Ask a Question

(Create a thread)
Go Back   Spanish language learning forums > Spanish & English Languages > Vocabulary
Register Help/FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search

Okay / Mediocre / So-so

 

Vocab questions, definitions, usage, etc


Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1
Old November 30, 2009, 11:19 AM
Fazor's Avatar
Fazor Fazor is offline
Emerald
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Middle of Ohio, USA
Posts: 626
Native Language: American English
Fazor is on a distinguished road
Send a message via Yahoo to Fazor
Okay / Mediocre / So-so

I always have trouble describing something that's "in the middle". For instance, saying "I'm an okay singer." or "Work was so-so today."

"Soy un cantante _____ ?" (Not good, but not bad).
"Trabajar estuvo _____ hoy." (Not good, but not bad).

Creo poder decir 'mediocre', ¿pero es común? ¿Qué se dice normalmente?
Reply With Quote
   
Get rid of these ads by registering for a free Tomísimo account.
  #2
Old November 30, 2009, 12:17 PM
irmamar's Avatar
irmamar irmamar is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 7,071
Native Language: Español
irmamar is on a distinguished road
Sí, puedes decir mediocre, es muy común:

Es un estudiante mediocre.
Es un médico mediocre.


Reply With Quote
  #3
Old November 30, 2009, 12:21 PM
AngelicaDeAlquezar's Avatar
AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is offline
Obsidiana
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Mexico City
Posts: 9,127
Native Language: Mexican Spanish
AngelicaDeAlquezar is on a distinguished road
"Mediocre" has a negative meaning. If you say "soy un cantante mediocre", you're digging your own grave.


I think "regular" and "más o menos" can do for what you want to say...

Soy un cantante regular, ni bueno ni malo.

El trabajo estuvo regular, ni bien ni mal.

Me siento más o menos; no me siento bien, pero tampoco me siento mal.

For an appreciation, you can also use "indiferente":
El espectáculo me dejó indiferente, ni me gustó ni me disgustó.
El espectáculo estuvo más o menos.
El espectáculo estuvo regular.
__________________
Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the Rock'n'Roll plays...
Reply With Quote
  #4
Old November 30, 2009, 12:45 PM
Fazor's Avatar
Fazor Fazor is offline
Emerald
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Middle of Ohio, USA
Posts: 626
Native Language: American English
Fazor is on a distinguished road
Send a message via Yahoo to Fazor
Gracias. No me gusta la palabra 'mediocre' porque no lo deletreo correctamente nunca!

¿Es 'regular' coloquial? Por ejemplo, si dijo 'La película estuvo regular', ¿es el mismo de 'La película no estuvo mal o bueno'?
Reply With Quote
  #5
Old November 30, 2009, 01:16 PM
AngelicaDeAlquezar's Avatar
AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is offline
Obsidiana
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Mexico City
Posts: 9,127
Native Language: Mexican Spanish
AngelicaDeAlquezar is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fazor View Post
Gracias. No me gusta la palabra 'mediocre' porque no lo deletreo correctamente nunca!

¿Es 'regular' coloquial? Por ejemplo, si dijo 'La película estuvo regular', ¿es el lo mismo de que 'La película no estuvo mal o bueno ni mala ni buena'?

"Regular" is a very comon expression (also "más o menos", and yes, it's the same.

"La película estuvo más o menos" is also a valid expression.
__________________
Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the Rock'n'Roll plays...
Reply With Quote
  #6
Old November 30, 2009, 01:58 PM
Fazor's Avatar
Fazor Fazor is offline
Emerald
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Middle of Ohio, USA
Posts: 626
Native Language: American English
Fazor is on a distinguished road
Send a message via Yahoo to Fazor
Quote:
Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar View Post
"Regular" is a very comon expression (also "más o menos", and yes, it's the same.

"La película estuvo más o menos" is also a valid expression.
Really? Sounds funny to me.

'El actor es más o menos.'
'El actor es regular'
Son el mismo, ¿verdad?
Reply With Quote
  #7
Old November 30, 2009, 02:11 PM
AngelicaDeAlquezar's Avatar
AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is offline
Obsidiana
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Mexico City
Posts: 9,127
Native Language: Mexican Spanish
AngelicaDeAlquezar is on a distinguished road
"Más o menos" is more for things, and less for people.

"Es un actor regular" would sound better.


--¿Cómo actúa Tobey Maguire?
--Más o menos. Es un actor regular. (Here "mas o menos" refers to his acting, not to himself as an actor.)


"Es lo mismo" is the correct expression.
"Es el mismo" has an implicit subject that should have been mentioned before.
--¿El hombre de la foto es el mismo que está aquí?
--Sí, es el mismo.
__________________
Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the Rock'n'Roll plays...
Reply With Quote
  #8
Old November 30, 2009, 03:02 PM
Fazor's Avatar
Fazor Fazor is offline
Emerald
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Middle of Ohio, USA
Posts: 626
Native Language: American English
Fazor is on a distinguished road
Send a message via Yahoo to Fazor
"Miré! Es el hombre qué robó tus novia, ¿verdad?"
"¡Si! Es el mismo!" [Punch him in the nose!]

How's that?
ETA: other than completely conjugating the command form of "Mirar" wrong, I mean.
Reply With Quote
  #9
Old November 30, 2009, 03:16 PM
María José's Avatar
María José María José is offline
The Rebel Fairy
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Madrid
Posts: 1,765
Native Language: Spanish
María José is on a distinguished road
Otra palabra para mediocre es 'del montón'.
__________________
"When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies."
from Peter Pan by J.M.Barrie
Reply With Quote
  #10
Old November 30, 2009, 04:12 PM
pjt33's Avatar
pjt33 pjt33 is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Valencia, España
Posts: 2,600
Native Language: Inglés (en-gb)
pjt33 is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fazor View Post
"Miré! Es el hombre qué robó tus novia, ¿verdad?"
"¡Si! Es el mismo!" [Punch him in the nose!]

How's that?
ETA: other than completely conjugating the command form of "Mirar" wrong, I mean.
Supongo que debe ser "a tu novia" y no "a tus novias".

¡Mira! (tú) o ¡Mire! (usted).
Reply With Quote
  #11
Old December 01, 2009, 07:12 AM
Fazor's Avatar
Fazor Fazor is offline
Emerald
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Middle of Ohio, USA
Posts: 626
Native Language: American English
Fazor is on a distinguished road
Send a message via Yahoo to Fazor
Gracias, no sé por qué quiero usar 'tus' siempre.
Reply With Quote
  #12
Old December 03, 2009, 08:25 AM
Suavemente's Avatar
Suavemente Suavemente is offline
Pearl
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: EE.UU(Oklahoma)
Posts: 121
Native Language: American English
Suavemente is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by pjt33 View Post
Supongo que debe ser "a tu novia" y no "a tus novias".

¡Mira! (tú) o ¡Mire! (usted).
Yo crea que lo es.... Tú miras.... Tú mira no corrige.
Reply With Quote
  #13
Old December 03, 2009, 08:28 AM
irmamar's Avatar
irmamar irmamar is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 7,071
Native Language: Español
irmamar is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suavemente View Post
Yo creo que lo es.... Tú miras.... Tú mira no corrige.
What did you say?
Reply With Quote
Reply

 

Link to this thread
URL: 
HTML Link: 
BB Code: 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Site Rules


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:21 AM.

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.

X