All Questions
2
votes
2answers
29 views
How do you introduce yourself on the phone?
In America, a telephone conversation usually starts like this.
Me: [Calls John]
John: Hello.
Me: Hi, John. It's Joe.
This is between 2 people that are familiar with each other, but not ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
¿Qué quiere decir “engatillado”?
Sé lo que dice el RAE sobre la palabra. Sobre los animales y sobre la chapa.
Pero cuando alguien me dice:
Chepe estabas engatillado!
Eso ¿qué quiere decir?
La expresión viene de Colombia.
2
votes
1answer
36 views
El Tigre - slang meaning?
When I was in the Dominican, I heard men referred to as 'tigres'... I took it to mean that they were flirts, but I never really got a good definition. Can anyone explain how calling a man a tigre ...
-3
votes
0answers
38 views
Can someone please check this letter [closed]
Querido Señor/Señora,
He estado tratando de contactar con Ms A. Jimenez pero aún sin éxito. Ahora hay sólo un día a la izquierda para llenar el formulario de solicitud ERASMUS pero yo todavía ...
2
votes
1answer
35 views
Can “desprenderse” be used to imply the English phrase “to give off”?
English: He "gives off" a strange vibe.
Español: Él se "desprende" extraño.
4
votes
2answers
65 views
What's the meaning of “carne mechada”?
My friend and I were discussing 'carne mechada' - I've only ever heard the word in conversation and I thought it meant 'mixed' but according to our google searching it's a little more specific.
Can ...
3
votes
1answer
63 views
El significado de “nunca nadie”
La combinación "Nunca nadie" significa que nunca hay alguien, al menos así está usado por la gente... Pero el significado gramatical sera lo contrario, verdad? O hay alguna regla gramatical que dice ...
3
votes
2answers
73 views
¿Qué significa “a poco”?
¿Qué significa la expresión "a poco" usada en México?
Por ejemplo:
¿A poco?
¿A poco sí?/¿A poco no?
¿A poco no has hecho la tarea?
4
votes
2answers
94 views
Is colegiala a type of flower?
A native speaker in Colombia showed me a flower and told me it was called a colegiala, but the only translation I can find is schoolgirl or female college student. Also, I haven't been able to find ...
9
votes
2answers
124 views
How does one say “It's not nothing.”
In English, we can express the idea that something is not negative, such as:
A: What's in the box?
B: Oh, nothing.
A: It's not nothing!
In English, the double negative (not and nothing) ...
4
votes
2answers
60 views
Word usage: difference between “bailar” and “danzar”
Is there any difference between "bailar" and "danzar"?
3
votes
2answers
48 views
What is the difference between “congestión del tráfico” and “congestión de tráfico”?
What is the difference between these?
congestión del tráfico.
congestión de tráfico.
Thank you in advance!
-3
votes
1answer
28 views
Gramatica: if the sentence is correctly written [closed]
Could you please advise if the following sentence is correctly written?
La señal advierte al público que las fuertes lluvias probablemente trajeron consigo seria inundación de carretera y ...
2
votes
2answers
32 views
¿Cual es la sequencia apropiada para un substantivo con adjetivo y/o participio + “de”?
Se trata, por ejemplo, de un paciente que saldrá del hopital donde fue curado de una enfermedad. El hospital ha sido recientamente abierto, y el paciente es satisfecho.
En este caso, ¿cuales son ...
3
votes
2answers
39 views
“a” personal en “Yo les presento a mi novio a mis padres”?
Estaba viendo la pregunta sobre el "a" personal y empesé a estudiar un poco el asunto. Me quedé con la duda, lo que pasa con el "a" personal en caso que se agrega un objeto indirecto.
Pensé en este ...
4
votes
6answers
193 views
How to translate “if any”?
I'm translating a text and have a doubt. It says:
Please add a copy of [some specific papers] (if any).
I could mix up the sentence and say: "Si existen [...], añade una copia, por favor."
But ...
