Upstairs ... Downstairs

[laepelba]

If I want to describe the interior of a house to someone, say to take them on a sort of verbal tour of the house, how would I talk about "going upstairs" or "going downstairs"?

For example:
- "En el salón de entrada, puedes ir arriba o abajo."
(I'm trying to say) - "From the entryway, you can go upstairs or downstairs."

And what if there is a half staircase?
- "Vas arriba una escalera media a la sala de estar, el comedor y la cocina."
(I'm trying to say) - "You go up a half staircase to the living room, dining room and kitchen."

Gracias!

[sosia]

- "Desde el salón de entrada, puedes ir hacia arriba o hacia abajo."
(I'm trying to say) - "From the entryway, you can go upstairs or downstairs."
"En el salón de entrada, puedes ir arriba o abajo."--> "In the entryway, you can go up or down."


And what if there is a half staircase?
"Subiendo media escalera está el salón, el comedor y la cocina"
- "Vas arriba una escalera media a la sala de estar, el comedor y la cocina."
(I'm trying to say) - "You go up a half staircase to the living room, dining room and kitchen."

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by sosia

- "Desde el salón de entrada, puedes ir hacia arriba o hacia abajo."
(I'm trying to say) - "From the entryway, you can go upstairs or downstairs."
"En el salón de entrada, puedes ir arriba o abajo."--> "In the entryway, you can go up or down."


And what if there is a half staircase?
"Subiendo media escalera está el salón, el comedor y la cocina"
- "Vas arriba una escalera media a la sala de estar, el comedor y la cocina."
(I'm trying to say) - "You go up a half staircase to the living room, dining room and kitchen."

Thanks, Sosia. A couple more questions, then.... (about the second example).

I understand why "subir", but why the gerund form? Why not "subes"?
Is there much of a difference between "la sala de estar" y "el salón"?

¡Gracias otra vez!

[sosia]

You can say

Not really. You can use both "indistintamente", it doesn't matter which.
(David, this word is not in your dictionary)
It's like "supper" and "dinner". I usually use salón for the place you live in a house (the one with the TV) for houses and "sala de estar" as the place you wait in an hospital or at others house. Usually "sala de estar" it's a little smaller than a salón, and can be used only for receiving visits.

"Subes media escalera está el salón, el comedor y la cocina"
With "subiendo" it comes easilly "subiendo-->está"
With subes, you must make it different "subes-->llegas"
Subes media escalera y llegas al salón, el comedor y la cocina"
Saludo

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

If I want to describe the interior of a house to someone, say to take them on a sort of verbal tour of the house, how would I talk about "going upstairs" or "going downstairs"?

Yendo "escalera/escalas arriba" o "escalera/escalas abajo"

Originally Posted by laepelba

For example:
- "En el salón de entrada, puedes ir arriba o abajo."
(I'm trying to say) - "From the entryway, you can go upstairs or downstairs."

"desde la entrada puedes ir escalas arriba o abajo."

Originally Posted by laepelba

And what if there is a half staircase?
- "Vas arriba una escalera media a la sala de estar, el comedor y la cocina."
(I'm trying to say) - "You go up a half staircase to the living room, dining room and kitchen."

Gracias!

"sube hasta la mitad de las escalas a la sala de estar, comedor y cocina."

Espero que esto ayude.


Hernan.

[laepelba]

Thanks, guys! This is very helpful!

¡Gracias, amigos - está ayude mucho!

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Thanks, guys! This is very helpful!

¡Gracias, amigos - está ayude mucho!

Esto ayudó mucho.

Esto ayuda mucho.

Does the word Esto carry an accent? i seem to remember something about that...

Hernan.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by chileno

Esto ayudó mucho.

Esto ayuda mucho.

Does the word Esto carry an accent? i seem to remember something about that...

Hernan.

Actually, I was trying to say "it is very helpful" - so the está was supposed to be the "it is" part, not "this"..... But I like yours better: "Esto ayuda mucho."

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Actually, I was trying to say "it is very helpful" - so the está was supposed to be the "it is" part, not "this"..... But I like yours better: "Esto ayuda mucho."

Por ahí va.

Mira:

This helps much - "Esto ayuda mucho."

