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Dar/tener vergüenza ajena

 

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  #1  
Old February 06, 2015, 10:18 AM
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Dar/tener vergüenza ajena

Tener o sentir vergüenza ajena is an expression we use in Spanish when somebody does sthg we find ridiculous , sth we woudlnt dare to do.
I ´ve been thinking about how to say it in English I the closest I found is To feel embarrased for sb.
Is this the right equivalent?
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Old February 06, 2015, 08:37 PM
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Feeling embarrassed for someone else because of the ridiculous thing they are doing (and apparently not feeling embarrassed themselves) can be said only that way in English, I believe.

It has been termed as 'embarrassment on behalf of others', too, but the concept is 'feeling embarrassed for someone else who is apparently not feeling embarrassed about what they're doing'.

For example, if someone thinks they can sing very well but, in reality, performs horribly, we can feel embarrassed for them (since they are certain they sing well and have no need to be embarrassed about how horrible they sound).
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Old February 18, 2015, 08:54 AM
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Also very commonly you can use: to feel ashamed for.

Shame and embarrassment are different because shame is much more profound, but curiously ashamed and embarrassed are sometimes used as synonyms.
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Old June 16, 2015, 07:56 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty View Post
For example, if someone thinks they can sing very well but, in reality, performs horribly, we can feel embarrassed for them (since they are certain they sing well and have no need to be embarrassed about how horrible they sound).
Muy buena explicación de 'vergüenza ajena'.

De ella es sufre mucho durante los concursos de exibiciones de amateurs.
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Old December 11, 2016, 04:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pinosilano View Post
Muy buena explicación de 'vergüenza ajena'.

De ella es sufre mucho durante los concursos de exibiciones de amateurs.
E come si dice in italiano?
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