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Old May 14, 2011, 09:48 PM
Luna Azul Luna Azul is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heze74 View Post
I am having an argument with my Venezuelan wife that I hope you can resolve. I was taught in high school Spanish class that when referring to hands, they are considered a unit. For instance, in the sentence 'Todos los niños deben lavarse ... después de comer,' 'la mano' is used rather than 'sus manos.' She insists that I am ridiculous to say 'Todos los niños deben lavarse la mano después de comer.' I understand what may be said on the street, but in official Spanish, who is correct? Would it vary from country to country?

Thanks for your help,
Eric
Neither "la mano" nor "sus manos" is correct. We use "las manos"

Your Spanish teacher taught you a mistake. "Hands" are never considered a singular unit.

As for your wife saying "sus manos" she's probably translating from English.

The correct sentence is "todos los niños deben lavarse las manos después de comer".

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