Official thread to practise English (whine = punish)

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MaCa001

#1948 I agree with you. :)

Nority

#1947 -> #1949 That's it =]

It's some sort of common saying in English, I've heard it a couple of times in similar ways.
Maybe it's just a translation from some other language, I don't know.

#1948 It fits, but still it's way too long. Maybe saying "as well as you are too for them" instead of your last phrase would work better.

Zahrae

Hi, people!

I'm translating a fragment of the book "Scum of the Earth" by Arthur Koestler. The thing is: I have this sentence: "I am definitely Continental". At first, I translated it as "Definitivamente, soy continental", but having read the whole text and having searched through some resources, I'm not sure about it. In some pages it says that Continental could also mean "European", when the first C is written in capital letters, and in the text he talks about the treaty of non agression between Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, about comunism and Europe.

What do you think about it? :) Thanks!

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B

#1947 You don't choose your family. They're the greatest gift life has given you as well as you to them.

You don't choose your family. They're the greatest gift life has given you and you are the same to them. (o for them, tengo mis dudas, ando algo oxidado).

A mi me suenan bien. Ademas, suena mejor greatest que biggest.

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doJi

#1954 "They're the greatest....", the spanish phrase the subject is "Vida" then i think that should be "It's (life)", but your example is good too.

I just wanted for the good "translate" or the real phrase meaning that.

Is for a Tatto that's why i needed it xD.

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B

#1955 Haha, i'll put it like this:

You're not getting it. You're trying to translate it word by word and that's not how english works.

In spanish, family is a singular noun and when you use a pronoun instead of the noun as the subject of a sentence you can use a verb in the singular form (I'm not sure if "singular form" is the right way of saying it but whatever... haha).

But in english, family is a singular noun as well, but when you want to use a pronoun refering to the people in your family and not the family as an entity, you have to use a plural form of the verb and a plural pronoun.

Some examples:

"Mi familia es genial". This means that my family, as a whole, is great.
"Los miembros de mi familia son geniales". This means that the people in my family are great.

In your sentence I think the best way to translate it is using THEY instead of IT because it reflects more the feelings you have for the people in your family rather than the group of people that conform a family.

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doJi

#1956 I didn't translate it word by word because I thought that was the same as spanish (life = subject) that's why i said it xD.

Already know I was wrong although i'm keep thinking that i wrote is valid >.<

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B

#1957

Whatever, it's your body hahaha. But I'll try to explain it to you one last time.

"No eliges a tu familia, es el mayor regalo que la vida te ha dado al igual que tu para ellos"

Life is the subject of the sentence "La vida te ha dado", not the subject of the sentence "La familia es el mejor regalo que...". They're two separate sentences that form one by using the conjunction "that" (which can be written/said or omitted).

Do you get it know?

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JuanAnthony

English phonetics and phonology", such a complicated subject. I´m regretting studying English at University :(

#1961 It was a joke, I really enjoy learning English and I love all its aspects since grammar to the renaissance literature althoug some subjects are very difficult to learn.

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doJi

#1958 yayayaya, i get it, i said it, i know i was and actually i'm wrong and know as you're saying is the correct form but i'm thinking that but i know i'm wrong, so dissapointed !!!.

Anyways I'll do the tattoo in London i will ask but will be so shameful :(

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B

#1960 I know, I was trying to explain to you that what you you wrote was wrong. It was understandable, you can tell that to an english speaker and he'll understand you, but for your purpose you'd better translate it well haha. Good luck with your tattoo and don't ever feel ashamed for asking because that's the best way to learn.

#1959 Don't ever regret studying english, you'll appreciate it in the future :).

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Bovans

#1953 for appropriate translation requests please include more material (part of the paragraph at least), with that single sentence we are unaware of the context.

In any case, I'd say it refers to Continental as European because there is little "continental" in the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact...

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Zahrae

#1962 This is the fragment. It's the first paragraph of the text I'm translating.

"I am definitely Continental: that is, I always feel the urge to underline a dramatic situation by a dramatic gesture. G., is definitely English: that is, she always feels the urge to supress the original urge; and usually this second reflex precedes the first."

#1964 Yes, finally I translated it by "europeo continental". Thanks a lotttt!! :D

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Bovans

#1963
Then yes...

I'd say "continental" refers to MAINLAND Europe seeing that there are references to "English" as another type of people. Since there is no such distinction in Spanish, it could be translated as "europeo continental".

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Skorp1to

hi people, what are you speaking about?

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doJi

#1965 supercalifragilisticexpialidocious even backwards dociousaliexpilisticfragicalirepus

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Skorp1to

#1966 i dont understand you.

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doJi

#1967 Hadn't you childhood?

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Skorp1to

#1968 I dont speak english very well, sorry. I dont understand you. What is Childhood?

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doJi

#1969 childhood = infancia :(

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Skorp1to

#1970 Yeah, i had a awesome childhood but at school i didnt pay attention.

I had a very important problem of base on english.

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doJi

#1971 supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was singed by Mary Poppins

Fix this "an awesome"

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Skorp1to

#1972 but why you write supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? I know that it was singed by Mary Poppins.

Why 'an'? Its unncontable?

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NosFeR_

#1973 because that's the english way.

It's 'an' because 'awesome' starts with a vowel. (con una vocal, vaya, para que no preguntes xD)

doJi

#1973 Dunno why i wrote that, just bored.

"An" is used when the word begin with a vowel.

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Skorp1to

bo. Sorry but i dont understand you guys.

I must use AN ever when the next word starts with a vowel? Thanks.

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Ligia

#1976
AN apple
A car

#1975 The word begins with a vowel

doJi

#1976 Yes but no, i mean, We use AN when the word starts with a vowel and a "H" because photenic.

an elephant, an honor, when you say Honor (an onor) this "starts" with a vowel, same as spanish, silent vowel.

But you can use "A" in university for example, because phonetically speaking sounds like a YUNIVERSITY.

I hope you understand me now xD.

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lidiota

if u are gonna correct every1 for each mistake...

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Ligia

#1978 It's a horse. H is not silent, its an H "aspirada" (I don't know how you say that in english).

Also, in cases such as "a university" you can pronounce the article as /eɪ/.

#1979 That's what this thread is about o.o

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