meta user
network profile
|
Nov 25 |
comment |
What is a good, original Spanish childrens novel to help learn grammar and vocab? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_t%C3%ADteres_de_Cachiporra |
|
Nov 25 |
comment |
Use of “¿A cómo está […]?” to ask for a price "A cuánto está el cambio para comprar libras?", "Cuál es el precio de venta para la libra?" or more technical:"Cuál es el tipo de cambio para la libra?". "A cómo ..." is used in some places, but I always thought of it as a "localismo". |
|
Nov 25 |
comment |
Is it bad to address a young male as “señor”? @Gonzalo In Argentina, "mesero" sounds affected, "camarero" is used perhaps only in very expensive restaurants, and "mozo" is the usual word. Probably not safe to use it in other countries. |
|
Nov 25 |
comment |
Appropriate way to answer a negative yes/no question Or worse "No es cierto que no quieres aprender?" |
|
Nov 25 |
comment |
“vaso de agua” or “vaso con agua”? Which is correct? @Alfredo Yes,but I had a hard time thinking about an example where the content is a liquid. Perhaps "un balde con agua", but usually "de" sounds better. |
|
Nov 24 |
comment |
Translating “actually” (as in a change of mind) In a conversational and not formal situation, you could just use "O mejor sí". |
|
Nov 24 |
comment |
Are there vulgarities in Spanish that are universal throughout the language? Roberto Fontanarrosa, a wonderful writer talks about vulgarities in Spanish here (part 1/2) youtube.com/watch?v=ErGLhqYJOrk. Don't miss him! |
|
Nov 24 |
comment |
How should I ask someone to repeat something they've said? @Jon "Cómo?" is perfectly acceptable, but colloquial. Don't use it in formal situations. "Disculpe?" is the opposite :) |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Various translations of “ticket” As I said in my answer there are a lot of highly localized usage there. In Argentina, for example, "billete" is for money or lottery ticket ONLY, "boleto" is for ground transportation ticket (bus, train, but never airplane or ship. Those use "pasaje") :). Also "boleto" is used in the sense you mentioned "resguardo", as in "boleto de venta" (a legal promise to sell a property) |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Translating “looking forward to” @jrd Yep. It depends. "Espero que me pagues pronto"! |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Various translations of “ticket” @hippi Receipt is usually translated as "recibo" |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
How do I know whether to attach a direct object pronoun to the infinitive? «Como si adivinara mi pensamiento, díjome al punto: “La verdad es desnuda”» is a very nice formed sentence. Obsolete and literary, but beautiful. |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Translation of “contact info” Referring to people, "datos" is very colloquial. |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Can “los cristales” be translated as “mirrors” or “looking glasses”? I am not sure if the task is doable without a PhD :). Seriously. For example the last sentence "las voces de los muertos me dirán para siempre" can be read in Spanish in at least five different ways. The mastery of JLB was that that was made intentionally |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Can “los cristales” be translated as “mirrors” or “looking glasses”? No, he is not swiping his hand over the "cristales". He is repassing his concave hand over his face, to recognize it (he was blind) |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Are there any nouns with irregular plurals in Spanish? Also, not all of them are masculine. For example "buscavidas" and "rompecorazones" are both f. and m. as |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Can “los cristales” be translated as “mirrors” or “looking glasses”? Also ... translating Borges is one of the more difficult tasks I can think of. He had a vast culture, and used Spanish in a very subtle way. So subtle in fact, that many native speakers understand his works only partially. |
|
Nov 23 |
comment |
Can “los cristales” be translated as “mirrors” or “looking glasses”? Please remember he was "vainly" looking for his face on the mirrors, or crystals, or whatever, because he was blind. Abhorrence of mirrors is one of the main Borges themes along his literature. |
