Por muchos años

[Michael30000]

Hola a todos,

In a scene in the movie Carne de horca Juan Pablo and Lorenzo Ruiz have a short conversation.

- Buenos días señores.
- Buenos días.
- Soy Juan Pablo de Osuna hijo de don Esteban, el propietario del cortijo Los Rosales.
- Por muchos años.
- Y estos son unos amigos: Venancio Torres, Curro Infantes.
- Lorenzo Ruiz para servirles. ¿De cuánto es la banca?
- Pues solamente tengo aquí este dinero pero si usted gusta podemos jugar más fuerte.
- Como usted quiera. Sé que la finca de Los Rosales es la mejor de la provincia.

When I watched this scene the first time, I thought the phrase “por muchos años” meant "for many years", implying that don Esteban had been "el propietario del cortijo Los Rosales" for many years already.

Then I decided to look the phrase up in the dictionary and found the following:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/es...r-muchos-años

1. (en cumpleaños) many happy returns!
2. (en brindis) your or good health!
3. (en presentación) (old-fashioned) how do you do?

Would it be correct to asume that in this particular context "por muchos años" means something like "nice to meet you"?

https://my.mail.ru/ok/571130741592/video/10/413.html

The scene in question starts at 08.05.

Thank you.

[poli]

It just means for many years. This goes in a toast or birthday greeting as well. In English we may say, to many more years.

[Michael30000]

Originally Posted by poli

It just means for many years. This goes in a toast or birthday greeting as well. In English we may say, to many more years.

Thank you, poli.

[aleCcowaN]

I agree. Without knowing that specific idiom, I supposed it was some kind of formula.

It would be nice to know if ir just used after citing properties, positions or diplomas or it could be used in other situations.

[Michael30000]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

I agree. Without knowing that specific idiom, I supposed it was some kind of formula.

It would be nice to know if ir just used after citing properties, positions or diplomas or it could be used in other situations.

Thank you, aleC.

Well, I'd say that this phrase is a bit tricky.

https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/recdoc/2010/...ranslation.pdf

Take this example: if I were to go to a Spanish friend’s birthday party and say “por muchos años” (back translation: ‘for many years’), he would understand what I mean to say, although he might think “What a funny way to wish me ‘Happy birthday.’” Because I live in Catalonia, he might think, “Ah, I know, she has literally translated the Catalan form of wishing a person a happy birthday ‘per molts anys’ into Spanish.” Either way “por muchos años” is neither natural nor correct in Spanish, and it is certainly not a good translation of “Happy birthday” (= “Felicidades”).

[aleCcowaN]

I looked it up in CREA (Corpus del Español Actual) and there's just one example as a reply, but it's just a wish.

I hoped CORDE (Corpus Diacrónico del Español) would shed some light, but there was a maintenance notice in the website. I'll try again later.

[Michael30000]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

I looked it up in CREA (Corpus del Español Actual) and there's just one example as a reply, but it's just a wish.

I hoped CORDE (Corpus Diacrónico del Español) would shed some light, but there was a maintenance notice in the website. I'll try again later.

Thank you again, aleC.

[aleCcowaN]

Now, CORDE is working again and I und a few examples among the first hundred of many ones. Two may be construed as a strange introductions and the third one, from a work by extraordinary author Camilo José Cela, written in 1942, is this

"La señora Engracia estaba a la puerta; hablaba con la s, como la lechuza del ciprés; a lo mejor tenía hasta la misma cara.

- ¿Y usted por aquí?

- Pues ya ves, hijo, esperándote estaba.

- ¿Esperándome?

- Sí.

El misterio que usaba conmigo la señora Engracia no me podía agradar.

- ¡Déjeme pasar!

- ¡No pases!

- ¿Por qué?

- ¡Porque no!

- ¡Ésta es mi casa!

- Ya lo sé, hijo; por muchos años... Pero no puedes pasar.

- ¿Pero por qué no puedo pasar?

- Porque no puede ser, hijo. ¡Tu mujer está mala!

- ¿Mala?

- Sí.

- ¿Qué le pasa?

- Nada; que abortó.

- Sí; la descabalgó la yegua..."

https://corpus.rae.es/cgi-bin/crpsrvEx.dll?visualizar?tipo1=5&tipo2=0&iniItem=10 0&ordenar1=0&ordenar2=0&FID=030325\018\C000O030320 25184446718.5416.5376&desc={B}+{I}+por+muchos+a%F1 os{|I},+en+todos+los+medios,+en+{I}CORDE+{|I}+,+en +{I}ESPA%D1A+{|I}{|B}{BR}&tamVen=1&marcas=0#:~:tex t=La%20se%C3%B1ora%20Engracia,descabalg%C3%B3%20la %20yegua...

In the two introductions, it looks like a very polite way to say "yeah, whatever!"

-...es mi sobrino.
-¡Vaya! ... por muchos años. (and continue to talk without addressing the nephew ever)

It looks a polite way to aknowledge, react to or manage infomation that in the end is considered irrelevant or non pertinent to the matter.

[Michael30000]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

Now, CORDE is working again and I und a few examples among the first hundred of many ones. Two may be construed as a strange introductions and the third one, from a work by extraordinary author Camilo José Cela, written in 1942, is this



In the two introductions, it looks like a very polite way to say "yeah, whatever!"

-...es mi sobrino.
-¡Vaya! ... por muchos años. (and continue to talk without addressing the nephew ever)

It looks a polite way to aknowledge, react to or manage infomation that in the end is considered irrelevant or non pertinent to the matter.

Thank you very much again, aleC!