Spanish word of the day
Quote: DocWell, for that, Google might work:
"John paid the duck in the name of our friendship."
Close.
"Juan will pay the duck in the name of our friendship" (names shouldn't be translated, unless they're too difficult to pronounce).
Quote: WizardDid they have ducks in biblical times?
No question ducks existed then. Whether any could be found in a mostly desert land with few lakes and rivers, I'm not so sure. FWIW, I don't recall seeing any ducks in Israel, but then i wasn't looking for any.
Quote: NareedNo question ducks existed then. Whether any could be found in a mostly desert land with few lakes and rivers, I'm not so sure. FWIW, I don't recall seeing any ducks in Israel, but then i wasn't looking for any.
I meant did ducks exist in the middle east during the time the bible was written. I know they must have existed somewhere. A search at a bible web site turned up nothing.
Okay, Paco, this is where you come in.
Quote: WizardI meant did ducks exist in the middle east during the time the bible was written. I know they must have existed somewhere. A search at a bible web site turned up nothing.
Okay, Paco, this is where you come in.
The Jews, before the Babylonian captivity in 6th century BC, had no domestic fowls except pigeons . But as ducks are very cosmopolitan and exist everywhere in the world. I would assume that they were in the Middle East.
The bird that is most often mentioned in the bible is the "dove". Also swallows, heron, storks, swans, raven, quail, partridge, eagles, falcons, ostrich's and owls. Ducks are not mentioned in the bible, but their absence may not signify anything.
The time when the bible was written is pretty long. Generally the old testament was considered to have taken at least a millenium and a half, while the New testament was probably written in less than 50 years.
Fecha: 22-04-12
Palabra: traicionar
Today's SWD means to betray. A related word is traidor, which means a traitor.
The question for the advanced readers is to compare and contrast traicionar with delatar.
Ejemplo time.
Estoy en el carcel porque mi amigo traicionarme. = I am in jail because my friend betrayed me.
Quote: WizardI guess we won't know why "pay the duck" means to take the blame for something you didn't do.
A duck who wasn't paid helps herself while a pretty Latina is distracted by her offspring.
Someone suggested that to "pay the piper" is similar, but I disagree. If you don't pay the piper his agreed upon salary (which is very high) he will extract his revenge which is much worse. But the piper deserves his compensation.
To "carry the can" means something similar, because you are taking the responsibility for something you didn't do.
To "kick the can down the road", is sort of like pushing the blame down to lower levels.
Even "sacrificial lamb" is not exactly the same thing. The lamb is paying for something he didn't do, but the lamb is completely innocent and pure. There is no implication of purity in the idiom "pagar el pato".
Quote: Wizard
Estoy en el carcel porque mi amigo traicionarme. = I am in jail because my friend betrayed me.
Hey, Mike! Do not forget to put the verb in the past tense. Furthermore, carcel is a noun, and nouns in spanish have genders. Carcel is female. La carcel.
Estoy en la carcel porque mi amigo me traicionó.
Quote: aluisioHey, Mike! Do not forget to put the verb in the past tense. Furthermore, carcel is a noun, and nouns in spanish have genders. Carcel is female. La carcel.
Estoy en la carcel porque mi amigo me traicionó.
Thanks. I don't know why I thought carcel was masculine. Maybe because the vast majority of inmates, at least here, are men.
Yup, I should have known better on the past tense. Somebody add 20 push-ups to my tab for that one.
Thanks for your help. Nice of you to give Nareed the day off.
Quote: pacomartinTo "kick the can down the road", is sort of like pushing the blame down to lower levels.
I thought it meant to procrastinate. In other words, put off dealing with a problem until later. You know you have to pick up the can eventually, but as long as you have to walk down the road, you can keep kicking it until you get to your destination.
Quote: pacomartin
A duck who wasn't paid helps herself while a pretty Latina is distracted by her offspring.
Nice photo, but I thought that was the Aflac duck delivering insurance benefits.
How do you say "Quaaaaaack!" in Spanish with a Gilbert Gottfried accent?
Quote: WizardThe question for the advanced readers is to compare and contrast traicionar with delatar.
The verb tracionar is 'betray" while delatar is more like "denounce".
You could denounce someone, without once having been their ally.
One of the RAE definitions of delatar used reflexively is:
Hacer patente su intención involuntariamente.
