Question about phrases

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Poli: We say "estirar la pata" (to die), without the pronominal.
Estirarse, at least in Mexico, means "to stretch": when you wake up, when you are tired and try to recover a bit of muscle tone (a bit like "desperezarse" in other regions), or when you exercise and stretch for sport.

And although "tumbar" usually means to make something to fall down (tumbar un árbol, tumbar una casa...), "tumbarse" does have the meaning of intendedly lying down to rest.
We almost don't use it in Mexico, but if you say "Juan se tumbó en el jardín" it means he's placidly resting in the garden. Also, for: "mi papá llegó del trabajo y se tumbó en la cama", you're saying that he went to bed immediately.

[chileno]

Tumbarse it is understood but considered bad talking, as opposed to acostarse, which is the proper way, because in general an animal se tumba. Estirarse o darse un estirón it is understood as a funny way of saying acostarse. (You are just being funny/silly)

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree. "Echarse" and "tumbarse" as synonyms of "acostarse" are considered low register in Mexico too.

[poli]

Of course it's estirar la pata not just Mexico. Sometimes I don't hear myself when I write.
I just got done speaking with someone from Venezuela who said tumbarse se usa alla pero estirarse no.

[chileno]

Ah, me acordé. "Me voy a tirar en la cama", maybe that's what you heard.

[Liquinn3]

Why do I find it one thing getting the verbs conjugated on paper compared with speaking them?

Perhaps what I mean is, it's one thing to know the verbs on paper but it's another thing using the tenses in fluid speech, thoughts?

[wrholt]

Originally Posted by Liquinn3

Why do I find it one thing getting the verbs conjugated on paper compared with speaking them?

Perhaps what I mean is, it's one thing to know the verbs on paper but it's another thing using the tenses in fluid speech, thoughts?

Speaking a second language at a natural pace requires developing the ability to speak without having to conciously and deliberately translate from one's first language. The most effective way to develop this ability is to spend many, many hours having conversations in the second language with a variety of people about anything and everything.

[Liquinn3]

Originally Posted by wrholt

Speaking a second language at a natural pace requires developing the ability to speak without having to conciously and deliberately translate from one's first language. The most effective way to develop this ability is to spend many, many hours having conversations in the second language with a variety of people about anything and everything.

True, how would one do this without living in the country?

Saludos.

[Glen]

Originally Posted by Liquinn3

True, how would one do this without living in the country?

Saludos.

It's a challenge, I agree. One thing that might help would be to try talking to yourself - out loud - in Spanish, about whatever it is you're doing or thinking at the moment; when you can't come up with how to say it right away, there's your incentive to find out how. Such a practice can be a big step toward the ultimate goal of formulating your thoughts first in Spanish, thus avoiding the huge mental obstacle of thinking in English and translating into Spanish. Good Luck!

[wrholt]

Originally Posted by Liquinn3

True, how would one do this without living in the country?

Saludos.

Originally Posted by Glen

It's a challenge, I agree. One thing that might help would be to try talking to yourself - out loud - in Spanish, about whatever it is you're doing or thinking at the moment; when you can't come up with how to say it right away, there's your incentive to find out how. Such a practice can be a big step toward the ultimate goal of formulating your thoughts first in Spanish, thus avoiding the huge mental obstacle of thinking in English and translating into Spanish. Good Luck!

Sometimes finding a compatible language-exchange partner can help: you and a native speaker of Spanish meet regularly to practice talking about anything, but half the time you speak in Spanish and half the time you speak in English.

There are several issues to consider if you try to find a language-exchange partner, in particular (a) the level of educational achievement and the degree of mastery of the educated standard, and (b) a sufficient amount of mutual interests about which to talk.