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August 27th, 2009
The basic rules governing the uses of lo and le are quite well defined. Unfortunately however they are not universally followed. Variations are especially prominent in Spain compared to the rest of the Spanish speaking world. So let’s examine where the confusion arises.
The Use of Le for Lo in Spain
As you may or may not be aware, le/les are indirect object pronouns while lo/la/los/las are direct object pronouns. Throughout Spain however, the indirect object pronoun le is often used in place of the more ‘correct’ lo for male direct objects. This phenomenon is known as leísmo as is very prominent in Spain despite being somewhat frowned upon by the Academía Real Española. Students of Latin American Spanish should stick to the standard rules of using lo.
| Iberian Spanish | Latin American Spanish | English Translation |
| Le vi en la calle | Lo vi en la calle | I saw him in the street |
| Fue examinado durante media hora por los doctores que le operaron | Fue examinado durante media hora por los doctores que lo operaron | He was examined for an hour by the doctors who operatoed on him |
| El padre le miraba con orgullo | El padre lo miraba con orgullo | His father looked at him with pride |
| Una vez le escuche hablar sobre eso | Una vez lo escuche hablar sobre eso | I once heard him speak about that |
Note that the Latin American version is perfectly valid throughout Spain and indeed preferred by the Academía Real Española. In Spain however, expect to hear the le version frequently. It’s also worth noting that only the third person singular male is affected here, la is used as the direct object for the third person female object throughout the Spanish speaking world.
February 13th, 2009
It is said that the letter ‘ñ’ was born in the Middle Ages. Monks living in monasteries were often given the task of making copies of large texts completely by hand; the printing press still had not been invented. To save time the monks used to economize the texts by creating their own symbols to represent such things as double letters. In the 12th century they used a kind of tilde above the letter ‘n’ to simplify the writing of such letters as ‘nn’, ‘gn’, ‘ny’ and ‘nh’.
Some Latin consonant groups ‘gn’, ‘nn’ and ‘ni’ evolved into a nasal sound. Each romance language represents this sound differently: it became ‘gn’ in Italian and French, ‘ny’ in Catalan and ‘nh’ in Portuguese. Medieval Castilian (Spanish) represented the sound with the double ‘nn’, which was usually abbreviated with a single ‘n’ with a tilde on the top; this became the standard form that exists today and it is called ‘enye’ (ñ). This new handwritten form was also utilized on other letters such as ‘aa’ which was replaced by ‘ã’, thought this didn’t survive into modern Spanish.
This linguistic evolution can be observed through some Latin words such as ‘annus’ which became ‘año’ in Spanish.
February 4th, 2009
The first use of ‘sentir’ that one learns is usually the expression of sorrow and regret:
Lo siento. I’m sorry.
The verb ‘sentir’ however can be used to express all types of emotions and sensations, it generally translates at ‘to feel’ though it can often also mean ‘to sense’.
The verb is also often used reflexively: ‘sentirse’. The reflexive form is usually used before adjectives and adverbs whereas the non-reflexive form is usually used before nouns.
Siento alegría por haber venido. I feel happiness for having come. Ella siente menos satisfacción con su comida. She fells less satisfied with her food. Mi madre se siente orgullosa de mí. My mother is (feels) proud of me. No me siento valorado aquí. I don’t feel valued here. Me siento a gusto contigo. I feel confortable with you.
The above demonstrates the use of ‘sentir’ with emotions, below are examples of where the verb can be used with physical sensations:
Siento su presencia de alguna manera. In some way I feel his presence. Siento calor en la garganta. I feel heat in my throat. El paciente no siente dolor. The patient doesn’t feel pain.
‘Sentir’ can also be uses to express regret:
Siento deciros que no puedo ir. I’m sorry to tell you all that I can’t go. Siento tener que dejaros. I’m sorry to have to leave you all.
And finally, ‘sentir’ can be used as a noun as in the following example:
Recogían el sentir de desconfianza hacia a ella. The sensed the feeling of distrust towards her.
February 4th, 2009
I remember listening to an audio Spanish course in which Michel Thomas describe ‘Así’ as a “very useful little word”. The more I came to use and learn about Spanish the more I found myself agreeing with Thomas’ evaluation. ‘Así’ has so many different uses and functions.
On its own, ‘así’ is used to mean ‘like that’ or ‘that way’. Consider the following examples:
Me gusta mi té así. I like my tea like that. No se puede hacer así. You can’t do it that way.
There are also a large number of common expressions where ‘así’ pops-up:
Así así. So-so. Algo así. Something like that. Algo así como… Something like… Así como así. Any old how / As if it were nothing. Así de… So… Así sea. So be it. Así es. That’s it / That’s correct / Yes. ¡Así me gusta! That’s the way I like it! Aún así… Even so… ¡No seas así! Don’t be like that!