So "delatarse" would be like a "tell" when you are playing poker.
Quote: Doc
How do you say "Quaaaaaack!" in Spanish with a Gilbert Gottfried accent?
¡Cuac cuac!
Quote: Wizardregarding "kick the can": I thought it meant to procrastinate. In other words, put off dealing with a problem until later. You know you have to pick up the can eventually, but as long as you have to walk down the road, you can keep kicking it until you get to where your destination.
Actually, you are correct. I gave a bad definition for the idiom. The idiom "carry the can", may have come from "carry the keg" or an unwanted military duty of having to both carry the full kegs to the party, and carry the empty ones back after everyone is drunk.
It is possible that the closest English idiom to "pagar el pato" is to "be left holding the bag", as one person takes the blame and the punishment for the entire group's behavior.
But I still can't figure out where the Spanish idiom came from.
In English the duck goes into a store and buys a bunch of things, and says "put it on my bill". But that doesn't work in Spanish since there is not the word for a bar bill is "la cuenta" and the word for a duck bill is "pico de pato".
Quote: WizardThanks for your help. Nice of you to give Nareed the day off.
Almost.
I went shopping. I can't believe how hard it is to find three different skirts...
Anyway, "traicionar" means "to betray." "Delatar" means to tell on someone. The latter is not necessarily a betrayal. And betrayal is not confined to giving up a partner in crime, broadly speaking. Someone who betrays his country is a "traidor."
Quote: NareedAnyway, "traicionar" means "to betray." "Delatar" means to tell on someone. The latter is not necessarily a betrayal. And betrayal is not confined to giving up a partner in crime, broadly speaking. Someone who betrays his country is a "traidor."
Thanks. Good stuff!
Quick question. How would you translate this, El libro me trae por la calle de la amargura.?
Quote: WizardThanks. Good stuff!
You're welcome
Quote:Quick question. How would you translate this, El libro me trae por la calle de la amargura.?
Not easily. :)
It means the book is causing you to feel anguish. The literal translation is "the street of bitterness," but as you can see that's not what it's supposed to mean. I can't think of an equivalent English expression offhand.
Quote: NareedRE: El libro me trae por la calle de la amargura.?
It means the book is causing you to feel anguish. The literal translation is "the street of bitterness," but as you can see that's not what it's supposed to mean. I can't think of an equivalent English expression offhand.
Is there only a street of bitterness, or can the figure of speech be applied to any emotion?
I submit something similar in English is "memory lane." For example, if two long-lost friends meet, and talk about old times, it might be referred to as "taking a trip down memory lane." There are no other lanes, just memory lane.
Quote: WizardThere are no other lanes, just memory lane.
What about life in the fast lane...
la vida en el carril rápido o
la vida en el carril de alta velocidad ?
Quote: WongBoWhat about life in the fast lane...
Well, I guess that is a lane too.
Palabra: Aparcamiento
Today's SWD means "parking lot."
My previous tutor never missed an opportunity to complain about how terribly Spanish is spoken in Las Vegas. She would never refer to it as "Spanglish," because I think she would say it was not deserving of a term. Probably for the same reason most people, including me, refer to "ebonics" only in a mocking way.
One word that annoyed her in particular was aparcamiento. She said this was an Anglified Spanish word meaning "parking lot." Note the "parc" in the middle of it. She said the proper Spanish word was estacionamiento. You would be warned that if you ever meet her, never say aparcamiento, lest she lose all respect for your command of the language.
So, in the book I'm reading I just came across the word aparcamiento. I was quite shocked! The translated version is by oceano.mx, which looks like a respectable publishing company out of Mexico City.
So, the question for the native speakers is which term do you prefer, and why.
Ejemplo time.
Encontré mi jardinero en aparcamiento de el Almacén de Casa. = I found my landscaper in the parking lot of the Home Depot.
Quote: NareedThe Wizard asked me to take over these daily posts for a while.
Fecha: 28 de Mayo
Palbara del día: Estacionamiento
English makes a distinction between parking lots and parking garages. Spanish does not. Any structure, lot or space meant for the purposes of parking cars, buses and/or trucks is called "Estacionamiento."
Examples:
"El restaurante no tiene estacionamiento" = "The restaurant doesn't provide parking facilities."
"El periferico del DF es el estacionamiento más grande del mundo" = "Mexico City's freeway is the world's biggest parking lot."
