Spanish word of the day
May 9th, 2011 at 12:00:00 PM
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Quote: FarFromVegasCould the word also be translated as "desire"? I still think the ambiguity was intentional.
Desire is a possibility, but there is a word "desear" that specifically means to desire.
I am not sure why there is perceived problem. In English we use "want" from wanting a burger to carnal desire. It can also be a romantic word, as I want you in my life. And all the related English words built on the Latin word are in pursuit of satisfying this want. You go on a quest, you become acquainted, you require this person in your life, you conquer (i.e. achieve your goal), and you acquire her hand in marriage.
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May 9th, 2011 at 1:54:35 PM
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Quote: pacomartinI am not sure why there is perceived problem. In English we use "want" from wanting a burger to carnal desire. It can also be a romantic word, as I want you in my life. And all the related English words built on the Latin word are in pursuit of satisfying this want. You go on a quest, you become acquainted, you require this person in your life, you conquer (i.e. achieve your goal), and you acquire her hand in marriage.
It is a problem because want and love, while similar, still mean different things. For example, consider this exchange in front of a romantic fireplace.
Girl: Te quiero. = I want/love you.
Boy starts to take off girl's clothes.
Girl: What are you doing!
Boy: Didn't you want to do...it?
Girl: No! I meant I LOVE you, not I WANT you!
“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” -- Carl Sagan
May 9th, 2011 at 2:11:31 PM
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Quote: WizardGirl: Tu quiero. = I want/love you.
That's "tE quiero." "Tu quiero" is meaningless.
I told you conjugations were hard.
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
May 9th, 2011 at 2:16:16 PM
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It's similar in Italian. Most Italians say "Ti voglio bene" -- literally, "I want you well" when expressing love for another. I don't understand the nuances (never did pick it up even after living there), but it's a much more common construction than "Ti amo" -- literally, "I love you."
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
May 9th, 2011 at 2:46:50 PM
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Quote: pacomartinDesire is a possibility, but there is a word "desear" that specifically means to desire.
It also means "wish," both noun and verb, and is used more that way. Except at restaurants, where you may be asked "¿que desea ordenar?" At a birthday party, before blowing out the candles you may be told "Pide un deseo."
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
May 9th, 2011 at 4:32:22 PM
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Quote: NareedQuote: WizardGirl: Tu quiero. = I want/love you.
That's "tE quiero." "Tu quiero" is meaningless.
I told you conjugations were hard.
140 people blog about when to use te quiero and when to use te amo
Pronombres:
Palabras que reemplazan sustantivos.
Pronombres personales
como sujeto: yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros ellos/ellas/ustedes
como objeto directo: me, te, lo/la , nos, los/las
como objeto indirecto: me, te, le, .. nos, les
You used first person singular conjugation "quiero" meaning "I want"
The pronoun for the direct object for English you in Spanish is "te".
In English the pronouns for subjective and direct object are both "you".
Indirect object pronouns are more rare in English than in Spanish. They are not gender specific in the 3rd person.
Historical note: English used to have a familiar 2nd person pronoun, it was thou in the singular, and ye in the plural, but has become archaic. Because people rarely see it anymore except in the King James version of the bible (published 1611), many people mistakenly believe it is a "holy" word. Actually the words were pretty common.
May 9th, 2011 at 4:48:33 PM
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Quote: pacomartinHistorical note: English used to have a familiar 2nd person pronoun, it was thou in the singular, and ye in the plural, but has become archaic.
I always thought "you" was the familiar form and "thou" was the formal one.
I understand French suffer sfrom the same problem, but it's not like French is a real language anyway. I'm clueless about Portuguese.
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
May 9th, 2011 at 7:33:49 PM
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Quote: NareedI always thought "you" was the familiar form and "thou" was the formal one.
I understand French suffer sfrom the same problem, but it's not like French is a real language anyway. I'm clueless about Portuguese.
The French have "vous" and "tu". Vous is the formal one, and also the plural version.
Germans have "Sie" and "du" (and in that order). A quick search suggests "du" and "thou" had similar roots in the language, and thou is the familar version..
(Think "Abandon all hope ye that enter here"... )
"Then you can admire the real gambler, who has neither eaten, slept, thought nor lived, he has so smarted under the scourge of his martingale, so suffered on the rack of his desire for a coup at trente-et-quarante" - Honore de Balzac, 1829
May 9th, 2011 at 9:42:34 PM
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Quote: NareedI always thought "you" was the familiar form and "thou" was the formal one.
The reason you think that is an artifact of only hearing the word "thou" in costume dramas or in religious settings.
The books of the bible were written in Hebrew, but most of the time the discussion of God's are in the familiar. You can translate into contemporary Spanish, but not contemporary English.
Look at the first commandment:
אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים:
: לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, עַל-פָּנָי.
I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (1611)
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me. (1901)
Yo soy Jehová tu Dios, que te saqué de la tierra de Egipto, de casa de servidumbre.
No tendrás dioses ajenos delante de mí. (1960)
