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Choose your battles...

 

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  #1  
Old February 19, 2009, 05:02 AM
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Question Choose your battles...

Is there a Spanish equivalent to the English saying that you need to "choose your battles carefully"? I'm not looking for a literal translation. I'm just wondering if there's a Spanish saying that lends the same meaning... I teach high school algebra, and often find myself trying to convince my students that they're picking arguments (usually with other adults) over silly things. (Yesterday I watched a kid get thrown out of a class ... and it all started because he asked another student for a pencil ... but he escalated the argument with the teacher (who only wanted him to quiet down) ... it was silly ... and a good kid missed an entire class period.) Thanks!
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  #2  
Old February 19, 2009, 07:02 AM
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Tienes que elegir/escoger las/tus batallas con cuidado/(muy) cuidadosamente.
Hay que ... .
Debes ... .

Using las batallas is more common than using the determiner (mis, tus, sus, etc.).
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Old February 19, 2009, 07:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
Is there a Spanish equivalent to the English saying that you need to "choose your battles carefully"? I'm not looking for a literal translation. I'm just wondering if there's a Spanish saying that lends the same meaning... I teach high school algebra, and often find myself trying to convince my students that they're picking arguments (usually with other adults) over silly things. (Yesterday I watched a kid get thrown out of a class ... and it all started because he asked another student for a pencil ... but he escalated the argument with the teacher (who only wanted him to quiet down) ... it was silly ... and a good kid missed an entire class period.) Thanks!
Just the translation that Rusty offered.

I would not understand it, because in my head, I cannot see myself, as a student, arguing with a teacher like that. :-)

Hernan.
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Old February 19, 2009, 09:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post
Just the translation that Rusty offered.

I would not understand it, because in my head, I cannot see myself, as a student, arguing with a teacher like that. :-)

Hernan.
¡Claro! No puedo altercar nunca con autoridad, como los maestros. These kids get all upset over ridiculous little things. They need to learn to "let go". ¡Necesitan aprender a aflojarse! (Le correja, favor....)

(Hernán - is "Spanglish" okay when I'm in a hurry on my lunch break? ...cuando almuerzo...)
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Old February 19, 2009, 10:40 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
¡Claro! No puedo altercar nunca con autoridad, como los maestros. These kids get all upset over ridiculous little things. They need to learn to "let go". ¡Necesitan aprender a aflojarse! (Le correja, favor....)


"no se puede nunca altercar con las autoridades, como lo son los maestros. Estos niños se enfurecen por pequeñas cosas ridículas. Necesitan aprender a dejar las cosas como son (o como estan). Necesitan aprender a aflojarse.Me corrije por favor (o corríjame por favor)


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Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
(Hernán - is "Spanglish" okay when I'm in a hurry on my lunch break? ...cuando almuerzo...)
Si porque en realidad no es spanglish.

Spanglish es cuando nosotros españolizamos una palabra inglesa. Ej:

To mop = mapear.

Truck = troca or troka

Y en esto muchos mexicanos van a entender esto que sigue :

hacer un jon ron.

or You make a Spanish word an English one. ie:

There a couple of words that I cannot think of at this moment, but it looks like this...

You want to say in spanish, "I am very tired"

and you say "Yo mucho tiro"

... and I forget the usual word....

I suffer from CRS Syndrome.

Hernan.
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Old February 19, 2009, 12:13 PM
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First of all, I think we need a small "rule": Only people with comic character avatars can post to this thread. LOL!!

Second - "pequeñas cosas" - in this context, could that be equivalently replaced with "cositas" (given the affinity that Spanish speakers have for the diminutive)??

Third - can we redefine "Spanglish" in "Lou Ann's World" as a mixture of Spanish and English in the same sentences & paragraphs when she's in a hurry??

