Uses of todo

[trfie]

HI all,

I am studying Spanish and came across these 2 sentences in a course, for which translations were not given; I don't understand what the meaning is. How would you translate these to English?

Nuestra jefa es toda una directora.
Carmen es toda una mujer.

Thanks!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Todo(a)", here gives an idea of "enteramente" ( wholy/completely).

El policía es todo un héroe. -> Almost literally, this would be something like "The policeman is completely a hero", but maybe in English it would be a bit more natural to say "The policeman is a real hero."

Now you can have an idea to propose your own translations for the sentences in your course. If you need more help, just ask.

[trfie]

How are these translations:

The policeman is totally a hero.
Our chief is an excellent director.
Carmen is a real woman.

I noticed I used different English words in all 3 cases but these were the translations that seemed to capture the gist.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree.

Understanding what you are saying rather than translating into a single formula is for me what learning a language is all about.

[poli]

The direct English translation of todo in this case every bit a. It sounds kind of British, but it could definitely be used in the states as well. Example: The stranger who rescued the baby from the burning building is every bit a hero.