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Search: Posts Made By: Perikles
Forum: Translations April 23, 2017, 06:54 AM
Replies: 6
Views: 2,580
Posted By Perikles
Thanks - I'll pass it on! :)

Thanks - I'll pass it on! :)
Forum: Translations April 21, 2017, 03:13 AM
Replies: 6
Views: 2,580
Posted By Perikles
No, my friend was frustrated because she...

No, my friend was frustrated because she telephoned somebody she needed to see, and got the verbal response "estamos en despacho". So she did not know whether it was OK to go and see them or not.
...
Forum: Translations April 20, 2017, 01:53 AM
Replies: 6
Views: 2,580
Posted By Perikles
Estamos en despacho

Is there a double meaning in this expression? A friend is baffled because she has understood it either as

1) in the office i.e. We are in the office now, and you can come and see us

2) in the...
Forum: General Chat March 28, 2017, 07:05 AM
Replies: 10
Views: 4,028
Posted By Perikles
I don't really understand the thrust of this...

I don't really understand the thrust of this statement. Generally, in English, an unstressed vowel is usually weaker than when stressed, and is often reduced to a schwa. But it doesn't change to...
Forum: General Chat March 27, 2017, 09:42 AM
Replies: 10
Views: 4,028
Posted By Perikles
I listened to it several times, and there is one...

I listened to it several times, and there is one time when I can actually hear the words (I think it's the third time). Several English friends who speak fluent Spanish have said they can hear it...
Forum: General Chat March 27, 2017, 07:18 AM
Replies: 10
Views: 4,028
Posted By Perikles
These are not examples of bad pronunciation....

These are not examples of bad pronunciation. These elisions have been part of the English language for centuries, and are perfectly correct English. (But I would never use "whatever" in that context...
Forum: General Chat March 27, 2017, 05:36 AM
Replies: 10
Views: 4,028
Posted By Perikles
Hey - that is an unfair generalisation because I...

Hey - that is an unfair generalisation because I never speak like that.

I have listened to that song several times and can detect no trace of those particular words even when I know they should be...
Forum: General Chat March 27, 2017, 02:43 AM
Replies: 10
Views: 4,028
Posted By Perikles
I agree he says nothing like that, but I've no...

I agree he says nothing like that, but I've no idea what. :thinking:
Forum: Idioms & Sayings March 27, 2017, 01:33 AM
Replies: 5
Views: 2,924
Posted By Perikles
:D This construction in Spanish really does sound...

:D This construction in Spanish really does sound strange when talking about animals:

And your chickens - what do they call themselves? I doubt whether they call themselves anything, but I call...
Forum: Idioms & Sayings March 26, 2017, 02:46 AM
Replies: 5
Views: 2,924
Posted By Perikles
That reminds me of two anecdotes: an English...

That reminds me of two anecdotes: an English friend of mine lived here in Tenerife and had Spanish neighbours with a dog. She mentioned this dog to me and claimed that it's name was "ven aquí" :D
...
Forum: Teaching and Learning Techniques March 21, 2017, 05:15 AM
Replies: 18
Views: 12,541
Posted By Perikles
Ages ago when speaking German, a German asked me...

Ages ago when speaking German, a German asked me "you're not German are you?". He could not identify where I was from, but he knew I was not native German because I made no grammatical mistakes, and...
Forum: General Chat March 19, 2017, 11:32 AM
Replies: 6
Views: 3,595
Posted By Perikles
Haha - in English it is usually a small airplane...

Haha - in English it is usually a small airplane crashes into an Irish graveyard.
Forum: Grammar March 17, 2017, 07:53 AM
Replies: 11
Views: 6,174
Posted By Perikles
Now your English is far higher than "absolute...

Now your English is far higher than "absolute beginner", so let's have your and not you are. :yuck:;):D
Forum: Vocabulary March 17, 2017, 07:50 AM
Replies: 3
Views: 2,155
Posted By Perikles
I don't think I would use it at all, because I...

I don't think I would use it at all, because I would find something better. I suppose I could see it used in something like "It was a heart-thumping moment when watching the lottery draw and seeing...
Forum: Vocabulary March 17, 2017, 07:34 AM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
I'm not running - just trying to understand....

I'm not running - just trying to understand. There are strange things in English indeed, especially the negative of a past tense, where the past is expressed by did plus a present short infinitive: ...
Forum: Vocabulary March 17, 2017, 03:11 AM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
But this is an entirely different grammatical...

But this is an entirely different grammatical situation because it is a passive voice and you would expect a past participle - leaving the fire lit.

Nice list of other examples by the way...
Forum: Grammar March 16, 2017, 10:07 AM
Replies: 11
Views: 6,174
Posted By Perikles
They are both right. Spanish has only one form of...

They are both right. Spanish has only one form of the present tense, whereas English has three:

I run
I am running
I do run

The Spanish present could mean any of these, depending on the...
Forum: Vocabulary March 16, 2017, 04:03 AM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
I find it illogical that the past participle is...

I find it illogical that the past participle is used for a result which could be in the past, present or future. I can't help comparing it to Greek which would have a future infinitive to express...
Forum: Vocabulary March 15, 2017, 07:10 AM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
Yes, we have a small stove which burns wood, and...

Yes, we have a small stove which burns wood, and I use one of these cubes to start the fire (for wood, you only need one - for barbecue charcoal, you need many more). The packet clearly says...
Forum: Vocabulary March 14, 2017, 08:37 AM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
I think I must make more of an effort to make a...

I think I must make more of an effort to make a list - I can't remember any others at present. Maybe I can then see a pattern (although I doubt it).
Forum: Vocabulary March 13, 2017, 05:04 AM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
Fine - there is no difference, and this was what...

Fine - there is no difference, and this was what I don't understand. They are all nouns which have the same form as the past participle of the verb from which they are derived. Is this correct?
...
Forum: Vocabulary March 13, 2017, 02:24 AM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
Quite simple - all the examples you give are...

Quite simple - all the examples you give are perfect participles and they all represent something in the past. No problem there. But using the pp for something in the future is illogical to me. As my...
Forum: Translations March 12, 2017, 03:05 AM
Replies: 5
Views: 2,446
Posted By Perikles
(UK response) It depends a little on whether...

(UK response)

It depends a little on whether this is an isolated test or part of an exam which involves several tests. If just one test, the result is a mark. If part of an exam which sums the...
Forum: Vocabulary March 12, 2017, 01:53 AM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
In the example I cite, I would have expected...

In the example I cite, I would have expected "encender" not "encendido" which is why I mentioned the infinitive. The equivalent English has a variety of different forms, for example "for lighting a...
Forum: Vocabulary March 11, 2017, 12:00 PM
Replies: 26
Views: 7,760
Posted By Perikles
Past participles in Spanish as a noun in English

I have come across a few past participles where I would expect an infinitive, in names like

pastillas de encendido

Annoyingly, I can't remember any others, but I have heard several. Is there a...
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