Aparato/artilugio

[poli]

I have seen artilugio in writing, and it means gadget or device.
In spoken Spanish, I have only heard aparato.
Are these words used interchangably? Do you think their usage varies
by country?

[Luna Azul]

"Artilugio" is not commonly used in the spoken language. "Artefacto" is more used. "Aparato" has more meanings than the other two and is commonly used, even as a substitute word when your memory fails and you don't remember the real word.

"Pásame ese.... 'aparato' que está sobre la mesa"

"Artilugio" also means "scheme" or "plot" with a negative connotation.

"Él usó artilugios y mañas para conseguir ese dinero"

[languagelover]

"Artilugio" sounds more technical to me. It's the kind of word I would expect to hear in a documentary or in the news, not in everyday speech. That is my point of view from Spain.

"Aparato" is used much more generally, as Luna says.

[aleCcowaN]

"Artilugio" is a learned word you may find in print but very seldom in speech. No regional differences that I can tell.

[poli]

Gracias por sus repuestas sólidadas e internacionales.

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by poli

Gracias por sus repuestas sólidadas e internacionales.

¿Qué quisiste decir? la palabra "sólidadas" no existe..

Fue un placer ayudarte

[poli]

Quise escribir sólida pero mis dedos me traicionaron.

[aleCcowaN]

solidar

es término bastante antiguo, reemplazado por "fundamentar", "fundar" y "basar(se)".

[poli]

I thought sólido meant substantial. Perhaps I was anglicizing. False
cognates abound.

[Luna Azul]

De cualquier forma no con acento en la "o".

[poli]

Good. Solido... a new word to avoid.

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by poli

Good. Solido... a new word to avoid.

I was talking about the word "solidar"..

"sólido" has an accent on the "ó".

Now I'm all confused myself..

[aleCcowaN]

poli, there's no problem with "sólido", almost an everyday word. The problem is the past particle "solidado" used as adjective -with stress on the "a" and not on the first "o"-.

[languagelover]

Both sólido and sólidos have accents on the 'o'. This is the syllable with most emphasis.

Solido without an accent has the emphasis on the middle syllable and this is the participle of the verb soler which has an entirely different meaning. I would suggest it is used very infrequently in everyday speech. http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=493374

[aleCcowaN]

I loved Chinese whispers. I didn't know there was a written version.

[wrholt]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

I loved Chinese whispers. I didn't know there was a written version.

Chinese whispers , hmmm, chinese whispers....

Oh! Telephone! Or sometimes Rumors. That game has more names that you can shake a stick at.

[aleCcowaN]

"Teléfono descompuesto" or "teléfono (d)escacharrado/ao" in Spanish. I knew it has many names in English, but "Chinese whispers" is the only unambiguous name I know for it.