Malgastar

[DailyWord]

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word for December 19, 2009

malgastar (verb) — to spend unwisely. Look up malgastar in the dictionary

No te conviene malgastar todo el dinero que tienes en ropa.
It's not in your best interest to waste all your money on clothes.

[Perikles]

The verb gastar also can mean to waste (money/time/energy), as well as to spend. If you use gastar in ordinary conversation, would it normally be understood in the sense of malgastar, or does this depend on context?

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by DailyWord

No te conviene malgastar todo el dinero que tienes en ropa.
It's not in your best interest to waste all your money on clothes.

I don't really understand the example sentence. In fact, I don't really understand the word "convenir" (or is it "convenirse"). I DO understand that "malgastar todo el dinero que tienes en ropa" means "to waste all of your money on clothes". I do NOT understand the first part, "No te conviene...." and how does that mean "It is not in your best interest....."

[pjt33]

Convenir is "to be convenient" in some contexts*, but that doesn't really convey the full range of meaning. "No te conviene" here is more "it's not in your best interests". (Hah - and I wrote that without looking at the translation, and see it doesn't answer your question!)

Oxford offers (paraphrasing a bit)
1. To be advisable.
2. To be convenient.
3. To agree.
4. To concede.


* E.g. "¿Te conviene quedar manaña?" would be "Is it convenient for you to meet tomorrow?"

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by pjt33

Convenir is "to be convenient" in some contexts*, but that doesn't really convey the full range of meaning. "No te conviene" here is more "it's not in your best interests". (Hah - and I wrote that without looking at the translation, and see it doesn't answer your question!)

Oxford offers (paraphrasing a bit)
1. To be advisable.
2. To be convenient.
3. To agree.
4. To concede.


* E.g. "¿Te conviene quedar manaña?" would be "Is it convenient for you to meet tomorrow?"

First of all, would one of the moderators please take these three posts (starting with mine and then pjt's and then this one) and create a new thread with the title "convenir"? Thanks!!

Thanks for this answer, pjt. I also appreciate your example. Your example is for the concept of "convenient". Can you give me another example (or two?) of "convenir" used like it is in the example sentence from the DSW in the sense of "in one's best interests"?

Would it be like this? "Me conviene a quedarme en casa hoy a causa de la nieve."

Finally, you used "quedar" in your example "¿Te conviene quedar manaña?", but I'm not sure how "quedar" works here. Is my brain not working correctly this morning?

[María José]

Originally Posted by Perikles

The verb gastar also can mean to waste (money/time/energy), as well as to spend. If you use gastar in ordinary conversation, would it normally be understood in the sense of malgastar, or does this depend on context?

Gastar means to spend unless you specify otherwise: gastar mucho would mean waste.
Malgastador, derrochón or derrochador means spendthrift, prodigal.

[María José]

Originally Posted by laepelba

First of all, would one of the moderators please take these three posts (starting with mine and then pjt's and then this one) and create a new thread with the title "convenir"? Thanks!!

Thanks for this answer, pjt. I also appreciate your example. Your example is for the concept of "convenient". Can you give me another example (or two?) of "convenir" used like it is in the example sentence from the DSW in the sense of "in one's best interests"?

Would it be like this? "Me conviene a quedarme en casa hoy a causa de la nieve."

Finally, you used "quedar" in your example "¿Te conviene quedar manaña?", but I'm not sure how "quedar" works here. Is my brain not working correctly this morning?

quedar=meet, arrange to meet. And I'm sure there's nothing wrong with your brain.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by María José

Gastar means to spend unless you specify otherwise: gastar mucho would mean waste.
Malgastador, derrochón or derrochador means spendthrift, prodigal.

Thanks - I've been puzzled by this for some time.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by María José

quedar=meet, arrange to meet. And I'm sure there's nothing wrong with your brain.

Apparently you don't know me well enough.

Anyway - doesn't quedar also mean "to remain", like in my attempt?

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Anyway - doesn't quedar also mean "to remain", like in my attempt?

That's reflexive: quedarse (unless it refers to time remaining...)

Bueno, has pedido ejemplos:

Fernando, ¿qué es eso que Amparo me ha contado de que estabas de fiesta hasta la madrugada? Te quedan tres días para estudiar todo lo que necesitas saber para los exámenes, y te conviene tomarlos en serio.

Fernando, what's this which Amparo told me about you partying until the early hours? You have three days left to study everything you need to know for the exams, and you would do well to take them seriously.

And to steal borrow rephrase an example from a newpaper article on recent Spanish politics,

Lo que quieren los catalanes (o lo que querían en 2005, al menos) está escrito y refrendado por el 90% de los diputados del Parlament, que es, conviene recordarlo, el depositario de la soberanía de Cataluña.

That which the Catalans want (or which they wanted in 2005, at least) is written and approved (i.e. voted for) by 90% of the members of the Parlament, which is, it's worth remembering, the repository of Catalonia's sovereignty.