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Hey guys, I need some help. Any idea of what this saying means? 'to just enough rope to hang himself'
No context given. All I know it's a saying, but I can't get to find its Spanish equivalent.
Please quote me if you have any choices to it.
Thanks in advance.
#995 im pretty sure that AG knows how to translate it. But he wants an equivalent, not a literal translation.
#996 Oh man I always forget that saying means ''refrán'' xD
That is what happens for posting while high, duh!
#994 'to just enough rope to hang himself' means that you let someone act free knowing that he'll probably fail by doing what they want to.
So if for example you think someone has stolen, killed, acted somehow bad, etc, you let him 'evolve' free, waiting, knowing and supposing that he will act badly again and become evidenced by himself.
Idiom explained in spanish:
Could be 'Give someone enough rope and he'll hang himself'? Meaning that if you give someone that you suspect of bad behavior the freedom to behave badly, eventually he or she will be caught and punished
Edit: I looked for it in this website http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=to+just+enough+rope+to+hang+himself and now I'm confused xD
#1000 Well, given so, it has the nuance of the Spanish saying "por la boca muere el pez". The truth is, due to the lack of context, it's impossible to define if it means one thing or another.
Both examples are useful to me. I think I will use both translations and provide an additional explanation.
Has anyone else noticed how rewarding using British words with your slightly retarded English teacher actually is?
Last time I checked, brobdingnagian was an actual word, even though it falls under the definition of rare or uncommon. Seems like having a rich knowledge of the English language can actually be counter productive in a discussion regarding how limited your teacher's usage of complex sentences is.
Still, I felt pretty good when she decided to try to overcome her ridiculous choice of words in a foreign language by carrying on the argument in Spanish, proving herself as unskilled with her native language as she is using what she supposedly has been studying and working with for the last twenty years.
Should be granted that I too make pretty nasty mistakes when speaking English, but at least I don't make a fool of myself going to a public forum and posting about a discussion I had a week ago. Oh shi...
On a different subject. Is it correct to move the verb in a sentence like ''how limited your teacher's usage of complex sentences is'' to the following arrangement ''how limited is your teacher's usage of complex sentences''?. It just doesn't feel right because the second option sounds like an interrogative sentence. Most things I've read for the last 4 to 5 years were written in English, but I can't recall reading anything using that particular configuration right now. I've had the tendency of questioning myself on this matter for the last days, but since the first choice is what comes to mind when dealing with sentences of the kind I'm unsure of whether I've just forgotten or it really is a breach in my knowledge.
Any aid will be welcomed.
#1002 It is correct in that case. Note that you are not strictly following a direct interrogative clause, but an affirmative one containing an indirect question. That is why the 'is' must be added at the end of the sentence, as it closes up that indirect question.
That said, your English skills are astounding. When I started reading your post, I really thought that you were a native Speaker. It is true that you do not sound as natural as a native speaker would do, but your stylish way of expressing is close to the source one.
As for me, it is easily noticeable that I have got used to write without using abbreviations nor abbreviated forms. When I get in touch with my clients, I need to be formal always. The thing is that I now use to talk like this too, which is very inconvenient when in a friendly environment. I tend to sound sort of odd because of this. Perhaps that is why the English that I like the most is the one used in TV series like Game of Thrones. No slang, no abbreviations - just pure, classic English. I love it. I wish that kind of English were used again nowadays.
#1003 Duly noted, and most honoured for those kind words. Most native speakers do point out what you did, which always flatters me given that I still am Spanish but would very much like to be as fluent with English as any native speaker would be.
You sound very... knowledgeable in English. Although certain words in your phrasing do give away the nature of your Spanish roots, the overall result is truly admirable.
As an example of the former, you used the present simple for to write in the first sentence of your last paragraph, where you should have used the present continuous.
An example of the latter, the obvious knowledge of English grammar; ''direct interrogative clause, but an affirmative one containing an indirect question''. Which very well may be general knowledge but still it was perfectly phrased.
One thing I have noticed and I think you should judge for yourself, is the verbal construction of the third sentence in the last paragraph, where you said, and I quote: ''The thing is that I now use to talk like this too...''. In my opinion, you should have used the following ''The thing is that I now have gotten used to talking like this too...''. (Debate over got/gotten shall not begin).
