English we say the less colorful "I went through a stoplight".
Used that way it means "to skip." With a stop light on red, most people are likely to say "me pasé un alto," meaning "I passed a red light" (alto is the name for the red light, it means "stop"). But say a student was promoted from the 3rd to the 5th grade, she'd say "Me salte un año," meaning "I skipped over a grade." The word "año" in this case means a school year, which is how long a grade lasts.
BTW Nareed's First Law of Language: If you were to carefully analyze each word before speaking, you'd wind up taking a vow of silence :P
Quote: NareedUsed that way it means "to skip." With a stop light on red, most people are likely to say "me pasé un alto," meaning "I passed a red light" (alto is the name for the red light, it means "stop"). But say a student was promoted from the 3rd to the 5th grade, she'd say "Me salte un año," meaning "I skipped over a grade."
Do you say "La niña salta cuerda"? We would say "The girl is skipping rope". I am not if "cuerda" or "la ropa" is the correct word since in English we tend to use cord for "electric cord" which is a specialized kind of rope.
Quote: pacomartinDo you say "La niña salta cuerda"?
"...La cuerda" and maybe "brinca" but essentially yes.
Quote:We would say "The girl is skipping rope".
Funny you should mention this. In a story I'm working on, there is a scene involving three girls doing just that. I haven't written that part yet, but in the outline I wrote "Three girls in white dresses with blue sashes are jumping rope while an older girl/young woman watches them and smiles." [emphasis added].
So you're saying I should use "skipping rope" when I do write it?
Quote:I am not if "cuerda" or "la ropa" is the correct word since in English we tend to use cord for "electric cord" which is a specialized kind of rope.
This invovles, I guess, some of your fake friends. Briefly:
Cuerda = Rope
Ropa = Clothes, clothing
Cable = Cord (as in electric cord)
Cordon = Cord (as in umbilical cord)
Acorde = Chord
Cable = Cable (as in steel cable or cable TV)
Alambre = Wire
Sin Cables = Wireless
Hope this helps.
Quote: NareedFunny you should mention this. In a story I'm working on, there is a scene involving three girls doing just that. I haven't written that part yet, but in the outline I wrote "Three girls in white dresses with blue sashes are jumping rope while an older girl/young woman watches them and smiles." [emphasis added].
So you're saying I should use "skipping rope" when I do write it?
Actually "skipping rope" is more British English and "jumping rope" is more American English. But it's not exclusive, sometimes we go back and forth. In American English if you say "to skip" it refers to a kind of jump step (without a rope).
I assume you can picture the jump step from these photos. The fat girl is not skipping.
Quote: pacomartinActually "skipping rope" is more British English and "jumping rope" is more American English.
Then it stays. Thanks.
But I'm afraid you failed to identify the movie alluded to in my, admitedly, brief outline of a scene. Read it again and see if you can spot it.
Quote:In American English if you say "to skip" it refers to a kind of jump step (without a rope).
I knew that, but thanks for the info.
Quote: NareedBut I'm afraid you failed to identify the movie alluded to in my, admitedly, brief outline of a scene. Read it again and see if you can spot it.
I knew that, but thanks for the info.
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eye lashes
Silver white winters that melt into spring
These are a few of my favorite things!
You seem to know the gruesome details of English. Try this one: That t*** doesn't even know she's just using him.
Guess the three letters replaced by asterisks.
Quote: pacomartinGirls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
You didn't name the movie :P
I don't even like it that much, thought the photography is first rate, but I like that song. And the scene of the young nuns confessing sabotage to the elder nun :)
Now, truthfully, did you know or did you Google it?
Quote:You seem to know the gruesome details of English.
Gruesome? "Skip" is gruesome?
Quote:Try this one: That t*** doesn't even know she's just using him.
I'm guessing it's either "tWIT" or "t@&#." Honestly I can't think of anything else.
You may have been thinking of "tool," but "twit" fits in there just as well.
Besides, you Googled "The Sound of Music."
So there :P
But seriously, I woulnd't use the word "tool" in that sense. I don't know wheter my colloquial English is fixed somewhere in the late 80s to early 90s, or whether it's something else. If I wanted a word for someone who'd being used without being aware of it, I'd chose "patsy," perhaps, or "simpleton," or just plain, good, old-fashioned "moron."
Also, I would say "jumping" rope, but "skipping" is almost interchangeable. I think at some point around the 70s "skipping" went out of style, in favor of "jumping."