I'll try something more complicated tomorrow.
Nareed brought up this word in May while you were away. We had a long discussion about it.
Quote: DocAll riiiiight! If you come up with enough words like this, I might actually learn a little bit of "Spanish". One of the few words I remember from my French lessons many years ago is "le parking", meaning a spot in los estacionamiento.
Quote: WizardWell, I guess that is a lane too.
Don't forget about the primrose path from Hamlet.
Quote: WizardFecha: 04-23-12
Palabra: Aparcamiento
Today's SWD means "parking lot."
One word that annoyed her in particular was aparcamiento. She said this was an Anglified Spanish word meaning "parking lot." Note the "parc" in the middle of it. She said the proper Spanish word was estacionamiento. You would be warned that if you ever meet her, never say aparcamiento, lest she lose all respect for your command of the language.
Encontré mi jardinero en aparcamiento de el Almacén de Casa. = I found my landscaper in the parking lot of the Home Depot.
Greetings! I must confess I had never heard of aparcamiento before, and that it really sounds weird to me. I would never use such a term - I don't think it sounds spanish at all. Perhaps I won't be of great help because I am not a native speaker as you inquired but I can assure you that in Argentina people do not use that word.
Regarding your example, translating "Home depot" (Is that the store?) does not work either. So I would place the phrase like this:
Encontré mi jardinero en el estacionamiento de Home Depot.
Quote: WizardIs there only a street of bitterness, or can the figure of speech be applied to any emotion?
Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other similar expressions, but I wouldn't rule them out.
Quote:I submit something similar in English is "memory lane." For example, if two long-lost friends meet, and talk about old times, it might be referred to as "taking a trip down memory lane." There are no other lanes, just memory lane.
I see what you're saying, but I still don't know. I'm sure there are any number of popular expressions I haven't come across.
I will take a guess and say "calle de la amargura" perhaps comes from "vía dolorosa" in some form. But I'd leave that to someone more familiar with the Bible.
Quote: WizardToday's SWD means "parking lot."
See Paco's post.
Quote:One word that annoyed her in particular was aparcamiento. She said this was an Anglified Spanish word meaning "parking lot." Note the "parc" in the middle of it. She said the proper Spanish word was estacionamiento.
She is right.
In Mexico, it is common up in the north, especially along the border, to use the word "aparcar" rather than "estacionar," and their related terms. BUt that's considered skang. They have a few other hispanicized English terms, just as you have some anglicized Spanish terms.
Quote:So, in the book I'm reading I just came across the word aparcamiento. I was quite shocked! The translated version is by oceano.mx, which looks like a respectable publishing company out of Mexico City.
The wrod is known but it's rather rare to use it at all. There's also this tendency, particularly in intellectual or pseudo-intellectual circles, to use rare and odd words to give an apeparance of refinement or superior knowledge. So you get, for example, "obsequio" instead of "regalo." I think your book's author was a victim of that.
Quote:Encontré mi jardinero en aparcamiento de el Almacén de Casa. = I found my landscaper in the parking lot of the Home Depot.
Aluisio is making a rather good play for my job here :)
But he's right. Names, brands and trademarks often are not translated. titles are, though. So Home Depot in Mexico is known as Home Depot
Anyway, you missed an "el" before "aparcamiento." The rest is ok.
Quote: Nareed
Aluisio is making a rather good play for my job here :)
Nareed, it is an honor to receive a complimment from you. As I have already said I am Brazilian, but I took 2 semesters of Spanish at College and participated in an intensive 4 weeks course in Buenos Aires last January, which gave me a modest knowledge of the language.
Quote: aluisioNareed, it is an honor to receive a complimment from you.
You're welcome.
Quote:As I have already said I am Brazilian, but I took 2 semesters of Spanish at College and participated in an intensive 4 weeks course in Buenos Aires last January, which gave me a modest knowledge of the language.
Portuguese and Spanish are very close in many respects. Back in the 80s I spent some time with a group of Brazilians in, of all places, Israel. If they spoke slowly and enunciated carefully, I could understand perhaps three quarters of what they were trying to say, and viceversa. Of course, in the interest of convenience, we mostly spoke in English.
Quote: pacomartinNareed brought up this word in May while you were away. We had a long discussion about it.
