Spanish word of the day
One of the better known grammatical rules in English is when to use farther or further. There is no historical basis for the notion that farther is of physical distance and further of degree or quality. Nevertheless, grammarians usually specify that the first word means physical distance, and the latter word means hypothetical or figurative distance or extra time.
Google translates "farther" as más lejos and "further" as además.
Although starting from the Spanish, además is often translated as "besides" or "in addition".
A pronouncing dictionary of the Spanish and English languages uses both más lejos and además. as a translation for "further".
Is their any confusion whatsoever in Spanish?
She says Mas Lejos is almost always used to describe physical distance.
Palabra: Gozar
Today's SWD means to enjoy. Enjoy is a common word in English but it seems I rarely encounter gozar in Spanish.
A question for the advanced readers is how does gozar differ from disfrutar. Personally, I think the latter sounds better. However, gozar has more Scrabble points.
Ejemplo time
Gozo mirar las mujeres en medias de red. = I enjoy looking at women in fishnet stockings.
Quote: WizardFecha: 8 de Febrero, 2012 Palabra: Gozar
A question for the advanced readers is how does gozar differ from disfrutar.
The SWD is close to Gozer the Gozerian from Ghostbusters.
media = average or medium
media = prenda de punto, seda, nailon, etc., que cubre el pie y la pierna hasta la rodilla o más arriba.
de red = network
Gozar and disfrutar seem to be fairly close synonyms; three of the four DRAE definitions of disfrutar use gozar.
Gozar is related to the English words gaudy and joy. Fruto is related to fruit and produce.
But gozar can mean to carnally enjoy a woman, while disfrutar does not have overt sexual innuendo.
And I have never played Spanish scrabble. I have a feeling my girl would whoop my arse.
Quote: WizardA question for the advanced readers is how does gozar differ from disfrutar.
I'm not sure. Have you looked up the dictionary in Spanish?
I can say "gozar" is seldomly used in Mexico. "Disfrutar" isn't common either. Most common is "me gusta," = "I like"
Quote:Gozo mirar las mujeres en medias de red. = I enjoy looking at women in fishnet stockings.
"Gozo mirar A..." or alternatively "Gozo mirar mujeres en..."
I'd also use "ver" rather than "mirar." The latter has a connotation of looking intently or staring.
Quote: YoDiceRoll11lol at the stockings. "Medias" are socks in Argentina.
By definition "medias" means something like "hosiery." In Mexico it does mean stockings and pantyhose, but not tights or socks. Respectively these would be "mallas" and "calcetines."
Quote: NareedI'd also use "ver" rather than "mirar." The latter has a connotation of looking intently or staring.
That's interesting. I probably hear the imperitive mira most often. I can't remember hearing it as an inflected verb,
The dictionary usually translates "ver" as "to see" and "mirar" as "to look". But what would be the first English word you would use: "look, stare, gaze, or gape"?
The English word "see" is well over a thousand years old.
1) About 800 years ago it also acquired the 'metaphorical light' , such as "I was blind, but now I see" , or simply "I see" to mean "I understand".
2) About 400 years ago it acquired the meaning of "escorting or dating someone", as "I am seeing someone home", or "I am seeing someone" meaning "I am involved with another person".
3) The gambling meaning of matching a bet, as in "I see you" was also adopted about 400 years ago. Presumably the idea came from a stare down before a fight.
Are any of those three alternative meanings common to Spanish "ver"?
Quote: pacomartin1) About 800 years ago it also acquired the 'metaphorical light' , such as "I was blind, but now I see" , or simply "I see" to mean "I understand".
That does exist in Spanish. Mostly you may answer an explanation with "ya veo."
Quote:2) About 400 years ago it acquired the meaning of "escorting or dating someone", as "I am seeing someone home", or "I am seeing someone" meaning "I am involved with another person".
Dating does fit with the Spanish usage, at elast in some countries.
