Determining the best possible word to express a concept among several choices.
6
votes
1answer
211 views
Difference between “oreja” and “oído”
What is the difference between oreja and oído?
Both mean ear, no?
6
votes
2answers
182 views
“a propósito” vs “de paso” to say “by the way”
How do you say "by the way" in Spanish, as in:
By the way, what's your name?
By the way, where do you live now?
By the way, I met Javier the other day ...
Google Translate shows a ...
6
votes
2answers
461 views
How can we say “I'm sorry” apart from “lo siento”?
So far the only way I know to say "I'm sorry" is "lo siento." However, this gets repetitive rather quickly, and sometimes I'm looking for a stronger form of an apology. What other ways are there to ...
6
votes
3answers
760 views
How do I say “You're making me hungry?”
A friend was describing some food she's making. I wanted to say "You're making me hungry" or "That makes me hungry." What's the proper way to say this?
My first thought was to say something like:
...
6
votes
5answers
167 views
What would be a good way to express “You can't get something out of nothing”?
There is a common statement—well, I least I've read quite a few times—that goes like this:
You can't get something out of nothing.
I would like to know if this sentence has a common translation ...
6
votes
1answer
134 views
¿Existe un equivalente en español para “foo”, “bar”, “baz”?
En programación es usual encontrar los términos foobar, foo, bar, baz y qux como variables metasintácticas (placeholders, en inglés) que sirven para referirse a variables, funciones o a comandos cuyo ...
6
votes
3answers
173 views
What's the difference between “estar ansioso de” and “estar ansioso por”?
I know that both 'estar ansioso de' and 'estar ansioso por' mean to be excited for something or looking forward to it, but how do I decide which one to use? Do the two have slightly different ...
6
votes
4answers
134 views
¿Cuándo usar “conseguir” o “lograr”?
Me parece que el sentido es de "to manage to do something", pero ¿hay alguna diferencia? ¿Cuál se usa con más frecuencia? ¿Uno es más formal que el otro?
6
votes
1answer
89 views
What is the preferred used word for “subscripción”?
What is the preferred used word for "subscripción",
"subscripción" or "suscripción"?
Why are there two ways to write the same word?
Are there any other words like this one where the "b" can be
...
6
votes
1answer
229 views
What's the plural of “suéter”?
What's the plural of "suéter"?
In Mexico, most of the times is called "sueters".
Is it "sueters" or "suéteres"?
6
votes
1answer
76 views
Reflexive and non-reflexive third person
This English sentence is ambiguous:
He ate his food.
The word his can refer to the He at the start, or another man.
In Spanish:
Él comió su comida.
Does the ambiguity still remain or does ...
6
votes
2answers
79 views
Regional differences between escuchar and oír
In school I learned that escuchar was for the English "to listen to" and oír was "to hear." In Central America, however, I frequently heard escuchar being used for "to hear" (e.g. No te escucho ...
6
votes
1answer
85 views
Referring to a specific “bisabuelo(a)”
When talking about grandparents, you can add "materno(a)/paterno(a)" to refer to a specific one. Example: abuelo paterno.
Is there a way to refer to a particular "bisabuelo(a)" (great-grandparent)?
6
votes
2answers
100 views
Analog to “sustainability”
I asked a question on english synonyms of "sustainability" alrady on ELU. In Spanish, dictionaries and ngrams give out several options:
Comparing with the english ngrams chart I conclude la ...
6
votes
4answers
118 views
Is there a translation for “He thumbed his nose at them”?
In English if you "thumb your nose at someone" you are ignoring their authority..
Is there an expression in Spanish that conveys that same sort of disrespect?
Edit: adding example.
Many ...
6
votes
5answers
958 views
What is the difference between allí and ahí (“there”)?
English
What is the difference between allí and ahí? Is there any difference in pronunciation between the two? Are there any contexts where one is correct and one is wrong, or are they completely ...
6
votes
2answers
794 views
What does the “lo” in “pasarlo bien” refer to?
