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A oscuras, a tientas, etcéteraThis is the place for questions about conjugations, verb tenses, adverbs, adjectives, word order, syntax and other grammar questions for English or Spanish. |
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#1
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A oscuras, a tientas, etcétera
Hi,
I've got a growing collection of such use cases: a oscuras a tientas a ciegas a cuestas a medias I've got two questions: 1. What's the name of this grammar thing? 2. Are they all set phrases of an established list, or can one make them freely? |
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#2
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They are instances of locuciones adverbiales (adverbial phrases). You could not make them freely.
There are many starting with the preposition a. There are many more constructed in a different way: de cuando en cuando = every now and then de cabo a rabo = from head to toe en mi vida = never Many of them may be replaced by a proper adverb: a horcajadas (loc. adv.) = acabalgadamente (adv.)= astride (prep.) sin duda = indudablemente = undoubtedly
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#3
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So the family is wider than I expected
Another, more specific question: a oscuras What is a and what is -as? |
#4
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a oscuras/obscuras = in the dark
I don't know the reason but many of these expressions using adjectives become nouns are plural and feminine: a ciegas = blindly (literally) a oscuras but other expression use nouns in plural (or singular) of any gender a tientas = blindly (it literally means "by using the sense of touch") a gatas = crawling (on your hands and knees) a pedazos = in pieces a gusto = comfortably
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#5
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Thanks! The meaning is obvious, usually. Except for a gatas . Do they mean cats?
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#6
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Yes, it comes from gato. It's used to suggest "in a quadruped way".
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#7
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There is also a very expressive verb gatear
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