This is why I am very glad that I started off my Casino Chip of the Day thread by including in the first post an updateable index of the chips that have been posted. Of course, since I'm going through my collection of chips in an ordered fashion, it's easier to remember which ones have been discussed than it is to remember which Spanish words have been discussed. But with the index, it is easy to go back and find individual chips without searching through lots and lots of pages. Who's up to the challenge of going back and creating a table of links to each of the Spanish Word of the Day entries? I suggest a native speaker of the language. ;-)
Quote: DocWho's up to the challenge of going back and creating a table of links to each of the Spanish Word of the Day entries? I suggest a native speaker of the language. ;-)
Oh, we could just post the unabridged dictionary ;)
It's a very colorful idiom, I wish I knew where it was from.
I'll give you the the history of primrose path since I know that one. Early in Hamlet, Laertes is talking to his little sister, Ophelia before he leaves for university in France. She is clearly infatuated with Prince Hamlet, and she feels that Hamlet loves her. Laertes concedes that Hamlet may be genuine in his emotions, but once the heavy weight of being a statesman weighs in on his life, he may be pressured to find a wife that is of political value. He is afraid that his young sister will be left with nothing but a "reputation".
Quote: Ophelia' response
But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff' d and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And reaks not his own rede.
"reaks not his own rede" means "to fail to heed your own advice" and is archaic
primroses were historically associated with the metaphorical "flower" of youth, and so, indirectly, with youthful appetites.
The phrase is not used a lot today, but it was in the title of a 1940 movie
Generally, the British make wider use of Shakespeare quotes than Americans
Speaking of languages influencing each other, does this happen at all with Portuguese and Spanish near the border of Brazil and Argentina?
Quote: aluisioNareed, it is an honor to receive a complimment from you. As I have already said I am Brazilian, but I took 2 semesters of Spanish at College and participated in an intensive 4 weeks course in Buenos Aires last January, which gave me a modest knowledge of the language.
Are Portuguese dialects very strong? Do you have trouble with speakers from Portugal or from different parts of the country.
Quote: Wikipedia:PortuñolUruguay recently adopted Portuguese as obligatory by the 6th grade at public schools.
Some public schools along the Brazilian border provide classes both in Portuguese and Spanish.
Besides the official status of Portuguese in Uruguay, there's also the Portunhol Riverense, spoken in the region between Uruguay and Brazil, particularly in the twin cities of Rivera and Santana do Livramento, where the border is open and a street is the only line dividing the two countries. This language must not be confused with Portuñol, since it's not a mixing of Spanish and Portuguese, but a variety of Portuguese language developed in Uruguay back in the time of its first settlers. It has since received some input from Uruguayan Spanish language and also Brazilian Portuguese language used on television and literature.
In academic circles, the Portuguese used by the northern population of Uruguay received the name "Dialectos Portugueses del Uruguay" (Uruguayan Portuguese Dialects, or "DPU" for short). There's still no consensus if the language(s) is (are) a dialect or a creole, although the name given by linguists uses the term "dialect"; there is even no consensus on how many varieties it has (studies point out to at least two variations, an urban one and a rural one, although other sources says there are even six varieties—Riverense Portuñol being one of these varieties).
This Portuguese spoken in Uruguay is also referred by its speakers, depending on the region that they live, as Bayano, Riverense, Fronterizo, Brasilero or simply Portuñol.
Uruguay is a small country of 3.3 million people with a low fertility rate (1.8 million live in metropolitan Montivideo). The country is not expected to grow above 3.5 million. The population is mostly of European descent and is fairly urban.
The country is split in half by a river. The population north of the river is only 560K.
Quote: WizardYes, I thought I should have left Home Depot alone. However, I think it looks better to make an effort where none is required than look lazy and have somebody say that Home Depot does get translated to Almacén de Casa, or whatever, in Spanish.
Speaking of languages influencing each other, does this happen at all with Portuguese and Spanish near the border of Brazil and Argentina?
Yes, Wiz, it happens in such a way that there is a language known as "castellano" that was developed between the Borders of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. People from this area are known as ´gauchos´. This influence was so strong that in the beginning of the XIX there was a war to separate Rio Grande do Sul, our most southern state.
- Now directing to paco:
There are many notable diferences, mostly regarding phonetics. Vocabulary does not change pretty much as between American and British English. It does not come to a point of misunderstanding each other. On the other hand, it's funny to watch how accents change within the country. It's the same that happens in the U.S when you compare someone from NYC and Texas.