The phrase pasarlo bien means something like "to have a good time" in sentences like, "Lo pasamos muy bien anoche." What does the "lo" in this phrase refer to? Does it replace an actual noun, or is it ...
6
votes
1answer
499 views
Choosing between 'sobre' and 'acerca de'
Is there a significant difference between "sobre" and "acerca de", when the intent is to describe the topic of something?
Where is "acerca de" a better choice than "sobre", and vice-versa?
6
votes
2answers
246 views
What's the meaning of the Mexican expression “se te va el avión”?
Example:
Te lo dije tres veces y de todos modos no lo hiciste. A ti ya se te va el avión.
¿No te acordaste de tu cumpleaños? La verdad es que a ti ya se te va el avión.
What does it mean?
...
5
votes
2answers
479 views
When does sólo have an accent?
When does the word solo have an accent (tilde) on the first o (sólo)? When does it not?
5
votes
3answers
150 views
Correct usage of debieras and deberías
Español
¿Cuándo es correcto usar deberías o debieras? (significado y uso).
English
When is it correct to use deberías or debieras? (meaning and uses)
5
votes
4answers
835 views
to drink: beber vs. tomar
I have heard beber and tomar used interchangeably as translations for the English "to drink." Is there any difference between the two, or are they exact synonyms when describing drinking a liquid? Are ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre “formación” y “capacitación”?
Estoy escribiendo con mi amiga de Argentina, y ella me habló de su nuevo trabajo. Ella dijo que tenía que tomar un curso de capacitación, pero veo la palabra "formación" en lugar a veces.
¿Cuál es ...
5
votes
2answers
95 views
Difference between “suave” and “blando”
When would you use one over the other? I see Google Translate says both equate to "soft" in English.
5
votes
1answer
140 views
What would be a good way of expressing “Es un placer haber sido de utilidad.”?
English
How can I translate the phrase "Es un placer haber sido de utilidad."? What ways sound most natural?
Thanks.
Español
Cómo puedo traducir la frase "Es un placer haber sido de utilidad."? ...
5
votes
2answers
217 views
forever: por siempre vs. para siempre
I have seen "forever" translated as both por siempre and para siempre. What is the difference? Are there contexts where you must use one or the other?
5
votes
2answers
146 views
Counterpart of “John Doe, Joe Public”?
In English these names are used as a substitute for the average guy. Or as a specimen when filling out a passport form.
What names/expressions are used in Spanish for this purpose?
5
votes
3answers
145 views
Do mi and mío have different connotations?
I usually use the possessives mi and mío interchangeably.
For example:
Esta es la casa mía.
Esta es mi casa.
However, do the two have different connotations? (e.g. is one more formal ...
5
votes
3answers
90 views
“Earthquake”: When to use “temblor” and “terremoto”
When referring to an earthquake, are temblor and terremoto perfect synonyms? Are there any differences?
5
votes
2answers
94 views
In what cases are “de” and “para” interchangeable?
For example in these cases "de" and "para" seem to be interchangeable:
muebles de oficina / muebles para oficina
juguetes de niños / juguetes para niños
Are there any other cases where ...
5
votes
3answers
128 views
“Habría” or “Hubiera”
Given the following sentence:
Si lo hubieran anotado, después no les hubiera (habría) costado tanto recordarlo.
we see that the first use of hubieran is well used, but the second one is ...
5
votes
4answers
105 views
Difference between “volver” and “regresar”
I understand that both "volver" and "regresar" can mean "to return" as in:
Tengo que regresar mañana...
Tengo que volver mañana...
Is there any difference between these two words? If so, ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there a trick to remembering 'llevar' and 'traer'?
After years of living in a Spanish-speaking country, and speaking mostly only Spanish all day, I still struggle with 'llevar' and 'traer'. The rules are clear and all, but it is just very difficult to ...
5
votes
1answer
108 views
Words for “size”
I know there are multiple words for size in Spanish, but I'm quite fuzzy on when to use them.
