Impresora
 

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word for April 23, 2008

impresora -femenine noun (la), printer, computer printer. Look up impresora in the dictionary

¡Me urge imprimir esta hoja, pero mi impresora no sirve!
I need to print this page right now by my printer doesn't work!

Hi, Daily Word, and welcome to the forums!

This is an important day here in Spain, and I guess in some other countries, as it's April 23th, el día del libro, on which, some centuries ago, Shakespeare and Cervantes died. This is why I will be very critic with you, Daily Word (you can also be critic with me, this is the way of learning): Impresora, imprimir, hoja, urgir, servir are pure Spanish words, but the phrase formed with them has arisen some questions to me:

• If you already have esta hoja, why do you need to print it? Why don't you photocopy it? ;) Maybe the phrase would gain some realism if you are urged to print este archivo (this file).
• Don't think, Daily word, that servir is always a good translation for to work. Servir uses to translate to be helpful. In this case, the proper translation would be funcionar or estar estropeada: mi impresora no funciona, mi impresora está estropeada.

On April 23th we here in Spain use to give a book as a present and to receive one. And in Catalonia, as it is also San Jordi, you should also give and receive a rose as a present. I hope your books are good ones.

Some corrections:

I learned no funciona and está fregada in Centroamérica. Me gusta lo de estropear.

Alfonso and Rusty
This quote is corrected well, but there is one exception. Please note the highlighted part. Regional holidays are less common in the U.S.
There are exceptions though. In NYC San Geronimo in September
and Saint Anthony in June are examples. These two festivals do not include anything as nice a exchanging roses, but both feast days have big street fairs where and local dreadful chatarra food is prepared and sold at temporary kiosks in the street.

Poli

Good correction, Poli. I see now that Alfonso meant that San Jordi was also celebrated on April 23rd.
Thanks.

Thanks a lot, Rusty and Poli for your corrections and clarifying points of view. I guess I can get what's wrong and what's right from considering both corrections. I know it's not easy to correct a composition written by a foreigner, who mix up different words and structures usages, both correct and incorrect, who is learning the language and don't consider, at the moment, different stylistic possibilities. It's enough for me to try to write correctly. That's why I beg you try to distinguish what's a grammatical correction from what's a stylistic one.

For example, I checked the verb to urge , and it does exist. So I guess that to be urged to do something is correct. Am I right?

What about April 23th / 23rd? Are both expressions correct, or only the second one?

Alfonso,
To be urged to do something implica coersion.
Ejemplo: The salesman urged the customer to puchase the purple car.
Ejemplo: The father urged his daughter not to go out with her tatooed
and pierced boyfriend.

Urge as a noun means a compulsion. example:The alcoholic had an urge
to drink an entire bottle of orujo.

Synomyn for the verb urge is to metaphorical term: to twist your arm.
A higher tone verb is to prevail upon.

21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
29th
30th
Sometimes when we write we leave out the st,nd ,th. Example: I live in 43 Street, and I live on 43rd Street are both correct. In speaking you
must alway include the st, nd and th, or you will sound very foreign.

Only April 23rd is correct. The abbreviation 'rd' comes from the last two letters of the ordinal number 'twenty-third.' Likewise, we use the abbreviation 'st' when the ordinal number ends in 'first' (like twenty-first) and we use 'nd' when the ordinal number ends in 'second' (twenty-second). All other numbers use the abbreviation 'th,' the last two letters of the ordinal number (fourth, fifth, fifteenth, twenty-sixth, etc.).

Yes, Alfonso, you can be urged to do something. If we are urged to do something we generally understand that we have a choice. In this vein, you could also substitute verbs like persuade, suggest, and encourage. If the verb is said with emphasis, we generally understand that we don't really have a choice. In this vein, you can substitute verbs like press, pressure, and force.

Tomisimo's original sentence suggested urgency to me; the copy had to made right away, but he was frustrated by a broken printer. There was no mention of another person being involved. That is why I chose 'to be urgent.' You might call it a stylistic correction, but we don't usually hear sentences like, "I am pressured (strongly urged) to print this file." We say, "I need to print this file now. It's urgent." Even more urgent is the colloquial, "I needed this file printed yesterday." I think this is what Tomisimo intended. I suppose you may hear, "It's imperative I print this file," or "It's urgent I print this file," but only highly educated people would use that type of language.

I hope that makes sense.

Mmmm... a semantic correction, as you understood certain context which is open to interpretation, Rusty. There could be, or not, someone else involved. But I even think that not only persons can urge you, but also situations or whatever. A correction like this must be explained or not done. One can't guess its reason if it's not explicitly said. Anyway, this kind of correction can be questioned, because it will always depend on what the speaker is trying to convey.

What about the/my way of learning?
Don't you think this is a speaker choice?

Poli, se escribe coerción (nombre); coercitivo (adj.).

Thanks a lot, Poli and Rusty.