Quote: aluisioYes, Wiz, it happens in such a way that there is a language known as "castellano" that was developed between the Borders of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
That's odd. i elarned in school that "Castellano" is the real, proper name of "Spanish," as the language actually originated in "Castilla." In fact, I've always taken Español and Castellano as synonims. It's odd they used a name already in use.
Quote: Names of Language:Wikipedia
In Spain and in some other parts of the Spanish-speaking world, Spanish is called castellano (Castilian) as well as español (Spanish), that is, the language of the region of Castile, contrasting it with other languages spoken in Spain such as Galician, Basque, and Catalan. Speakers of these regional languages prefer the term castellano, as they consider their own languages equally "Spanish". The Spanish Constitution of 1978 uses the term castellano to define the official language of the whole Spanish State, in contrast to las demás lenguas españolas (lit. the rest of the Spanish languages). Article III reads as follows:
El castellano es la lengua española oficial del Estado. (...) Las demás lenguas españolas serán también oficiales en las respectivas Comunidades Autónomas...
Castilian is the official Spanish language of the State. (...) The rest of the Spanish languages shall also be official in their respective Autonomous Communities...
The Spanish Royal Academy, on the other hand, currently uses the term español in its publications but from 1713 to 1923 called the language castellano.
Two etymologies for español have been suggested. The Spanish Royal Academy Dictionary derives the term from the Provençal word espaignol, and that in turn from the Medieval Latin word Hispaniolus, 'from—or pertaining to—Hispania'. Other authorities attribute it to a supposed medieval Latin *hispaniōne, with the same meaning. The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas (a language guide published by the Spanish Royal Academy) states that, although the Spanish Royal Academy prefers to use the term español in its publications when referring to the Spanish language, both terms, español and castellano, are regarded as synonymous and equally valid.
The name castellano is preferred in all of Spanish-speaking South America except Colombia. The term español is more commonly used to refer to the language as a whole when relating to a global context.
Local versions of Vulgar Latin evolved into Spanish in the central-north of Iberia, in an area defined by the then remote crossroad strips of Álava, Cantabria, Burgos, Soria and La Rioja, within the Kingdom of Castile (see Glosas Emilianenses). In this formative stage, Spanish (Castilian) developed a strongly differing variant from its close cousin, Leonese, and was distinguished by a heavy Basque influence (see Iberian Romance languages). This distinctive dialect progressively spread south with the advance of the Reconquista, and so gathered a sizable lexical influence from Al-Andalus Arabic, especially in the later Medieval period.
My grandfather grew up in the Kingdom of Leon (which existed until 1833). After 1833 they became the Historic Region of Leon, which in 1983 became the autonomous community of Castile and León (2.5 million).
Although Leon once had it's own competitor to Castillian (called Leonese), the language of Leonese has less than 50,000 speakers today. Many students, particularly Americans, go to the University of Salamanca because they want to learn Spanish with the old Castillian accent.
Quote: aluisioYes, Wiz, it happens in such a way that there is a language known as "castellano" that was developed between the Borders of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
My first Spanish tutor was from Buenos Aires, and she always referred to Argentine Spanish as Castellano. They also referred to it that way in the Bueno, entonces program I went through. I thought it was just the version of Spanish spoken in Argentina in general. Perhaps the differences, between other forms of Spanish, were influenced by Brazil.
Speaking of Bueno Entonces I asked them about something we were discussing about a week ago, how to say "He must like eggs" in Spanish. Here is their reply.
Quote: Bueno EntoncesAnd to answer your question, you can say: "le deben gustar los huevos"
Finally, they are finally coming out with a part 2. So far it is just on the iPhone, so I'm holding out for the PC version.
Quote: WizardSpeaking of Bueno Entonces I asked them about something we were discussing about a week ago, how to say "He must like eggs" in Spanish. Here is their reply.
Did they explain why? Or is the reason still keeping you up at night? ;)
Quote: NareedDid they explain why? Or is the reason still keeping you up at night? ;)
They did not. I'm still going with Paco's explanation of the passive voice, although when it tried to use that on the Peru tutor I don't think she understood what I was talking about. No wonder I gave her a headache.