Quote:3) The gambling meaning of matching a bet, as in "I see you" was also adopted about 400 years ago. Presumably the idea came from a stare down before a fight.
When my dad played poker with his friends, ocassionally you'd hear one of them say "pago por ver." That means you call a raise and expect to see the other guy's hand. Usually, though, when calling you just say "pago." If you raise, you say "pago y subo X pesos," or "tus X pesos y Y más."
Quote: NareedI'm not sure. Have you looked up the dictionary in Spanish?
I don't have a Spanish dictionary in Spanish, just several English/Spanish ones. A pure Spanish dictionary is not easy to find in Vegas.
Quote:I'd also use "ver" rather than "mirar." The latter has a connotation of looking intently or staring.
I was surprised to get this correction. As Paco said, I think of ver as to see and mirar as to look. So, I probably am "looking intently," although trying to be discrete about it.
Quote: WizardI don't have a Spanish dictionary in Spanish, just several English/Spanish ones. A pure Spanish dictionary is not easy to find in Vegas.
As easy as clicking on this link:
http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/
Quote:I was surprised to get this correction. As Paco said, I think of ver as to see and mirar as to look. So, I probably am "looking intently," although trying to be discrete about it.
It may be local usage <shrug>. For a while in Mexico a boy would casually refer to his girlfriend as "mi vieja," as did a man to his wife. A Spaniard I knew once said he imagined all these men talking about very elderly women. "Vieja" does mean"old woman."
Quote: NareedIt may be local usage <shrug>. For a while in Mexico a boy would casually refer to his girlfriend as "mi vieja," as did a man to his wife. A Spaniard I knew once said he imagined all these men talking about very elderly women. "Vieja" does mean"old woman."
Here a husband will often refer to his wife as "my old lady," even if she isn't old. I take this means that he is already getting henpecked, as tends to happen after a long time married. The expression seems to be getting old; I don't hear as much as I used to.
Quote: Nareedhttp://buscon.rae.es/draeI/ For a while in Mexico a boy would casually refer to his girlfriend as "mi vieja," as did a man to his wife. A Spaniard I knew once said he imagined all these men talking about very elderly women. "Vieja" does mean"old woman."
The DRAE includes this colloquial usage of the term. So it is not completely old fashioned.
vieja - coloq. México : Mujer en general, incluso joven.
Speaking of young women, American TV debuted a show produced by Steven Spielberg, The River, starring a young actress from Mexico city, PAULINA GAITAN. And she speaks Spanish the entire time (with subtitles). No star one has ever consistently spoken Spanish on prime time TV.
In real life she is going to be age 20 this month, but on the TV show she plays a young teenager.
Quote: pacomartinNo star one has ever consistently spoken Spanish on prime time TV.
What about the guy dressed like a bee on the Simpsons?
Quote: WizardWhat about the guy dressed like a bee on the Simpsons?
Yaritza Burgos is the star of a Spanish-language television sitcom on "Channel Ocho", but he can speak English if he thinks it will get him a better job.
Quote: WizardHere a husband will often refer to his wife as "my old lady," even if she isn't old. The expression seems to be getting old; I don't hear as much as I used to.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary this first use of "old lady" to refer to a man's young wife was in 1599. So that really is an old expression.
Quote: WizardWe may have discussed this before, and correct me if I'm wrong, but there doesn't seem to be a word for billion in Spanish. Don't you think there should be? Why not just billones? In speaking about such things as government spending, or the wealth of Bill Gates, you really need the word billion. Yes, you can always say mil milliones, but doesn't it get redundant? With the enormous inflation Argentina has been known to go through, a billion pesos might have been quite achievable.
They do have the word billón, it just refers to what we call a trillion. What is customarily called the "long scale" is to multiply by a million before adding the prefixes in English bi, tri, quad, quint, .... The "short scale" is to multiply by a thousand. The standard in Europe was the "long scale" except in a few places. It first appeared in America in 1729, and has remained the standard here. Even Britain, prior to 1974, used billion for what in America meant "trillion".