The two most common seem to be tamaño and talla, although in some contexts (like shoes), número seems ...
5
votes
2answers
131 views
How would you build the spanish counterpart of “truthiness”?
I stumbled upon the English term Truthiness
"truth" that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" in that it "feels right" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or ...
5
votes
1answer
114 views
How do you write task lists in Spanish?
In English:
Go to store.
Eat dinner.
...
How would this be written in Spanish?
5
votes
2answers
221 views
Difference between 'trabajar para' and 'trabajar por'
I know the difference between por and para, but I'm confused by these particular usages. I've seen both of them in various places. 'Trabajar para' seems to mean to work for, whereas 'trabajar por' ...
5
votes
1answer
210 views
“Perdón”, “permiso”, “disculpa”, … ?
I always struggle with the correct usage of the various ways one could say the equivalent of I'm sorry or Excuse me. Of course there are many reasons I would say these things and I was often looking ...
5
votes
2answers
117 views
How to choose between “carecer” and “faltar”?
I've always used "faltar" to mean "to lack, to be missing".
But in my reading I find that "carecer" seems to mean exactly the same.
When should I use the one or the other? Are there some ...
5
votes
2answers
361 views
¿En breve o en breves momentos?
Un presentador de televisión anunciando la casi inmediata aparición de alguna persona. Cual es modo correcto de anunciarlo:
"En breve estaremos con ..."
"En breves momentos estaremos con ..."
"En ...
5
votes
1answer
110 views
¿Como se traduciría al español “crunch time”?
En ingles existe la palabra "crunch time":
A critical period of time during which it is necessary to work hard
and fast.
Un periodo crítico de tiempo en el que es necesario trabajar duro y
...
5
votes
3answers
162 views
What is the difference between “ser casado” and “estar casado”?
I have read that both ser and estar can be used with casado to give different connotations to the phrase "to be married." What exactly are the differences, and when would you use each verb?
5
votes
3answers
176 views
feliz vs. alegre vs. dichoso
I recently heard dichoso used to mean feliz. Looking up dichoso in a dictionary shows it means "happy" (or "blessed"). What is the difference between dichoso, feliz, and alegre to mean "happy"? Are ...
5
votes
2answers
355 views
Translation of “how often” questions
What is the most idiomatic translation of "how often" into Spanish in questions like:
How often do the buses stop here?
How often does it rain in November?
How often do you get headaches?
How often ...
5
votes
2answers
270 views
Different words for “stop”
In English, we have a fairly generic verb "to stop" that can be used in many different contexts. For example:
Stop talking to me!
The driver saw the red light and stopped his car.
You really need to ...
5
votes
5answers
205 views
Computer science, software engineer/developer, and programmer
When visiting Spanish-speaking countries, I've been told various ways to translate these terms:
Computer Science (as in a university degree program)
Software Engineer
Software Developer
Programmer
...
5
votes
6answers
265 views
Use of “¿A cómo está […]?” to ask for a price
The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas does not offer a suggestion regarding the use of cómo to ask for the price of something (item, service, or currency). I am familiar with the variants ¿a cómo ...
5
votes
2answers
228 views
What is the correct way to say the days of a month?
People refer to the days of the month as following:
1 de enero = uno de enero o primero de enero.
2 de enero = dos de enero.
3 de enero = tres de enero.
...
Example:
Hoy es primero de enero.
...
5
votes
2answers
206 views
When to use “tratar de” and when to use “intentar” for “to try to”?
Spanish has three words that can translate to English to try.
Probar is easy to remember because it's used for sample or taste, like:
Have you ever tried tacos el pastor?
But I never know when ...
5
votes
1answer
325 views
“Echar” vs “tirar” vs “lanzar” vs “arrojar” vs “disparar” (to throw)
The basic meaning of them all as I understand it is:
To throw
Disparar seems to pertain exclusively to shooting or throwing something for the sole purpose of harming (maybe to shoot is the best ...
