No en balde

[poli]

I think it means, it should be noted. Does anyone know for sure?

[Tomisimo]

It generally means "not in vain". Do you have a complete sentence for more context?

[poli]

It's in the last paragraph of this article, and in the context of the article, it may mean more than not in vain. Please have a look:thinking:
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Madrid/estrena/manzana/cine/elpepuculcin/20081218elpepunac_11/Tes

[CrOtALiTo]

Yes, the expression No en balde, it's used when you are saying something that you have made before and it wasn't in vain.

For example I can tell you my attempt.

Yesterday I did my homework, that my teacher let me two ago days, then I did my homework and I got it 100, I believe that my effort wasn't in vain.

[poli]

Yes, the expression No en balde, used when you do something that's not in vain.

Here's my example.

Yesterday I did my homework, that my teacher gave to me two ago days ago. I got 100%. I believe that my effort wasn't in vain.

Gracias Jorge Luis. confirmaste lo que dijo David. Ahora tengo que recordarlo. Así no paso mi tiempo en balde;).

[CrOtALiTo]

You're welcome, forgive me for the mistakes I did in my previous post.

[Elaina]

I agree with all that has been written about "no en balde" but I have also heard it used in another sense. For example:

Poli: Elaina, ¿haz visto a Crotalito?

Elaina: Parece que lo vi hace una semana y me dijo que quería hablar contigo. ¿Para qué lo buscas?

Poli: Lo busco porque le debo un dinero y quiero pagárselo.

Elaina: Ah, vaya! No en balde que él se miraba muy interesado en verte.

Has anyone heard it used like this before?

:confused:

[CrOtALiTo]

Jajaja, Yes I have heard your example above it, it was fun to me, Poli as Elaina said in her example, you debt me money, When do you will pay me the money?

I need my money for these parties.

[poli]

Jajaja, Yes I have heard the above example before. It was fun to hear it. Poli as Elaina said in her example, you owe me money. When will you pay me the money?

I need my money for these parties.
¿Cuales fiestas? No me dijiste nada de fiestas antes. No me invitaste.:sad:

Elaina, your example translates to with good reason or really commonly
around where I live (and I hate the term) not for nuthin'.

[Elaina]

Thanks! But it is used in that sense, right?

[poli]

Thanks! But it is used in that sense, right?

Come to think of it, not for nothing and not in vain are pretty close in meaning.:idea:

[viveka]

Wow!
Everything posted here sounds completely off track from the use I have applied to
"No en balde" all my Spanish speaking life.

El uso de "no en balde" que he leído aquí hasta ahora me parece incorrecto en todas las opciones en inglés, y hasta se desvía de todo lo que he escuchado en toda mi vida de hispanaparlante...

Primero, déjenme decirles que para mí, "no en balde" equivale a decir "es natural", o "es obvio"

y eso de que tiene que ver algo con ganancia o interés, no tengo la menor idea de dónde se usa así. Sería interesante saber en qué país.

Ejemplo:

Ellos se enemoraron. Tenían muchos intereses en común. Ella era soprano, además estudiaba música clásica, y él era pianista. ¡No en balde!

So, let me give you an example:
They fell in love, they had many things in common. She was a soprano, who also studied classical music, and he was a pianist. It figures!

¡No en balde!
It figures!

¿Algún comentario?

[viveka]

no en balde
is not
not in vain.

No voy a perder el tiempo en balde.
Means:
I am not going to waste my time in vain.

But, this does not mean that
¡"no en balde"!
the idiomatic expression, has anything to do with "in vain..."

Please check this out, look it up or confirm with native Spanish speakers.

Trabajé en balde.
I worked in vain.

"No en balde" is an idiom, which means "it figures".
The meaning is altogether different from "en balde" which means in vain.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yes, you can say, Fui en balde. (I went to vain), Estube trabajando de balde porque nunca me pagaron rapido mi quinsena.( I was working in vain, because they never payed me fast my fifteenth.

I can provide more example if you want.

Have you worked and read much examples?

Yes, I have, and it wasn't in vain because, I learnt so much about the story from Mexico.

[sosia]

RAE
balde. (Del árabe hispánico "bátil", y este del árabe clásico bātil :vano, inútil, sin valor).

de balde: 1. loc. adv. Gratuitamente, sin coste alguno.
2. loc. adv. en vano.
3. loc. adv. p. us. Sin motivo, sin causa.

en balde. 1. loc. adv. en vano.

estar de balde: 1. loc. verb. Estar de más, estar ocioso.
balde. 1. de balde. En el español medieval, esta locución significaba ‘gratis’ y también ‘inútilmente o en vano’. Ambos significados han pervivido en el español de América: «Ya no tendremos quien nos desholline y nos friegue las casas de balde» (Cabada Agua [Méx. 1981]); «Te disfrazaste de balde, no va a haber baile» (Ramírez Baile [Nic. 1995]). En España, la locución de balde se usa solo como equivalente de ‘gratis’, mientras que para ‘inútilmente’ se emplea en balde (→ 2).

2. en balde. ‘Inútilmente o en vano’: «En balde vamos a esperar que el país salga de su indigencia inmerecida» (Abc [Par.] 6.10.00). En algunas zonas de América se emplea también, con este sentido, la locución de balde (→ 1).


So the common use of "no en balde" is "not in vain" (no en vano) or Elaina's "not for nothing'" (no por nada,) or "not for free" (no gratuitamente)
"Trabajé en balde" --> I worked in vain, I worked for free

I understand your usage viveka, but I give another origin.

Ellos se enamoraron. Tenían muchos intereses en común. Ella era soprano, además estudiaba música clásica, y él era pianista. ¡No en balde! ¡No por nada se enamoraron! ¡no fue inútil su gran esfuerzo!

They fell in love, they had many things in common. She was a soprano, who also studied classical music, and he was a pianist. It figures!
Here they have both worked hard in the same field (music), so it was not vain.
After so much work, It was then easy to both to love each other, so it was not for nothing.

Saludos :D
PD: It reminds me of the song of Avril Lavigne, "Skater boy", but the other way
He was a boy
she was a girl
can I make anyone obvious?
He was a punk,
she did ballet
What more can I say?

[Tomisimo]

Thanks for the great explanation viveka. I'm not a native Spanish speaker so I can't really comment on it, but thanks for the input. When I gave a translation in post #2, it was basically without any other context.

In the link in post #3, they use the term "no en balde"-- how would you translate it in this context?

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Madrid/estrena/manzana/cine/elpepuculcin/20081218elpepunac_11/Tes
Por su parte, el Ayuntamiento peatonalizará de manera permanente la calle Martín de los Heros entre Ventura Rodríguez y plaza de España a partir de este viernes, y también instalará una carpa donde se proyectarán, entre el 19 de diciembre y el día de Reyes, películas de cine mudo para el público infantil, con un pianista que amenizará las representaciones al estilo de los primeros años del celuloide. No en balde, las salas participantes son las principales proyectoras de películas en Versión Original de Madrid. Asimismo, se editarán 30.000 ejemplares de un mapa de la zona que abarcará el espacio cinematográfico, con indicación de los establecimientos que están asociados al proyecto.

[Cubanboy]

No en balde - No wonder.

[sosia]

I like your translation Cubanboy. It's good and simple :D

[Tomisimo]

Revisiting this, I might translate it as of course or naturally.

[alongopr51]

No en balde is a common expression that means "no wonder".