Quote: WizardThey did not. I'm still going with Paco's explanation of the passive voice, although when it tried to use that on the Peru tutor I don't think she understood what I was talking about. No wonder I gave her a headache.
Speaking of that, I do always carry Tylenol with me. So feel free to do your worse ;)
Quote: NareedSpeaking of that, I do always carry Tylenol with me. So feel free to do your worse ;)
I should bring some to my next session, just in case my tutor needs it. So far I've been pretty unsuccessful at getting under your skin, but in person I might have better luck.
Quote: WizardI should bring some to my next session, just in case my tutor needs it. So far I've been pretty unsuccessful at getting under your skin, but in person I might have better luck.
That shouldn't be too hard. Do you know how many times in this thread I've had to use a dictionary? It's going to be hard without a working internet connection.
I can hardly wait.
Mike is a strong personality and he's a puzzle solver, so he drags his tutors down the rabbit hole of grammar and language development. If you stick with some exercises where you simply have to know whether to say "conocimos" or "conocíamos" then he'll have to stay in a disadvantaged position of struggling with what comes very naturallly to a native speaker.
The mind of a native English speaker can completely rebel at some aspects of Spanish. Your brain is thinking, "the past tense is the past tense", why should I be struggling to choose between two different past tenses?
Fecha: 24-04-12
Palabra: Mohoso
Today's SWD means moldy. It should not be confused with mojado, which means wet, the past participle of mojar, which means to get wet.
The question for the advanced readers is whether mohoso is based on the verb mojar.
Ejemplo time.
Debemos comer el queso pronto o se pondrá mohoso.= We should eat the cheese soon, or it will become moldy.
My level of confidence in this example is not high. For one thing, we just went through the issue of how to conjugate deber with "he must like eggs." Using that as an example I would go with debe here, based on the cheese. However, this time we're connecting it to comer, although I couldn't explain why that would matter. I'm just going on hunch.
I also struggled with how to say "became." Somehow I think I've seen poner used to describe changing states.
So, how would the experts say it?
Quote: WizardPalabra: Mohoso
Today's SWD means moldy.
I'd never come across ti before, but I was able to deduce the meaning. How? Read on:
Quote:The question for the advanced readers is whether mohoso is based on the verb mojar.
No. The word "moho" means "mold," as in tiny fungi growing on moist surfaces. Remember the Spanish "h" is silent (why the language needs a silent letter is beyond my ability to comprehend). So the words dont' even sound alike.
Quote:Debemos comer el queso pronto o se pondrá mohoso.= We should eat the cheese soon, or it will become moldy.
Perfect.
You may have chosen to say "debemos comerNOS el queso...." but the way you used "comer" is ok too.
Quote:For one thing, we just went through the issue of how to conjugate deber with "he must like eggs." Using that as an example I would go with debe here, based on the cheese.
No :) If you'd said "I shoudl eat the cheese," then the wording comes out as "Debería de comer el queso..." Here the key is the number of people you're talking about, one or many. Since it's "we" then it's many. It's the people who should do something, not the cheese.
Quote:I also struggled with how to say "became." Somehow I think I've seen poner used to describe changing states.
That's fine. There were some choices on how to say it, but the one you used is correct.
Quote: WizardThe question for the advanced readers is whether mohoso is based on the verb mojar.
I don't know. I can't find the etymology anywhere. I did find an interesting idiom paralleling the English one:
no cría moho = he doesn't let the mold grow under his feet
Also, the words for "to wet" = mojar, and "to loosen"= mullir are cognates in Spanish. The equivalent English words are not cognates.
Hence the confusion in English of "to loose" meaning to let an animal go, and "to loosen" meaning to unscrew the screws.
Be forewarned that "mojar" has many slang meanings in different countries. While you see the sign "piso mojado" in any hallway where they are cleaning the floor, I would be careful about using it verbally, as you may have an unintentional meaning.
mullir
(Del lat. mollīre, ablandar).
1. tr. Esponjar algo para que esté blando y suave.
2. tr. Agr. Cavar alrededor de las cepas, de las patatas, etc., ahuecando la tierra.
3. tr. p. us. Tratar y disponer las cosas industriosamente para conseguir un intento.
mojar
(Del lat. vulg. molliāre, por mollīre, ablandar).
1. tr. Humedecer algo con agua u otro líquido. U. t. c. prnl.
2. tr. coloq. Dar de puñaladas a alguien.
