Questions tagged [selección-de-palabras]
Determinar entre varias opciones cuál es la mejor forma de expresar un concepto. // Which option is the best choice to express a concept?
133
questions
23
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Why do we say "Qué hora es" instead of "Qué hora está"?
I was taught that está is used in certain contexts meaning a temporary state (like emotion). Isn't "time" always temporary in that it is constantly changing? If so, why don't we use está instead of es?...
- 1,113
40
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Question words: "qué" versus "cuál"
English
Often "qué" is translated to English as "what" and "cuál" is translated as "which." However, I know that this is not always the case. Here are some examples. (Please correct me if I am wrong.)...
- 905
34
votes
8
answers
11k
views
Why is 'estar muerto' used instead of 'ser muerto'?
I know it is rather rude to think of it this way and I don't want to offend anyone religiously, but being dead is usually thought of as a very permanent condition in the United States.
So why does ...
- 2,731
20
votes
3
answers
9k
views
When is it written with and without accent: porqué/porque/por qué? / ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre "porque", "porqué", "por que" y "por qué"?
This is a canonical question / Esta es una pregunta canónica
Can anybody explain to me when each of this variations of "porque" should be used?
¿Puede alguien explicar cuáles son las diferencias ...
- 1,032
4
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Why "se lo" instead of "le lo"? / ¿Por qué debo escoger "se lo" en vez de "le lo"?
In this (simple) sentence:
Se lo dijo la historia. (He told her the story.)
I think this is also right:
Le lo dijo la historia.
But the latter doesn't seem so prevalent or even acceptable. ...
- 1,295
26
votes
4
answers
19k
views
I forgot how to say "I forgot"
Okay, so I didn't really forget how to say it... I just wanted a clever question title.
In my Spanish class I was taught that olvidarse is reflexive:
Me olvidé (de la cita).
Me olvidé (las ...
- 12.8k
25
votes
4
answers
24k
views
When to use "que" and "de que"
Español
En ciertas oraciones no sé si es más correcto usar que o de que. ¿Cuáles son las reglas para utilizar que/de que?
Ejemplos:
Estoy seguro que me fue bien.
Estoy seguro de que me fue bien.
...
- 3,702
24
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Difference between "por" and "para"
Even after taking 4 years of college Spanish and living abroad, I still don't have a very firm control of when to use por or para. What are the basic rules on when to use either.
- 1,112
14
votes
6
answers
2k
views
“Habría” or “Hubiera”: ¿Si lo hubieran anotado, después no les "hubiera" o "habría" costado tanto recordarlo?
Dada la siguiente oración:
Si lo hubieran anotado, después no les hubiera (habría) costado tanto recordarlo.
se ve que la primera aparición de hubieran está bien utilizada, pero a veces la segunda ...
- 6,201
7
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Traducción de 'Disclaimer'
Revisando la pregunta ¿"Feedback" en castellano? por la cual fedorqui obtuvo su "Notable question badge" (felicitaciones) encontré una respuesta que me gustó pero empieza con un Disclaimer. Esta ...
- 10.6k
38
votes
8
answers
149k
views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre tú, usted y vos?
He oído las palabras "tú", "usted", y "vos", pero la traducción de todas esas palabras al inglés es la misma: "you".
¿Cuándo es mejor usar "tú" o "vos" en vez de "usted", o viceversa?
- 1,095
33
votes
4
answers
7k
views
'Ser' and 'estar' for location
'Ser' and 'estar' for location
The edge-cases of ser and estar still seem to get me. My understanding is that when speaking of a location, I should use estar.
La biblioteca está aquí.
However, a ...
- 988
22
votes
9
answers
18k
views
Difference between "computadora" and "ordenador"
Español
Vi un cartel fuera de una tienda que decía: "Computadoras y ordenadores" en un cuadro "cubano" fuera de New York City,
En un principio, creo que ambas palabras significan "computer". Pero, ¿...
- 2,971
21
votes
8
answers
2k
views
¿Quiénes son los más afectados por el ustedeo?
He encontrado que varias veces, mi empleo del español en conversación es afectado por el llamado "ustedeo". Afecta mis relaciones con gente que acabo de conocer, porque muchas personas piensan que ...
- 2,734
19
votes
13
answers
103k
views
What is the difference between "De nada" and "No hay de qué"?
I am learning Spanish and ran across "De nada" and "No hay de qué". Both mean "You're welcome". What's the difference?