Also, I think the term nor must always follow the negative neither. Still I'm not certain about this.
On the other hand, I agree with your last statement. Old and pure English sounds very courteous and specially engaging. Arguably most languages sound way better being formal as well as consistent whilst using complex sentences, but there is something special about English in that strict sense. I also have a working knowledge of German, and I must say the German phrasing of old is very distinguishable from the newer and more updated usage that this generations have.
Lot of interesting discussion on this matter.
#1006 Thanks for your kind reply. I do insist your English skills are way above the average and near perfection given English is not your mother tongue. I assume you are getting really good grades whatever you are studying relating to the English language.
Anyway, I need to make a few remarks about your comment. As it is obvious, I am not an English native speaker, but I work as a professional, freelance translator and think I have a good use of the language. With regards to "to write", you should know that the verb formation "to get used to" requires an infinitive verb to follow. It is true that the rule is flexible, but this is the rightest way to do. As for the use of 'nor', I find it very poetic and tend to use it a lot. Its use is again correct. 'Nor' can be used separatedly - when the sentence does not consist of the 'neither...nor' construction, you can use both 'nor' and 'neither' to deny a statement. As I said, it is more of a poetic license these days, but it can be used as appropriate.
Nota bene, you should avoid using 'gotten'. It is an American deviation of 'got' as a past participle.
Sorry for being this brief. I am typing this post via my mobile phone and I cannot express at length as much as I want. I feel cumbersome when using touch panels.
#1007 Try upgrading to Swype in your mobile phone, your writing experience will change radically.
I don't think you expressed yourself as thoroughly as you wanted. Probably because of the phone ordeal. The verb formation ''to get used to'' requires the next verb to be in present continuous, at least it's what feels right in those cases.
For instance: ''I have got used to driving in the right lane''. ''We have got used to eating chocolate pudding after midnight''. Whereas ''I have got used to drive in the right lane'' just sounds weird.
Note that my skills with English come from reading and watching films and TV series, I don't have any tangible theoretical knowledge of the grammar without being it an extrapolation of Spanish grammar rules. I just write whatever expresses my point of view more vividly and overall sounds right.
Also note that I completely overlooked the fact that you used the ''to get used to'' structure in the previous sentence. Very redundant now that I've noticed. An alternative would be the very stylish ''became used to'', I love using that one.
And gotten sounds waaaay too cool. It's only logical to overlook it's American-ish nature and use it to be awesome. It's the same with while and whilst. The latter is a derivation of the former, and means basically the same. But it must be granted that whilst is the Chuck Norris of temporal adverbs.
Edit: Ironically, my grades in English are not that great (at least this year). My new teacher believes that a student with greater skills than hers in her own subject still has to do all the homework. She also professes a true love for homework, and 40% of the final grade consists of delivering the homework (doesn't matter if it's right). It's the first year in many where my grades fell from A+ to B. Which is stupid. Last year I had a teacher who understood my situation perfectly, and she spoke way better than the troglodyte they put in charge this year. She relied on your English skills to put the course's grades and not on some trivial essays about your favourite something.
Still, I have 117 points out of 120 in my TOEFL exam. She, on the other hand, barely qualifies for the CPE C1. I'm pretty sure she failed her University leaving examinations, but her teachers just gave her an extra lift to avoid having such a pain in the ass one more year.
#994 I think this phrase could be mean when a person is so stressed/depressed that he/she has a lot of problems and the only solution is to suicide. The rope could mean the amount of problems, and "to hang himself" could be related with the idea of suicide.
Maybe you can translate it as "con suficiente cuerda como para colgarse a sí mismo/suicidarse".
#1009 Indeed we have =] Or at least I have, which proves that my replies weren't blind shots to prove some imaginary point.
It would be fine if I put my questions here?
My english skills aren't very good, in fact, them are the result of years of online gaming xD.
I haven't ever studied english (omitting school/highschool mandatory studies) so, my grammar isn't as accurate as I would like to.
For example, I've never had clear the use of "a / an" before a word which starts with "h".
-You are such an hipocrite guy. - or - You are such a hipocrite guy.
Thanks and sorry if there's another thread for this objective. :>
#1012 First of all, even though you made some mistakes in those few lines you have a considerable understanding of English.