Quote: WizardI thought the word for rope was soga.
That, too.
These days you hear it seldom. When you do is in expressions like "Se echó la soga al cuello," meaning, "he put the noose on his own neck." This refers to someone who takes an unwarranted and very big risk, or who messes up so badly he winds up hurting himself.
Another word for a thin rope is "cordel," more like "string" than rope, though. Like what you'd use on a package
Quote: WizardI thought the word for rope was soga.
Also, I would say "jumping" rope, but "skipping" is almost interchangeable. I think at some point around the 70s "skipping" went out of style, in favor of "jumping."
The product is sold both ways. The more traditional rope sold in the UK is "skipping rope" and cheap Chinese rope is called "jump rope".
Actually I did recognize the Sound of Music song as I was age 8 when the movie was released, so it was one of my first movies. It was one of the most popular movies of all time. I did google the exact lyrics however.
Rope, cable, line, string, and twine. Cable is both for electronics, and for steel wire. For the plastic stuff people often say "poly-pro" since it is made from Polypropylene.
Estado: Colima
Palabra: Astilla
Colima is a small state along the Pacific coast. For those readers who remember my "friendly bet dispute" thread, the woman I had the dispute with goes to Manzanillo (little apple tree) every year for Christmas, which is in Colima. She always invites me and my family, but my wife will no nowhere in Mexico.
There are lots of mountains in Colima (even the license plate has pictures of them), giving me lots of ideas for the word of the day. Such as:
Los Juanillos = ?
El Ocote = a specific kind of pine tree
El Peón = pion (unskilled laborer)
El Barrigón = somebody with a fat belly
La Media Luna = Crescent/Croissant
El Espinazo del Diablo = Spine of the Devil
El Escorpión (obvious)
El Tigre = Tiger
El Aguacate = Avacado
El Centinela = Sentry
El Tora = Bull
La Vaca = Cow
However, I think I'm going to go with Astilla = splinter.
Ejemplo time.
El león le dijo, "Por favor tome la astilla de la pata." = The lion said, "Please take the splinter out of my paw."
Note that I didn't say "mi pata," because body parts are never possesive in Spanish. See, at least I know something about the language :-)!
Quote: WizardThere are lots of mountains in Colima (even the license plate has pictures of them), giving me lots of ideas for the word of the day.
A phrase you didn't mention is Eje Volcánico Transversal also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada (Snowy Mountain Range), is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico.
The Colima Volcano is on the state border with Jalisco (50 miles inland from the Pacific) and has erupted over 40 times in the last 436 years. This fact will make your wife even less interested in visiting Manzanillo. Manzanillo was a very chic vacation spot in the 1970's for Americans (i.e. the movie 10 with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek), but has become more popular as a domestic resort in recent years.
Colima Volcano is about 90 miles from the famous "Volcán de Parícutin" which we discussed earlier, that grew from a farmer's field in 1943.
Manzanillo is the most important shipping port in Pacific Mexico and it has good rail lines extending into Texas. It handles overflow from Los Angeles port and is an alternative to going through the Panama Canal.
Quote: WizardColima is a small state along the Pacific coast.
It's so small and insignificant, the locals half the time don't remember they live there :)
Quote:El león le dijo, "Por favor tome la astilla de la pata." = The lion said, "Please take the splinter out of my paw."
Note that I didn't say "mi pata," because body parts are never possesive in Spanish. See, at least I know something about the language :-)!
Where did you learn that?
But first things first. The lion would say "Por favor SACA la astilla de MI pata."
Tomar does mean take, but not take out. Sacar means to take out something that is within or inside something else. It means other things, too. Which reminds me, here's a much better free online Spanish-English dictionary than the one you've been using:
Merriam Webster
Click on the Spanish-English button on top of the search box.
Anyway, in Spanish you can refer possessively to your own body parts. You don't have to, but you can. example:
Me duele el codo = My elbow hurts
Me lastimé mi mano = I hurt my hand.
There may be some nonsensical, outdated rule on that, like in English you're not supposed to end a sentence on a preposition, but, really, I've never heard of it.
Quote: NareedIt's so small and insignificant, the locals half the time don't remember they live there :)
Most people are familiar with Saul Steinberg's famous 1976 cover art that depicted New Yorker's view of the world. It is one of the most widely copied drawings in media.
Most Mexicans view the citizens of DF ( Distrito Federal ) in a similar manner. Since the city contains most of the wealth, power and population they tend to view the backwards states as New Yorkers view the rest of Americans.