The pre-1974 former British English word billion, post-1961 current French word billion, post-1994 current Italian word bilione, German Billion; Dutch biljoen; Swedish biljon; Finnish biljoona; Danish billion; Spanish billón and the European Portuguese word bilião (with an alternate spelling to the Brazilian Portuguese variant) all refer to 10^12, being long-scale terms. Therefore, each of these words translates to the American English or post-1974 modern British English word: trillion (1012 in the short scale).
Given the importance of the USA to the world economy, most journalists simply try to avoid using the term altogether. They will simply say 23 thousand million so that there is no ambiguity. The IMF lists the GDP of Spain a equivalent to $1 409 946 millions of US dollars on a nominal basis. We might says $1.4 trillion.
Mexico's GDP is $1 658 197 millions of US dollars on a purchasing power basis.
Quote: WizardWe may have discussed this before, and correct me if I'm wrong, but there doesn't seem to be a word for billion in Spanish. Don't you think there should be? Why not just billones? In speaking about such things as government spending, or the wealth of Bill Gates, you really need the word billion. Yes, you can always say mil milliones, but doesn't it get redundant?
It's not redundant. One thousand million dollars, say, is as valid, but not as economical, as saying one billion dollars. In the paper you see headlines like "Gastan 31 MMP." Which means "31 mil millones de pesos." But headlines are always compressed when possible.
The way I think, I do use billion in the American sense of a "one thousand million." It kind of makes better sense when considering large numbers, and it provides some economy in writing. But then in everyday use, one rarely gets much chance to say either "billion" or "trillion."
Quote:With the enormous inflation Argentina has been known to go through, a billion pesos might have been quite achievable.
How high did denominations go? Mexico had a much milder case of hyperinflation, with notes topping off at 50,000 pesos, I think.
Quote: NareedHow high did denominations go? Mexico had a much milder case of hyperinflation, with notes topping off at 50,000 pesos, I think.
When I was there I think I saw a 1,000,000 peso bill from a prior version of the peso at an antique store in the San Telmo neighborhood. What they did, to avoid having too many zeros, was to introduce different types of pesos. They might say that 1,000 of peso X would equal one peso Y. They went through several of such peso upgrades. I'm sure YoRoll11 can speak to this much better than I can.
Quote: WizardWhen I was there I think I saw a 1,000,000 peso bill from a prior version of the peso at an antique store in the San Telmo neighborhood.
Did you buy one for a souvenir? you need to be careful with that. I once nearly bought an Israeli Lyra for far more than it was worth.
Quote:What they did, to avoid having too many zeros, was to introduce different types of pesos. They might say that 1,000 of peso X would equal one peso Y. They went through several of such peso upgrades. I'm sure YoRoll11 can speak to this much better than I can.
I think they renamed the currency, too.
In Mexico in 93 we got "Nuevos pesos," which were the same notes, but with trhee zeroes chopped off. Then some years later the "Nuevo" prefix was dropped. That has worked reasonably well. of course, the Dollar was wirth about 3.50 in 93 and it's now at around 13.... But still far from the 3,500 level before the "reform."
I held on to a few old peso notes, too. They're demonetized, but the central bank will exchange them at face value. meaning my 5,000 peso note is worth 5 pesos. Of course I value them as collectibles. I never really collected currency, but I have a small colelction of coins and notes.
Quote: NareedDid you buy one for a souvenir? you need to be careful with that. I once nearly bought an Israeli Lyra for far more than it was worth.
I did not. I already have bills from I think Cambodia and Zimbabwe that I think are in the millions. I have a small collection of US paper currency, and a pretty respectable US coin collection, but never got into foreign notes or coins.
Quote: NareedIn Mexico in 93 we got "Nuevos pesos," which were the same notes, but with trhee zeroes chopped off. Then some years later the "Nuevo" prefix was dropped. That has worked reasonably well. of course, the Dollar was wirth about 3.50 in 93 and it's now at around 13.... But still far from the 3,500 level before the "reform."