- 507
15
votes
3
answers
64k
views
Difference between "mas" and "más"
What's the difference between mas and más?
What rules should I follow to know which one to use?
Could you provide examples showing their uses?
- 10.6k
11
votes
4
answers
11k
views
Spanish abbreviation for the United States of America
What is (or are?) the suggested abbreviation(s) for the United States of America in Spanish? I've seen:
E.E.U.U.
EE.UU.
EEUU
EUA
USA
(And only the last two actually makes any sense to me!)
- 12.8k
10
votes
6
answers
8k
views
What is the difference between "ser cierto" and "ser verdad"?
The English "to be true" can be translated to Spanish as either ser cierto or ser verdad. What is the difference between the two? When would you use one instead of the other?
- 17.5k
9
votes
3
answers
13k
views
What is the most universal way to say "keep the change"?
Español
He escuchado unas pocas opiniones distintas para decir "quédate con el cambio" (es decir, lo que le dices a alguien a quien acabas de pagar cuando cuando quieres que se quede la diferencia ...
- 17.5k
5
votes
3
answers
12k
views
¿"Kudos" en español?
Estaba leyendo una respuesta del Community Manager de Stack Exchange, Shog9 cuando me fijé en la última parte:
Kudos to Michael Stum for implementing this change - also, please join me in welcoming ...
- 33.9k
32
votes
5
answers
28k
views
What's the difference between "dentro" and "adentro"?
English:
How can I tell whether I should be using Dentro vs. Adentro? I've read that they both mean 'inside' and looked at some examples, but I still can't always figure out which one to use. Are ...
- 2,731
24
votes
4
answers
1k
views
What's the correct way to say printed?
What's the preferred past participle of imprimir, imprimido or impreso?
For example:
He imprimido el email que me enviaste.
He impreso / Tengo impreso el email que me enviaste.
- 10.6k
23
votes
2
answers
482
views
Is the use of @ instead of 'a' or 'o' in order to refer to both masculine and feminine accepted?
I have seen several times the use of @ instead of 'a' or 'o' for referring to masculine and feminine words at the same time. For example:
Hola a tod@s.
Is this an accepted use?
- 1,596
23
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Why is it 'Santo' Tomás/Domingo, not 'san'?
As far as I know, those two are the only exceptions. Is there a particular reason for this?
- 1,003
19
votes
3
answers
20k
views
"Vegetable": verdura vs. vegetal
What is the difference between verduras and vegetales? In what situations can one be used as a translation for "vegetables" and the other cannot?
- 17.5k
16
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Words for "East" and "West" in Spanish?
The words I learned when beginning Spanish for east and west are 'este' and 'oeste', which are basically cognates of their English equivalents.
But I've been told that there are other words to denote ...
- 2,971
15
votes
5
answers
18k
views
"ir a «infinitive»" vs. future tense
There are two ways to indicate a future action, ir a «infinitive» and the future tense. How do I decide which to use when? Is one form more common when spoken or in writing? Is there a regional ...
- 12.8k
14
votes
5
answers
81k
views
Are there any differences between "de nada" and "por nada"?
Most of the time in all the Spanish speaking countries I've been in I've heard de nada as the reply to gracias or the equivalent of English you're welcome etc.
But after a while I became conscious ...
- 5,244
13
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Why should we use "estar" over "ser" for being old or fat?
I can understand why we would use estar for temporary states. But there are conditions that people have that are not temporary, such as being old (or for some people, being fat).
¡qué gordo está!
...
- 2,191
11
votes
9
answers
22k
views
¿"Hater" en castellano?
En la jerga de internet, es muy común usar el anglicismo "hater":
Últimamente Twitter está lleno de haters: cada vez que alguien
publica algo sobre el partido X, lo critican sin misericordia.
"...
- 33.9k
11
votes
5
answers
796
views
How does one chain noun adjuncts in Spanish?
A noun adjunct is a noun that modifies another noun. For example, the word "baby" in the phrase "baby food" is a noun adjunct. In this simple case, you can translate it into Spanish as "comida de bebé"...
- 1,095
10
votes
2
answers
380
views
“Should” (not must)
I was taught that deber means “should.” The abomination called Google Translate apparently had the same teachers.
But in reading Spanish laws, I see this word used for things that are required, and ...