-1
votes
0answers
40 views
Duda sobre la preposición “into” [closed]
Hola tengo una duda sobre esta preposición. Lo que intento traducir es:
Convierte un grupo de líneas en una lista HTML
Y dudo entre esta traducción
Turn a group of lines into HTML list
y esta ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
“ir” vs “venir” when speaking of joining a friend [duplicate]
A friend recently criticized me for using the word venir instead of ir when I said I was going to join her.
An example:
Voy a venir a visitarte el lunes.
But she thinks I should say:
Voy a ...
4
votes
2answers
106 views
What is the meaning of “palabra” in this context?
I came across this sentence while reading, and the use of 'palabra' doesn't make sense to me:
Y no es que quiera irme; palabra.
Although it brings up connotations of the very slang usage of word ...
5
votes
5answers
96 views
Difference between “acaso” and “quizá”
I understand that both Quizá and Acaso are translated to "Perhaps" or "Maybe" in English. Is there any difference between these two words in Spanish, other than quizá being apparently more common? Or ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
How is the placement of this prepositional phrase grammatical?
I'm re-reading La Vida Inútil de Pito Pérez, this time making extra effort to understand the all the words and grammar, and I'm stumped in the second paragraph already, which is describing his ...
3
votes
1answer
54 views
Paisaje de siempre
I read a line the other day in Almudi.org that said
Mi paisaje de siempre visto desde otra perspectiva
the latter part means 'seen from another perspective'. I can't quite figure out what could ...
2
votes
3answers
71 views
Palabra correcta para describir la “acción de solicitar”
¿Cuál es la palabra correcta para describir la "acción de solicitar", según la RAE? ¿"Solicitación"?
9
votes
2answers
188 views
What is the history of the “personal a”?
What is the historical origin of the "personal a" in Spanish?
Examples of the personal a:
George sees Mary. -> Jorge ve a María.
I see the waitress. -> Veo a la mesera.
But with the exact ...
3
votes
1answer
77 views
Participating in a Spanish proficiency test?
I speak Spanish daily now, but feel I'm not learning many new things anymore (although there is still much for me to learn).
As I will have some more time the coming months, I was thinking of taking ...
4
votes
2answers
114 views
To “have been told”
English
I am often unsure how to translate the phrase to have been told into Spanish. For example, "I have been told that...". I normally translate that phrase to "Se me ha dicho que...", but I am ...
0
votes
4answers
69 views
Short form for “Indicaciones sobre la protección de datos”
As the title says, I need a short form for the phrase:
"Indicaciones sobre la protección de datos"
It shouldn't be longer than 3-4 words. Does anybody have an idea?
0
votes
1answer
47 views
List it or List this
Me gustaría saber cómo podría traducirse Lístalo. He pensando en List it y en List this pero no estoy seguro de cuál es la correcta (si acaso alguna lo es).
Gracias.
3
votes
1answer
97 views
Ending a formal letter / Terminar una carta formal
English
When writing a formal letter in English, I would normally end with something along the lines of
I look forward to hearing from you [soon|as soon as possible|at your earliest convenience].
...
4
votes
1answer
73 views
¿Es posible omitir “que” en “supongo que irás”?
Tengo el vicio de escribir
"supongo irás mañana"
o bien
"creo te queda bien ese color".
Sé que es correcto decir "supongo que irás mañana" y "creo que te queda bien ese color", pero no sé ...
4
votes
4answers
134 views
Why is there a “se” after the verb in “llevarse los libros a casa”?
The sentence comes from an exercise in my Spanish text book:
¿Pueden los lectores llevarse los libros a casa si quieren?
In the above sentence, there's a "se" after the verb "llevar". But I think ...
-6
votes
0answers
41 views
Fill in the blank with a, de, en, para, o por [closed]
Ella insiste _ verlo.
Ellos se aprovechan _ la bondad de Macario.
El Virrey vaciló _ pedir ayuda.
La licencia del Virrey lo acredita _ ejercer medicina.
La riqueza nunca tuvo mucha importancia _ ...
-1
votes
0answers
54 views
Can someone teach me spanish over skype please? [closed]
I started using some tapes a couple of days ago. I have probably listened to about an hour so far. My memory isn't brilliant so I now know about a sentence of Spanish, but I think it would be useful ...