Mexico only had to change their currency one time, and drop three zeros. They used the same faces on the banknotes so they would be recognizable. For a little while they were called "New Pesos", but the "New" was dropped quickly.
Gold and silver pesos, 1881–1969
The Argentine gold coin from 1875 was the gold peso fuerte, one and two-thirds of a gram of gold of fineness 900, equivalent to one and a half grams of fine gold, defined by law 733 of 1875. This unit was based on that recommended by the European Congress of Economists in Paris in 1867 and adopted by Japan in 1873 (the Argentine 5 peso fuerte coin was equivalent to the Japanese 5 yen).[3]
The monetary system before 1881 has been described as "anarchistic" (anarquía monetaria).[3] Law 1130 of 1881 put an end to this; it established the monetary unit as the peso oro sellado ("stamped gold peso", ISO 4217: ARG), a coin of 1.612 grams of gold of fineness 900 (90%), and the silver peso, 25 g of silver of fineness 900.[3] Gold coins of 5 and 2.5 pesos were to be used, silver coins of one peso and 50, 20, 10 and 5 centavos, and copper coins of 2 and 1 centavos.
[edit]Peso moneda nacional, 1881–1969
Argentina changed several times.
In 1881 the paper peso moneda nacional (national currency, (m$n or $m/n) to replace gold. Convertibility was maintained off and on, with decreasing value in gold, until it was finally abandoned in 1929, when m$n 2.2727 was equivalent to one peso oro.
Peso ley, 1970–1983
The peso ley , replaced the previous currency at a rate of 1 peso ley to 100 pesos moneda nacional.
Peso argentino, 1983–1985
The peso argentino replaced the previous currency at a rate of 1 peso argentino to 10,000 pesos ley (1 million pesos m$n). The currency was born soon after the return of democracy. However, it rapidly lost its purchasing power and was devalued several times.
Austral, 1985–1991
The austral replaced the peso argentino at a rate of 1 austral to 1000 pesos. During the period of circulation of the austral, Argentina suffered from hyperinflation. The last months of President Raul Alfonsín's period in office in 1989 saw prices move up constantly (200% in July alone), with a consequent fall in the value of the currency. Emergency notes of 10,000, 50,000 and 500,000 australes were issued, and provincial administrations issued their own currency for the first time in decades. The value of the currency stabilized soon after President Carlos Menem was elected.
Peso convertible, from 1992
The current peso replaced the austral at a rate of 1 peso = 10,000 australes (ten trillion pesos m$n). It was also referred to as peso convertible since the international exchange rate was fixed by the Central Bank at 1 peso to 1 U.S. dollar and for every peso convertible circulating, there was a U.S. dollar in the Central Bank's foreign currency reserves.
However, after the financial crisis of 2001, the fixed exchange rate system was abandoned.
Quote: WizardYes, you can always say mil milliones, but doesn't it get redundant? With the enormous inflation Argentina has been known to go through, a billion pesos might have been quite achievable.
Hmmm, I'll have to ask the girl when we both get back from work. Yeah I don't think there is a word for billion. The Argentinian inflation stories are crazy, banks stealing money, etc, I've heard some of the stories about the early 2000's, and the 90's. Yikes.
Quote: YoDiceRoll11Hmmm, I'll have to ask the girl when we both get back from work. Yeah I don't think there is a word for billion. The Argentinean inflation is crazy, I've heard some stories about the early 2000's, and the 90's. Yikes.
From what I've heard it was even worse than the Weimar Republic. With less cause. Germany was paying reparations to the Allies at the time, if memory serves.
Quote: NareedFrom what I've heard it was even worse than the Weimar Republic. With less cause. Germany was paying reparations to the Allies at the time, if memory serves.
A 1992 Argentinian peso = 100,000,000,000 pre-1983 Argentinian peso. When Mexican peso lost half it's value (relative to USD in 1993) almost a third of the businesses closed.