A well known slang term is "chilango" to refer to people who live in Mexico City. The urban dictionary says it refers to a person that comes from any city outside Mexico city to live in Mexico city and it is a common error is to say that "Chilango" is a person born in Mexico City (Distrito Federal). A more common term is Defeños.
I am unsure how insulting the word "chilango" really is. I suppose it is all in context. I don't really consider "gringo" as insulting anymore, but it is possible to say it with some menace.
Being a MAWG myself, I don't normally use any slang terms to refer to any groups of people.
Quote: pacomartinMost Mexicans view the citizens of DF ( Distrito Federal ) in a similar manner. Since the city contains most of the wealth, power and population they tend to view the backwards states as New Yorkers view the rest of Americans.
A little bit.
But then consider for a very long time many towns and cities outside the capital lacked lots of amenities. Foe example, many small towns had no movie theaters, and the big cities only had a few. Things like supermarkets were rare in some towns, too. And for a long time in the City you could get 6 over the air channels, plus cable TV. In the rest of the country you were lucky to get two channels and there was no cable (ok, in big cities like Guadlajara and Monterrey they had 3 or 4 channels).
I don't think this was the case regarding cities like Chicago, Dallas, LA, or even Omaha vis a vis NYC.
Quote: NareedThe lion would say "Por favor SACA la astilla de MI pata." ... Anyway, in Spanish you can refer possessively to your own body parts. You don't have to, but you can. example:
Me duele el codo = My elbow hurts
Me lastimé mi mano = I hurt my hand.
Hmmm. I'm not going to give up on this point so easily. To answer your question, here is where I learned that body parts are never possessive in Spanish: Spanish Lesson - Pickup Line of the Day. You can skip to to the 0:45 point if you're in a hurry, but the whole video is quite enjoyable, at least to adolescents like me.
Granted, from the same video I should have learned that sacar should have been used in my sentence for extracting the splinter from the paw, so I'll take my due lumps for that.
Quote: Nareed... There may be some nonsensical, outdated rule on that, like in English you're not supposed to end a sentence on a preposition....
My two favorite commentaries on that rule are:
(1) The sarcastic response often attributed (perhaps incorrectly) to Winston Churchill saying, "That is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put."
(2) The quip from Bennett Cerf, describing a boy playing in his basement under the stairs and hearing his mother call him. "He wondered what she wanted him to come on up from down under for."
Quote: WizardShe always invites me and my family, but my wife will no nowhere in Mexico.
My wife goes to Mexico, but flat out refuses
to go on cruise ships or trains. So that means
I don't go on them either. Sigh..
Quote: EvenBobMy wife goes to Mexico, but flat out refuses to go on cruise ships or trains. So that means I don't go on them either. Sigh..
Well trains are virtually extinct in Mexico. The Mayan Express is very expensive touring train (like the Orient Express). For all practical purposes the only train left in Mexico is the on that crosses the Copper Canyon. It is still popular with tourists, and there is no practical way to build a highway to replace the train.
Quote: pacomartinWell trains are virtually extinct in Mexico.
I saw something about a tequila train, that goes through tequila country, and the passengers get smashed along the way on the agave.
Quote: WizardHmmm. I'm not going to give up on this point so easily. To answer your question, here is where I learned that body parts are never possessive in Spanish: Spanish Lesson - Pickup Line of the Day. You can skip to to the 0:45 point if you're in a hurry, but the whole video is quite enjoyable, at least to adolescents like me.
I get an ad for a Spanish language course, without anything called pickup line of the day visible anywhere.
But, really, I've never heard such of such a rule before. Given my lack of knowledge of formal grammar, this doesn't mean much. However, if this rule were widespread then sentences like the ones in the examples wouldn't be.
Quote: WizardSorry, I put in the wrong link. Try this one.
I saw it and I wish I hadn't. What is it, Spanish for horny teens with no manners or tact? :)
Anyway, the "body parts are never possessive" thing sounds as though it's unnecessary to say it's your hand when you say "me duele la mano" since you've made it plain it's you who's hurting by using the word "me" to begin with, and you won't be feeling pain in a hand that isn't yours.
That doesn't mean you can't say "me duele mi mano." And in the lion's example, it would be "¿Me sacas la astilla de la pata?" or "sácame la astilla de la pata," or "¿puedes scar la astilla de MI pata?" or "¿puedes sacarme la astilla de la pata?"
See?