It is very helpful - "Es de mucha ayuda" o "ayuda mucho"


Hernan

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by chileno

Por ahí va.

Hernan

"Por ahí va."??

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by chileno

Esto ayudó mucho.

Esto ayuda mucho.

Does the word Esto carry an accent? i seem to remember something about that...

Hernan.

Ésta, éstas, éste, éstos, ésos, carry an accent when they are used as substantives, to be differenciated from pronouns. Neither "esto" nor "eso" carry an accent, because they cannot be confused.

"María se llevó mi bolsa. Préstame ésta."
"María took my purse. Lend me this one."

"Allá están los libros. Llévate ésos."
"The books are over there. Take those ones."

(Talking about an impolite child) "¿Ya viste a éste? ¡Me está enseñando la lengua!"
"Have you seen this (kid)? He's sticking his tongue out at me!"

[laepelba]

Substantive: "A Substantive is a term covering all words that can function like a noun. Substantives include nouns, gerunds, adjectival nouns and pronouns." Right?

Then, aren't esta, estas, este, estos, esos ALL substantives? Hmmm....

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

"Por ahí va."??

There we go
There you go
There IT goes

[chileno]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

Ésta, éstas, éste, éstos, ésos, carry an accent when they are used as substantives, to be differenciated from pronouns. Neither "esto" nor "eso" carry an accent, because they cannot be confused.

"María se llevó mi bolsa. Préstame ésta."
"María took my purse. Lend me this one."

"Allá están los libros. Llévate ésos."
"The books are over there. Take those ones."

(Talking about an impolite child) "¿Ya viste a éste? ¡Me está enseñando la lengua!"
"Have you seen this (kid)? He's sticking his tongue out at me!"

now that are you talking about this, aren't supposed to be accented the "demonstrative pronouns"? That would be the other way around, right?

I rely on you because you know grammar and I don't. :-)

And again, all this is making me dizzy.

Hernan.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@laepelba: "este", "esta", "estos", "estas", "aquel", "aquella", etc., can be used either as adjectives and as substantives. They bear an accent when they work as substantives.

"Esta casa es mía" ("This house is mine")
"Ésta es mi casa" ("This is my house")

--"Estoy leyendo ese libro" ("I'm reading that book")
--"Yo estoy leyendo éste" ("I am reading this one")

"Llévate esas bolsa de basura, pero déjame aquélla" ("Take those garbage bags away, but leave me that one")


@Chileno: I wish I could explain better.
But you chose the right thing by not writing any.

[Rusty]

Just to confuse matters, and to make Chileno even more dizzy, the accent may be omitted if there is NO chance that the substantive will be confused with the adjective form.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@laepelba: "este", "esta", "estos", "estas", "aquel", "aquella", etc., can be used either as adjectives and as substantives. They bear an accent when they work as substantives.

"Esta casa es mía" ("This house is mine")
"Ésta es mi casa" ("This is my house")

--"Estoy leyendo ese libro" ("I'm reading that book")
--"Yo estoy leyendo éste" ("I am reading this one")

"Llévate esas bolsa de basura, pero déjame aquélla" ("Take those garbage bags away, but leave me that one")


@Chileno: I wish I could explain better.
But you chose the right thing by not writing any.

AHHHHHH!!!!!! Crystal clear now! Thanks!!

By the way, Malila - you probably need a comic character avatar....

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by Rusty

Just to confuse matters, and to make Chileno even more dizzy, the accent may be omitted if there is NO chance that the substantive will be confused with the adjective form.

...which is also why "esto", "eso", "aquello", have never an accent.


@Lou Ann: Maybe I do.

[laepelba]

GREAT stuff on the substantives and adjectives ... I really need to work on some of those parts of speech. Things like that and pronouns, etc. ... (sigh....) so much to learn....

Malila - LOVE the new avatar. Maybe I ought to get a more feminine one myself....

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

(Talking about an impolite child) "¿Ya viste a éste? ¡Me está enseñando la lengua!"
"Have you seen this (kid)? He's sticking his tongue out at me!"

"Ya vista..." - I'm just now looking at this again, and am not sure about those two words in that sentence. Will someone explain a little for me? Thanks!