When doubling time is in hours or days you know you are completely out of control.
Hungary Hungarian pengő July 1946 15 hours
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe dollar November 24.7 hours
Yugoslavia Yugoslav dinar January 1994 1.4 days
Germany German Papiermark October 1923 3.7 days
Greece Greek drachma October 1944 4.3 days
Taiwan (Republic of China) Old Taiwan dollar May 1949 6.7 days
Quote: pacomartinGreece Greek drachma October 1944 4.3 days
Somehow that one doesn't surprise me.
Palabar: Acceder
Today's SWD means to agree.
A question for the advanced readers is how does it differ from acordar, which I seem to see/hear much more frequently. It seems to me that acceder is for the situation of agreeing to a request. Perhaps sharing the same root as the English "cede," as in "I cede to your suggestion."
Ejemplo time.
Debido al accidente del carro, accedé a cancelar la apuesta. = Due to the car accident, I would agree to call off the bet.
Quote: WizardToday's SWD means to agree.
A question for the advanced readers is how does it differ from acordar, which I seem to see/hear much more frequently. It seems to me that acceder is for the situation of agreeing to a request. Perhaps sharing the same root as the English "cede," as in "I cede to your suggestion."
Of all the related English cognates: "cede,accede, concede, excede ,exceed, intercede, precede, proceed, recede, succeed, & supercede" I think the most appropriate one to use would be I accede to your suggestion".
English accede means "To agree or assent to a proposal or a view"
Acordar is from the Latin "accordare" which includes "cor" or from the "heart". So I imagine "acordar" is a little more emotional than "accedar". It is similar to the English cognate "accord".
Note that "acordarse de" is synonymous with "recordar" since they are variants of "to remember". You can think of remembering as "agreeing with yourself".
Quote: WizardFecha: 9 de Febrero, 2012
Palabar: Acceder
Today's SWD means to agree.
Yeah, that didn't seem right. Actually it means "to consent" and "to enter or to go in."
Quote:A question for the advanced readers is how does it differ from acordar, which I seem to see/hear much more frequently.
See above. "Acordar" does mean "to agree," or "to reach an agreement."
Quote:It seems to me that acceder is for the situation of agreeing to a request.
Yes, see above: to consent.
Quote:Debido al accidente del carro, accedé a cancelar la apuesta. = Due to the car accident, I would agree to call off the bet.
I have to attempt a literal re-translation. it's funny:
"Due to the car having an accident, he consented to cancel the bet."
There's no exact match for "car accident" in Spanish. "Accidente del carro" implies the car had an accident, which would be true but not relevant to cancelling the bet with Hot Blonde. A better expression would be "traffic accident." In Spanish that comes to "accidente de transito," or "accidente vial." In this particular case, though, you can say the accident involved a car. So:
"Debido al accidente que tuvo con el carro, accedí a cancelar al a apuesta." "Due to the accident she had with a car, I consented to cancel the bet."
Quote: YoDiceRoll11Quote: WizardYes, you can always say mil milliones, but doesn't it get redundant? With the enormous inflation Argentina has been known to go through, a billion pesos might have been quite achievable.
Hmmm, I'll have to ask the girl when we both get back from work. Yeah I don't think there is a word for billion. The Argentinian inflation stories are crazy, banks stealing money, etc, I've heard some of the stories about the early 2000's, and the 90's. Yikes.
OK guys, I asked the Argentinian and She says without a doubt the word for billion in Spanish is billon/billones. She says they use it in Argentina and South American countries. Wasn't sure about Spain or Mexico but said she thought it was the same there.
Quote: YoDiceRoll11OK guys, I asked the Argentinian and She says without a doubt the word for billion in Spanish is billon/billones. She says they use it in Argentina and South American countries. Wasn't sure about Spain or Mexico but said she thought it was the same there.
In Mexico it's used to mean "one million million," or what in English is called a "trillion."