"El Mundo de Lou Ann"............
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Old February 19, 2009, 05:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post


"no se puede nunca altercar con las autoridades, como lo son los maestros. Estos niños se enfurecen por pequeñas cosas ridículas. Necesitan aprender a dejar las cosas como son (o como estan). Necesitan aprender a aflojarse.Me corrije por favor (o corríjame por favor)
Some questions about this, too.... It's the pronouns that I'm not seeming to get right....... Let me break it apart:
- "no se puede..." (instead of "no puedo...") - third person verb? and to what does the "se" refer?
- "como lo son lose maestros..." (instead of "como los maestros...") - is this like saying "like those who are teachers"?
- "me corrije" o "corríjame..." (instead of "le correja...") - I was trying to say "correct it" (referring to "what I've written") - but is it better to say "correct ME"?

Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post
Si porque en realidad no es spanglish.

Spanglish es cuando nosotros españolizamos una palabra inglesa. Ej:

To mop = mapear.

Truck = troca or troka

Y en esto muchos mexicanos van a entender esto que sigue :

hacer un jon ron.

or You make a Spanish word an English one. ie:

There a couple of words that I cannot think of at this moment, but it looks like this...

You want to say in spanish, "I am very tired"

and you say "Yo mucho tiro"

... and I forget the usual word....

I suffer from CRS Syndrome.

Hernan.
So you mean things like "no problemo" and "si señor" and other "Spanish-y" sounding things that some Americans say are what you're referring to by saying "Spanglish"?

(YAWN....) Estoy cansada..........

Este es el mundo de Lou Ann..........
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  #8  
Old February 19, 2009, 06:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post


"no se puede nunca altercar con las autoridades, como lo son los maestros. Estos niños se enfurecen por pequeñas cosas ridículas. Necesitan aprender a dejar las cosas como son (o como estan). Necesitan aprender a aflojarse.Me corrije por favor (o corríjame por favor)




Si porque en realidad no es spanglish.

Spanglish es cuando nosotros españolizamos una palabra inglesa. Ej:

To mop = mapear.

Truck = troca or troka

Y en esto muchos mexicanos van a entender esto que sigue :

hacer un jon ron.

or You make a Spanish word an English one. ie:

There a couple of words that I cannot think of at this moment, but it looks like this...

You want to say in spanish, "I am very tired"

and you say "Yo mucho tiro"

... and I forget the usual word....

I suffer from CRS Syndrome.

Hernan.
You are right. Jon ron. It's very used in my country for the folks. Just I was reading the post of leapelda. I believe that her translation needed is (Escoge tu batalla con autoridad.)

I hope you can understand my opinion above.
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  #9  
Old February 19, 2009, 06:27 PM
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Oye Snow White, Spanglish is not spoken by English speakers trying to learn Spanish. Spanglish is spoken by second and third generation Hispanics living in English speaking environs. Their schooling is in English, their culture is anglo, but their family speaks Spanish amongst themselves. Because this language is not encouraged by the popular culture or the schools, it changes a lot. Many English words are incorporated in the lingo. Insead of saying el techo tiene una gotera Neoricans (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) are known to say things like el rufo tiene un liqueo..(the roof has a leak). I have heard similar usage in San Antonio Tx,and I am sure It's the same in Pilsen(Chicago) East LA, Adams Morgan in DC, The Mission(San Francisco), La Famosa Calle 8 in Miami and every other metropolitan area in the USA with a significant Spanish-speaking population --although Spanish seems to be winning in Miami and English sounds pretty Engspan to me down there.
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Last edited by poli; February 19, 2009 at 06:31 PM.
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Old February 19, 2009, 06:47 PM
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se puede

This construct is the impersonal se. In English, when we are speaking in general, we say 'They say/One says it's going to rain.' (Se dice que va a llover.) Another example is 'Spanish is spoken here.' (Se habla español.)

The third person (singular or plural) is always used in this construct. The pronoun is always se.

correct it = corrígelo
correct him = corrígelo
correct her = corrígela
correct me = corrígeme

como lo son los maestros = as teachers are (they are the authorities)
English speakers don't quite see the need for the 'additional' pronoun, but it is necessary. I don't have a grammatical reason for it, but the pronoun stands in for whatever was being discussed before the phrase was invoked - no matter the gender or number.
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