3. tr. coloq. remojar (‖ convidar, celebrar).
4. tr. coloq. orinar. U. t. c. prnl.
5. tr. coloq. Cuba. untar (‖ sobornar).
6. intr. Introducirse o tener parte en una dependencia o negocio.
7. intr. Fís. Dicho de un líquido: Tener sus moléculas mayor afinidad con un sólido que entre sí. U. t. c. tr. El mercurio no moja el vidrio.
8. prnl. coloq. Comprometerse con una opción clara en un asunto conflictivo.
9. prnl. coloq. Cuba. En un negocio, obtener algún beneficio o ganancia, generalmente de forma ilegal.
Quote: NareedNo :) If you'd said "I shoudl eat the cheese," then the wording comes out as "Debería de comer el queso..." Here the key is the number of people you're talking about, one or many. Since it's "we" then it's many. It's the people who should do something, not the cheese.
Now I'm getting confused again. I thought in Le deben los huevos, it is deben because the subject is the eggs, not the "he." So why is the number of people the key in my last ejemplo? To help get at the point, how would you translate "He should like eggs."
Quote: WizardNow I'm getting confused again. I thought in Le deben los huevos, it is deben because the subject is the eggs, not the "he." So why is the number of people the key in my last ejemplo? To help get at the point, how would you translate "He should like eggs."
I thought you were supposed to get under my skin, not the other way around :)
Ok, seriously now. Let me try:
He must like eggs = Le debeN gustar los huevos.
He must like Jane = Le debe gustar Jane
He must like Jane and Karen = Le debeN gustar Jane y Karen
You see the pattern here? If a person must like one thing, it's "debe." If he must like many things, it's "debeN." In such cases the number of things being liked determines the word usage.
Now:
I must get out of here = Debo salir de aquí
We must get out of here = DebeMOS salir de aquí
They must get out of here = DebeN salir de aquí
So in this case the number of people matters.
I think it's a case where the word usage doens't match subject and object, but my grammar handicap prevents me from saying for sure.
Quote: NareedHere the key is the number of people you're talking about, one or many.
Let me ask how to translate:
He should like the eggs.
They should like the egg.
Quote: WizardHe should like the eggs.
Le deben gustar los huevos.
Quote:They should like the egg.
Les debe gustar el huevo.
We're up against a subtle, maddening point, I think.
BTW, we need to discuss the difference between "should" and "must." But please hold on to that for a live tutoring session. it can get very complicated. One thing at a time.
In English rhere are 2!=4 combinations because the verb does not have a plural form.
1) He liked the eggs
2) They liked the egg
3) He liked the egg
4) They liked the eggs
There are 3!=6 combinations. Two don't make sense. Which two?
A) Les gustaban los huevos
B) Le gustaban los huevos
C) Les gustaba los huevos
D) Les gustaba el huevo
E) Le gustaba el huevo
F) Les gustaban el huevo
Quote: NareedLe deben gustar los huevos.
Les debe gustar el huevo.
I agree. Now, let me ask about these (note the adding of "eat").
He should like to eat eggs.
They should like to eat the egg.
Agreed to put off the difference between must and should until live tutoring.
Quote: pacomartinMatch the English with the Spanish
In English rhere are 2!=4 combinations because the verb does not have a plural form.
1) He liked the eggs
2) They liked the egg
3) He liked the egg
4) They liked the eggs
There are 3!=6 combinations. Two don't make sense. Which two?
A) Les gustaban los huevos
B) Le gustaban los huevos
C) Les gustaba los huevos
D) Les gustaba el huevo
E) Le gustaba el huevo
F) Les gustaban el huevo
I think you mean there are 2^2 combinations in English and 2^3 in Spanish. You left off Le gustaba los huevos, I assume because the form of gustar does not match the number of eggs. Same issue as the omitted Le gustaban el huevo.
So...
1=B
2=D
3=E
4=A
Quote: WizardHe should like to eat eggs.
Le debe gustar comer huevos
Quote:They should like to eat the egg.
Les debe gustar comer huevos.
I think I see where you're going. A verb such as "to like" applied directly to many things comes out different than if it's appied to another verb, such as "to eat," regardless of the number of things invovled.
I'm feeling the spirit of Captian Obvious... ;)
Quote:Agreed to put off the difference between must and should until live tutoring.
Good. Just remind me of it then.
