Más oraciones con el pretérito

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Perikles

It is definitely not BrE. Well, it sounds wrong to me, which is not the same. I would have to say

I didn't like it that they used the English word "get".,

but normally I would say

I didn't like their using the word "get".

The way you said it sounds a bit Spanish

Maybe I AM learning some Spanish!!

Well, yes, I suppose that my sentence is common usage here. What you said sounds a bit "stuffy". <refrains from making a comment about your being British...>

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

What you said sounds a bit "stuffy". <refrains from making a comment about your being British...>

Stuffy ????? <refrains from cursing about bloody colonials polluting the language...>

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Stuffy ????? <refrains from cursing about bloody colonials polluting the language...>

Oh, don't get all WHINGEY on me!! (See ... I CAN speak the King's English when I want to ... I just don't usually WANT to!)

So ... here's a good question to play with the minds of Europeans vs. those from the US: where does one find the "first floor" in a hotel/office building?

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

No. It doesn't help. What else do you do but attend a meeting?

1) Would "asistir" work in this sentence?
2) I don't understand why llegar works here. I thought llegar means to arrive. I don't understand.
[And, P.S., I didn't like that they used the English word "get". I'm disliking that word more and more....]
3) Why "a la" instead of "tu"?

3. it should have been "tu" as per original phrase in English, maybe they considered that to be too "literal"?

2 Asistir also means to help...

1. What is the difference between "could not get to your meeting" and " could not make it to your meeting" for you? And YES asistir o atender could be used there.

[laepelba]

Thanks, Chileno! That was much more helpful!

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Oh, don't get all WHINGEY on me!! (See ... I CAN speak the King's English when I want to ... I just don't usually WANT to!)

Your choice, but it would actually be Queen's English. It has been since 1952.

Originally Posted by laepelba

So ... here's a good question to play with the minds of Europeans vs. those from the US: where does one find the "first floor" in a hotel/office building?

Surely, as a mathematician, you would start counting at zero?

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Oh, don't get all WHINGEY on me!! (See ... I CAN speak the King's English when I want to ... I just don't usually WANT to!)

So ... here's a good question to play with the minds of Europeans vs. those from the US: where does one find the "first floor" in a hotel/office building?

Whingey? What does it mean?

Planta baja, primer piso, segundo piso... Where do you find the first floor?

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Surely, as a mathematician, you would start counting at zero?

Originally Posted by irmamar

Whingey? What does it mean?

Planta baja, primer piso, segundo piso... Where do you find the first floor?

I'll let PERIKLES define "whingey" for you. I'm not British, so I have never actually USED that word!

In the United States, the "first" floor IS the ground floor. When a friend from London was visiting here, we had to visit an office with which she is affiliated. When we went up the elevator, I hit the buttons and she wasn't paying attention. When we left the office, she was standing next to the buttons and we must have stood there for a very awkward two whole minutes ... me, waiting for her to press the danged button ... she, wondering where the heck was the button for the ground floor. We finally figured out the confusion, and got the button "1" pressed to get out and walk to the car.....

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

I'll let PERIKLES define "whingey" for you. I'm not British, so I have never actually USED that word!

In the United States, the "first" floor IS the ground floor. When a friend from London was visiting here, we had to visit an office with which she is affiliated. When we went up the elevator, I hit the buttons and she wasn't paying attention. When we left the office, she was standing next to the buttons and we must have stood there for a very awkward two whole minutes ... me, waiting for her to press the danged button ... she, wondering where the heck was the button for the ground floor. We finally figured out the confusion, and got the button "1" pressed to get out and walk to the car.....

A mí me hubiera pasado lo mismo.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

I'll let PERIKLES define "whingey" for you. I'm not British, so I have never actually USED that word! ...

That's a bit rich - she invents a word which doesn't exist, and then expects me to explain it. There is a verb to whinge which means to whine = quejarse so I guess whingey is an adjective to describe somebody who whinges a lot. Apparently to whinge is BrE colloquial and pejorative.

And she used it above, describing me, though she claims she has never used it.