Palabra: asombrosa
Today's SWD means wonderful, astonishing,or marvelous.
A question for the advanced readers is whether there is an etymology connection to the word sombra, which means shade.
Ejemplo time.
Tuve una semana asombrosa in el Cañón Grande. = I had a wonderful week in the Grand Canyon.
Quote: WizardToday's SWD means wonderful, astonishing,or marvelous.
I'd have gone with "amazing." "Marvelous" is definetly "maravillosa/o"
Quote:A question for the advanced readers is whether there is an etymology connection to the word sombra, which means shade.
I don't know. Useless, but honest :)
Quote:Tuve una semana asombrosa in el Cañón Grande. = I had a wonderful week in the Grand Canyon.
That's good, except "in" isn't a Spanish word. You meant to say "en." Also the Grand Canyon is translated as "El Grán Cañón." Sometimes it's referred to as "El Grán Cañón del Colorado." I find the latter superfluous, as there is not other Grand Canyon as far as I know.
Quote: WizardA question for the advanced readers is whether there is an etymology connection to the word sombra, which means shade.
They are related, as they both comes from Latin subumbrare. The relationship is that of a shadow and a ghost.
A minor definition of sombra from the DRAE
sombra Espectro o aparición vaga y fantástica de la imagen de una persona ausente o difunta
asombroso Que causa asombro
Even in English umbra used to mean "phantom" or "ghost"
Poetically equating shade with dreams and the supernatural is an old correlation in English. From 400 years ago:
HAMLET: O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.
GUILDENSTERN: Which dreams indeed are ambition, for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.
HAMLET: A dream itself is but a shadow.
Palabra: llanta
Today's SWD means tire. It is a frequently seen word in Vegas. Lots of small auto repair shops in Spanish-speaking parts of Vegas have big signs that say llantas. Meanwhile, you rarely see stores with big signs that say "tires."
A question for the advanced readers is how does a llanta differ from neumático?
Ejemplo time
Desde que vine aquí me parece que tener muchos llantas pinchadas. = Since I moved here I seem to get lots of flat tires.
This is true, by the way. It seems I'm always running over screws and nails, resulting in slow leaks.
The Spanish word "llanta" is derived from Latin "planta" which is used in English in medical terminology for the sole of your foot. The word also means "plant" as both the green kind, and the verb where you "plant your foot".
In Spain "llanta" refers to the wheel or the tire rim. In Latin America it has displaced the more correct word for tire, "neumático" which is obviously the same word as "pneumatic".
It's actually the English word tire which is the one with the complex etymology. From the late 1400's the word is a short version of attire which implies that the tire is the dressing of the wheel. The original spelling was tyre, which had shifted to tire in 17c.-18c., but since early 19c. tyre has been revived in Great Britain and become standard there.
Quote: WizardDesde que vine aquí me parece que tener muchos llantas pinchadas.
The DRAE gives as an example sentence: Sufrir un pinchazo una rueda or literally "To suffer a puncture of a wheel".
That may be the way you refer to a flat tire in Spain. Nareed will have to answer.
Rayo McQueen en el momento de sufrir el pinchazo de su rueda durante la carrera de la Copa Pistón.
"Copa Pistón" or "Piston Cup" is a championship race in the Cars Disney PIXAR movie.
Quote: WizardToday's SWD means tire. It is a frequently seen word in Vegas. Lots of small auto repair shops in Spanish-speaking parts of Vegas have big signs that say llantas. Meanwhile, you rarely see stores with big signs that say "tires."
That's odd. The shops that say "llantas" in Mexico are those that sell and install tires. The ones that service and fix tires are little hole-in-the-wall types of places, and their signs say "vulcanizadora." Oh, the big tire places will fix tires, too. But they charge a lot more. You don't fix a puncture there, unless it's covered by warranty.
Quote:A question for the advanced readers is how does a llanta differ from neumático?