- 527
10
votes
5
answers
62k
views
What is the difference among "perdón", "disculpa" and "lo siento"?
According to an online dictionary (spanishdict.com), one can say "I'm sorry" in three ways:
"perdón" to apologize (Perdón por...)
"lo siento" in more formal occasions (Lo siento mucho por su pérdida)...
- 405
8
votes
1
answer
21k
views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre "refrán" y "proverbio"?
Las dos palabras me parecen iguales. Tampoco podía encontrar una diferencia saliente en el diccionario. ¿Existe alguna diferencia?
- 658
8
votes
6
answers
39k
views
Describing the common cold or flu in Spanish
In English, when talking about common viruses people get, there are generally two categories:
a cold is generally mild and can come with runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat etc.
a flu is ...
- 17.5k
7
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Is the country México or Méjico?
Is the name of the country south of the United States spelled México or Méjico?
Which is the official name of the country in English and Spanish? When is each version used?
- 17.5k
7
votes
3
answers
30k
views
Triste y alegre a la vez
¿Tenemos en español alguna palabra que exprese un estado de tristeza y alegría simultáneas? Por ejemplo: un padre en la boda de su hija siente tristeza porque su hija se va, pero también alegría por ...
- 10.1k
6
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Informaciones vs. información - when to use which?
In another question I asked, How to say 'presenter' in a workshop? I used "informaciones" to link to 'more information'. At first I used "mas información" but a fluent (not native, however) ...
- 205
6
votes
2
answers
330
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?
- 873
6
votes
1
answer
169
views
How did "en fragante" happen?
From the Latin we have:
in flagrante delicto
"caught in the act"
...in English, but we use the term in a legal sense as is.
In Spanish, we have en flagrante,
loc. adv. En el mismo momento ...
5
votes
7
answers
35k
views
Most accurate translation of "possum"
What is the most universal Spanish word to describe a possum? What regional variations exist? Does the translation refer specifically to the same animal as the English word, or does it cover a larger ...
- 17.5k
5
votes
7
answers
403
views
¿Cuál sería la traducción al español más aproximada para el "bento" japonés?
El bentō japonés, además de llegar a ser pequeñas obras de arte, son las comidas que los trabajadores japoneses se llevan a sus lugares de trabajo, y que se pueden comer del tiempo, sin necesidad de ...
- 77.2k
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What is the polite way to order food/drinks?
I often feel as though I may be coming across rude when ordering in Spanish.
In English I would say something like:
1) Could I have a coffee please?
2) Can I have a coffee please?
3) I'll have a ...
- 41
4
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Términos para aludir a alguien cuyo nombre se desconoce
En español parece haber una cantidad considerable de términos con los que aludir a personas cuyo nombre se desconoce. Algunos ya han salido en otras preguntas (1, 2), como:
fulano (proveniente del ...
- 77.2k
4
votes
1
answer
15k
views
"pensando en ti" vs. "pensando de ti" vs. "pensándote"
When using the verb pensar to describe thinking about a person, there are at least three options:
Estoy pensando en ti.
Estoy pensando de ti.
Estoy pensándote.
What are the differences between these ...
- 17.5k
4
votes
3
answers
627
views
Translating "to wind up (doing something)"
In informal English, we use the phrase "to wind up" to describe the final state of a situation, after all is said and done. For example:
How did you wind up moving to Kansas after growing up in ...
- 17.5k
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is a good translation for the "overview" other than "síntesis"?
I am looking for a good translation that doesn't sound too technical. I read the definition of "síntesis" and found the word "compendio" which has a definition which seems to match "overview" well, ...
- 175
3
votes
2
answers
993
views
¿Cuál es la palabra del español que puede desempeñar más funciones diferentes?
Consultando en el diccionario la palabra bien, me encuentro con que puede ser:
Sustantivo: Hacer el bien. Los bienes familiares.
Adverbio: Juan conduce bien. Pedro no se encuentra bien.
Adjetivo: Una ...
- 77.2k
3
votes
3
answers
25k
views
"Dale pues" in Nicaraguan Spanish
In Nicaragua, the phrase "dale pues" is very frequently used. What does the phrase mean, and in what contexts can it be used?
- 17.5k
2
votes
2
answers
154
views
Translating "How (much)" in non-numeric situations
How do you translate "How (much)" when asking about non-numeric properties?
For example:
"How bright is that light?"
"How hard was the exam?"
- 55