Ducha

Ducha
 

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word for September 26, 2009

ducha (feminine noun (la)) — shower. Look up ducha in the dictionary

Si tienes fiebre, toma una ducha para controlar la temperatura.
If you have a fever, take a shower to control your temperature.

A shower is also a heavy downpour.
A baby shower is a party to celebrate the future birth of a child.

Una ducha de agua fría es una noticia repentina que causa una impresión fuerte o desagradable.

Like "a bucket of (cold) water" ... :)

Primarily US but gaining currency in UK. I never know how to pronounce it, though: is it sh-ow-er (like the bath attachment and the rain) or show-er?

And what do you normaly use in UK instead of shower?

as chileno said, here the expression is "balde de agua fría", I never heared "ducha de agua fría" in that sense.

2 syllables. but the show part sounds like "shau"

In fact, the idea of the word "shower" for the party for an upcoming wedding or birth is that you are going to "shower" the future bride/mother with gifts/necessities for her upcoming change of life-season. :)

SOOOooooo ... are you saying that these uses of "shower" are only in English, or do you use the same in Spanish? "Shower" for a heavy rain? "Shower" for a party for an expectant bride/mother?

Like Jessica said. The word "shower" is pronounced the same, regardless of the usage. :)

But there are two different words spelled "shower".

shower -rain, bath attachment, baby shower
shower - person or thing that shows.

For what I've hear, shower is almost only used when you are going to take a bath (with no inversion, generally) Obviously it can be use to make comparations, but there aren't "used and common" expressions that I have heared off. For example, when you arrive to your home from the rain, the one that recive you can say "¡que ducha te tomaste!", but it's not the standard one, this would be: "¡te bañaste!"

:idea: I thought it was to show off the baby.

Laepelba, shower as a party or a downpour are only English meanings. In Spanish ducha is only what you do in the morning to wash yourself.

I don't know that I've ever heard "shower" used in the second sense. Hmmm.... But you're right - it would definitely be pronounced differently....

Usually, the shower is given before the birth of the baby or before the occasion of the wedding. Of course, there are different circumstances. My parents adopted me when I was an infant. Therefore, my mom's friends had her baby shower after I was born, and I was in attendance there.... I just don't think that it's typical that way (at least not in the places where I've lived....)

Thanks for clarifying. Since you said it in English I wasn't sure if that's all you were referring to! :)

Just a slight correction: A shower is intermittent and usually light rain.
A heavy shower (type that may cause floods) is usually referred to as a downpour or rainstorm. ---at least on this side of the Atlantic.

I don't say shower - "ducha" when it rains. If it's a heavy rain I say "caen chuzos de punta"; if it's a light rain I say "es un calabobos" (it wets silly people - a light but continuous rain). If it's very light, then "caen cuatro gotas". :D (all of them are popular terms ;) )

lol, I bealive here we just use "llovizna" (light rain), "lluvia/lluvia torrencial" (normal), "llueve/lluvia fuerte" - "llueve con todo", etc (heavy rain) :P
P.S.: irmamar, recién miré una pelicula animada doblada por españoles, ¡y usaron "vos" en toda la pelicula!, ¿es normal en doblaje? (me suena raro decir "vos entendeis/entiendes en vez de entendés :P)

En castellano antiguo se utilizaba el vos con la seguna persona del plural: "vos, qué facéis, ¿acaso desfacer entuertos?" Aquí te acostumbras porque te hacen leer muy pronto ya castellano antiguo. Depende de la antigüedad es bastante difícil de entender (no es lo mismo leer El Cantar del Mío Cid que La vida es sueño, pero en ambas se usa el vos clásico) :)

Copio un fragmento de La vida es sueño en que se ve cómo se mezcla el "vos" y el "tú":

SEGISMUNDO: Que estáis mal con vos sospecho,
pues me dais que replicar.
CLARÍN: Dice el príncipe muy bien,
y vos hicisteis muy mal.
CRIADO 1: ¿Quién os dio licencia igual?
CLARÍN: Yo me la he tomado.
SEGISMUNDO: ¿Quién
eres tú, di?

(Acto II) Calderón de la Barca

Tuve que leer a Calderón de la Barca en el colegio... me encantó. :)

In Mexico we almost don't say "ducha" or "ducharse".
The shower is a "regadera" and taking a shower is "darse un regaderazo", "darse un baño" or simply "bañarse".


As for the use of "vos" here, it's only conjugated with Spaniards' second person of plural (like Calderón de la Barca's example), and used when there's an intention to make the language sound antique.

Same over here.

¡Y a mí, y a mí! :D

¿Qué es la vida? Un frenesí.
¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión,
una sombra, una ficción,
y el mayor bien es pequeño:
que toda la vida es sueño,
y los sueños, sueños son.

Yes, I know it's out of topic, sorry :sad: (but Calderón... :love: :rose: )

Pero ¿qué hay mejor después una noche con bonitos sueños que tomarse una ducha calentita? :D ;)