I think they're synonyms. But in Mexico you won't hear many people say "neumático."
On the other hand, the metal wheel the tire is mounted on is called "rin" in Mexico, plural "rines."
Quote:Desde que vine aquí me parece que tener muchos llantas pinchadas. = Since I moved here I seem to get lots of flat tires.
"Desde que me mudé aquí, me parece que he tenido muchAs llantas pOnchadas."
Quote: Nareed"Desde que me mudé aquí, me parece que he tenido muchAs llantas pOnchadas."
I can see now that ponchada means punctured, but according to SpanishDict.com, pinchada is the past participle of pinchar, which means to puncture. I respectfully ask for a reconsideration of that correction.
Quote: WizardI can see now that ponchada means punctured, but according to SpanishDict.com, pinchada is the past participle of pinchar, which means to puncture. I respectfully ask for a reconsideration of that correction.
Sorry. You are right in the meaning, but it's just not used that way. It also sounds a bit like "pinche," which is a swear word here. And it's too close tot he right usage, "ponchada," that it sounds wrong even if it's not.
BTW there's no Spanish term for "flat tire." You can say "ponchada." If it's missing air but not flat, you say "está baja la llanta."
Quote: NareedSorry. You are right in the meaning, but it's just not used that way. It also sounds a bit like "pinche," which is a swear word here. And it's too close tot he right usage, "ponchada," that it sounds wrong even if it's not.
The DRAE gives as an example sentence: Sufrir un pinchazo una rueda . Do you think that sentence would be more likely said in Spain?
Resulta que al carro de la familia de Olivia se la había pincado un neumático, que fue por lo que no pudieron llegar a la fiesta.
Quote: pacomartinThe DRAE gives as an example sentence: Sufrir un pinchazo una rueda . Do you think that sentence would be more likely said in Spain?
Leave it to Spaniards to mangle out language beyond recognition (yes, this joke is getting old...)
Consider the meaning: to suffer a puncture in a wheel.
Wheel does not mean tire. But leaving that aside, the tire suffers the puncture, not the person who drives or owns the car. See?
Quote: WizardResulta que al carro de la familia de Olivia se la había pincado un neumático, que fue por lo que no pudieron llegar a la fiesta.
No doubt. It's not wrong, just not used that way.
I think many, if not most, Spanish translations are wither done by Spaniards or by people imitating Spaniard style. Back in high school we used to make fun of the language contained in books we were assigned. Let me tell you, few things will spoil a dramatic, sad scene in "All's Quiet on the Western Front" better than inappropriate language exactly in the right place.
Quote: Maestra de Español del MagoI would say the most educated way to say is: "una llanta pinchada." In Mexico you might hear a different
adjective, in Argentina, for example we would say: una rueda pinchada.
Quote: WizardHere is what my tutor said about the "flat tire."
The population of Mexico is over 110 million. That of Argentina around 40 million. Word usage is a matter of numbers. But leaving that side, "rueda" means "wheel," not "tire."
Quote: WizardHere is what my tutor said about the "flat tire."
A red se ha hecho eco de toda esta vorágine hasta el punto en el que se han creado espacios virtuales para dejar fuera de juego a Lewis Hamilton. Es el caso de una página web en la que bajo el título Pincha La Rueda de Hamilton, en la que uno puede elegir el objeto con el que pinchar la rueda del piloto británico en el circuito de Brasil, donde este domingo se decide el Mundial.
Palabra: Grifo
Today's SWD means faucet.
A question for the advanced readers is what is the difference between a grifo and a canilla?
When I hear grifo what comes to my mind is a boligrafo (pen). Does this imply a pen is like a faucet of ink? They often become one when I put one in my pocket. Funny how they never just start leaking just laying around doing nothing at home. What is a boli anyway? The word for ink is tinta. Can I also call a pen a tintagrifo? Sorry to get so off topic.
Ejemplo time
Esto grifo goteando me está volviendo loco. = That dripping faucet is driving me crazy.