2
votes
3answers
165 views
Is “Esas cestas son hechas de mano” correct?
I want to say "These baskets are made by hand". Is it correct to say:
Esas cestas son hechas de mano.
3
votes
4answers
121 views
How is the second person singular formed with rioplatense “vos”?
English
I learned my Spanish in Spain, some years ago. Now I am visiting Uruguay and Argentina and coming across the usage of the pronoun vos, and its corresponding different formation of the second ...
3
votes
4answers
223 views
Identifying masculine and feminine words
Are there any tips to quickly identify words in Spanish as 'male' or 'female'?
I am a new learner and have trouble with this.
0
votes
0answers
30 views
When do you use 'para' and when do you use 'por'? [duplicate]
How do you know when to use 'para' and when do you use 'por'?
0
votes
2answers
80 views
Is it possible to use definite articles before proper nouns? If so, when?
I'm doing a Spanish project where we write a script for a commercial. First, we wrote it in English and now we have to translate to Spanish. So far, it's been okay, but I'm just not sure if I should ...
3
votes
2answers
132 views
El uso de “comerse”
Qué diferencias hay entre las oraciones siguientes :
Así que empezaron a comerse las paredes de la casa.
Así que empezaron a comer las paredes de la casa.
1
vote
2answers
100 views
Could General Pablo Morrillo have been misunderstood as saying “Spain does not need wise people.”?
According to wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Morillo
"When Morillo ordered the execution of the Colombian scientist Francisco José de Caldas (known as El Sabio Caldas, "Wise Caldas") ...
6
votes
3answers
84 views
Indicative and subjunctive after time constructions
I have a few questions regarding the use of some verbs after time constructions like "tan pronto como" or "en cuanto."
If I am saying....
Los domingos por la mañana vemos televisión. Tan pronto ...
3
votes
2answers
411 views
¿Cuál es la palabra correcta, “membresía” o “membrecía”?
Cual es la forma correcta de escribir la siguiente palabra: MEMBRESÍA o MEMBRECÍA, según las normas de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española para el año actual (2013). Por favor incluir referencias ...
2
votes
1answer
221 views
¿Qué significa la abreviatura “VoBo”?
¿Cuál es el significado de la abreviatura "VoBo"? ¿en qué casos se puede utilizar?
3
votes
4answers
154 views
“El hijo del sol es yo” or “El hijo del sol soy yo”?
How to speak the sentence:
The son of the sun is me.
in Spanish? I thought about:
El hijo del sol es yo.
at first, but Google Translation translates the sentence into
El hijo del sol soy yo.
I ...
1
vote
2answers
165 views
me/te/nos hace falta / passive form
So after reading this question I came up with a really bad doubt.
In the past I was using quite often "(no) se hace falta" to say for instance, that "it is (not) necessary to", but I've by then been ...
5
votes
6answers
193 views
Why do you use “al” before a verb?
I understand that al is a combination of a + el when used before a noun, however in what situations would you use it in front of a verb, for instance
'Al llegar al tercer semaforo...'
1
vote
2answers
142 views
¿Qué significa la expresión “echar toda la carne al asador”?
¿Qué significa la expresión "echar toda la carne al asador"? Esta frase la he escuchado en México.
2
votes
3answers
113 views
Best Spanish translation for “Visit Google Maps for [address]”
What’s the best Spanish translation for “Visit Google Maps for [address]” or “Look up [address] on Google Maps”? (Of course, [address] is supposed to be replaced by any street address.)
If it helps, ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
¿Qué significa “sacalepuntas” en México?
He oido esta expresión en México. Por ejemplo:
Jorge anda muy sacalepuntas.
¿Cuál es su signficado? ¿Por qué?
3
votes
5answers
172 views
A lo de mi abuela / Donde mi abuela
Quiero decir: "Voy a la casa de mi abuela".
En Argentina siempre he escuchado: "voy a lo de mi abuela".
En Chile, parece que utilizan: "Voy donde mi abuela".
Qué suelen decir en los otros paises? ...