February 4th, 2009
When it comes to translating the word ‘whatever’ into Spanish, we often come across a little known phenomena known as the ‘Forma Reduplicativa’ or the Redoubled Form. The ‘Forma Reduplicativa’ is recognised by the repeated use of a verb in the subjunctive:
Digan lo que digan… Whatever they say… Hagas lo que hagas… Whatever you do… Sea lo que sea… Whatever it is… Pase lo que pase… Whatever happens…
January 11th, 2009
Most people studying a language in an educational establishment will most likely at some point have to do some form of translation. It is of course much easier to translate into your mother tongue, though the methods for translating to and from ones mother tongue are exactly the same. In this article I aim to outline the key points that one must keep in mind when undertaking to translate any text/article.
The most important step in translating any text is to read and understand it beforehand. It’s all too tempting to read and translate a text line by line but this will only lead to trouble and ultimately, a poor translation. In order to translate anything, one must first understand exactly what the text means – trying to translate a text without having a prior understanding of it is a big no-no. If the text is fairly simple you may just have to read it once or twice to develop a proper understanding. Though even the most hardy of translators may have to read a difficulty text 3 or more times before undertaking to translate it.
A common word that one may hear among translators and educators is register:
Register
(Linguistics) a variety of a language determined by degree of formality and choice of vocabulary, pronunciation, and syntax.– Oxford English Dictionary
Register is important because it determines exactly who the article or text is written for. So if for instance you’re translating a legal text from English to Spanish, you’re more likely to be using a very formal register of language. If you’re given a translation aimed at teenagers, the register will more than likely be imformal and colloquial. Another reason to read the text first is to develop a feel for the register of the it. It is very important not to change the register when translating in order to remain faithful to the original. Understanding the register also allows us to make the correct choice of vocabulary. Ofter you will find that one word has several completely unrelated meanings. The Spanish word aula means both classroom and lecture room/theatre, one can only make the right choice after having read and understood both the meaning and register of the text.
After having read the text several times, one should be able to paraphrase the text. Paraphrasing is an important step in the translation process as it allows us to put the text into our own words before adapting this to the register that the text requires.
When it comes to actually translating the text, it’s important to take it one sentence at a time. You should read and re-read the sentence to make sure you fully understand it before undertaking to translate it. Paraphrase the sentence in your head to demonstrate that you understand it, often you will find yourself paraphrasing several times before you start to approach what you would consider the most accurate translation and meaning. Some key points to note from each sentence are:
- Who is the subject of each verb ?
- Who or what is the object ?
- Which nouns do the adjectives refer to ?
When a sentence is fairly complex, it often helps to break it down even further using the key points mentioned above. Look at each verb and ask yourself who or what it refers to, do the same with objects, nouns, and adjectives. After translating the sentence, read it to yourself and ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the sentence make sense ?
- Is it in keeping with the register of the original text ?
- Does it sound like a translation or an original work written in the target language ?
When it comes to translation there are a number of things which can and cannot be changed:
Can be changed:
- Word order (when the construction isn’t natural in the target language).
- Tense of the verb (to make the construction sound more natural but NOT change the meaning).
- Cut a long sentence into two.
Cannot be changed:
- The meaning of the text.
- Details: facts and figures.
- Names: of people and places.
Once the translation is completed read it a couple of times and make amendments where necessary. Remember that a translation should sound not like a translation but as though it was originally written in the target language: it must not sound too literal! Literal sounding translations are the worst kind. As long as the meaning and context is kept, it is better to wander further from the original than to sound too literal. If you’re not sure that the translation sounds natural and not too literal (and you’re not under exam conditions) ask a friend to read it and get their opinion. A second opinion is often priceless.
January 9th, 2009
Interrogatives are words which introduce a question. In English these are words such as, how, what, why, when, where etc.
¿ Qué ? What ? ¿ Cuándo ? When ? ¿ Dónde ? Where ? ¿ Adonde ? To where ? ¿ Cuánto ? / ¿ Cuántos ? How much ? / How many ? ¿ Quién ? / ¿ Quiénes ? Who ? ¿ A quién ? / ¿ A quiénes ? Whom ? ¿ Cómo ? How ?
Note that in Spanish all interrogatives carry an accent. For information on the ‘qué’ and ‘cuál’, consult article: An Explaination of ‘Cuál’
January 2nd, 2009
Cauce. nm
- (of river) bed
- course, procedure
- (of water) channel
La UE admite una denuncia contra Fomento por variar el cauce del Jarama.The EU upholds the accusation against Fomento for altering the bed of the river Jarama.
– Lunes, 25 de agosto de 2003. Año XV. Número: 5010.
January 2nd, 2009
Sin paliativos. adj
- Unmitigated
- Unreservedly
Arshavin, que no pudo reprimir las lágrimas sobre el campo, se convirtió en el alma de un equipo ruso que doblegó sin paliativos a una selección holandesa que se vio sorprendida por un rival que fue mejor durante los 120 minutos que duró el choque.
Arshavin, unable to hold back the tears on the field, became the spirit a the Russian team that unreservedly dominated a Holland team surprised by a better rival for the 120 minutes that the match lasted.– marca.com, 21.06.2008 – 23:56h
acariciar
to stroke
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