About the usage of ''a'' and ''an'' before words starting with h, there's something that might help you. ''A'' should be used for words starting with consonant sounds, thus some words starting with ''h'' may use ''a''. The same goes for ''an''. It's used for those words which start with a vowel or have an unsounded ''h''.
The best way to figure out which is the case, is to pronounce the ''h'' in a word before the following letters of that word to find out whether it has or hasn't got a sound.
Let's take as an example the word History. Pronounce the ''h'' first, and you'll see that it does have a sound. Now pronounce ''istory'', and you'll notice it doesn't make any sense without the ''h''.
On the other hand words like Herb require the use of ''an''. If you pronounce the word the same way we did with History , you'll understand the difference.
Also, sometimes it is helpful to mentally test the word with both options. ''An history'' doesn't make a lot of sense, the same goes for ''A herb''.
In the case of hypocrite, you must use ''a''.
About your post, there are a few mistakes. I'll just go through them:
-''Would it be'' Since it is a question, the subject shouldn't go first in the sentence.
-'', they are the result'' You can't use ''them'' for skills, since it's not a personal subject. (There are a few cases where ''them'' can be used with some non-personal subjects. ''Them'', referring to your mistakes, would be a perfect example).
-''havenever studied'' To my knowledge, ''ever'' can't be used in that case. ''Never'' should be used instead. ''Ever'' means ''siempre'', and even though in some cases it could mean ''nunca'', this isn't one of those cases. Also, you always want to negate some temporal period using a temporal adverb, in this case ''never''.
-''omitting'' The meaning in English is not the same as in Spanish. Try changing ''omitting'' to ''excluding'' or ''not counting''.
-When talking about Spanish education, you should use ''compulsory'' instead of ''mandatory''. ''Compulsory'' refers to some sort of law, whereas ''mandatory'' is more of an order given by some superior officer.
-''...would like it to''.
-''I've never been sure about the use''. ''Clear'' fits better when making certain that someone understood something ''Are we clear on that?'', or when you are stating some sort of conclusion ''It is clear that the robbery was...''. In this case it sounds really weird.
-''Objective'' Use ''goal'' instead. ''Objective'' should only be used for a mission or quest.
Don't be troubled by the fact that I changed most of what you wrote, overall it wasn't so bad. I feel that the best way of learning is knowing your mistakes, thus I highlighted everything I thought could be better in some way.
Kind regards =]
#1013 Thanks for answering and thank you so much for correcting my mistakes.
As you said, the best way of learning is knowing your own mistakes.
#994 I think that is unformal way to say that that person make enough mistakes to go into really big problems.
Is nice to see, here in this thread, correct behaviour with each other; is not often to see this in other MV topics. I like it!
Since I'm on a roll here playing English extremely awesome teacher, I'll carry on.
#1015 You forgot the ''an'' before ''informal''.
Also, to avoid being redundant with ''that'', you could try using ''...way of saying that said person made''.
The actual idiom is ''to get into trouble''. A problem is what an issue causes. Trouble is the situation in which you've got into that, for lack of a better word, troubles you.
Your last sentence should be something like this ''[...]; it's unusual to have such behaviour in other MV threads.
A few phrases that may help you expressing yourself on matters of this kind could be: ''Such a kind and courteous interchange of arguments'', ''collaborations towards a (collective goal)'', ''friendly interventions''.
Good luck =]
#1016 Thank you very much for tyour lesson and advice, i apreciate it. IŽm trying to get use to english writting Žcos iŽm a student at EOI in my town, advance 1 level. At listening and comprehension/readding i have no trouble but writting is more difficult to do it everyday.
iŽll be around here for practice if you donŽt mind.
#1018 #1019 Thank you for tips and explanations i really need it. See you soon.
#1017 Try using your browser's dictionary to correct yourself in stuff like ''readding'', ''apreciate'', ''english'' (it goes with capital E), ''writting''
Also you're using the ''tilde'' key(Ž) instead of the apostrophe key (' ).
The verb always goes before the action itself when you say you are doing something. In this case ''writing in English''.
Last but not least, ''for practising''. Supposedly you're going to carry out that action 'continuously'. Obviously not per se, but it's not a one time thing.
Also, I don't own the thread so you're perfectly welcomed to post whenever you'd like. I'll also be around to go through your messages and see if I can be of any assistance.
