Somewhere or other

[irmamar]

In a country which was somewhere or other, there lived...

This is a sentence from a tale. Does 'somewhere or other' mean 'en cualquier pais'? Is this a common sentence in tales? (I mean, such as 'once upon a time').

Thanks.

[Perikles]

Yes, it means that it doesn't matter in context. But it can matter in common speech -

A: Have you seen the newspaper?

B: Yes, I saw it somewhere or other.

(= I know it exists, but I can't remember exactly where I saw it)

[irmamar]

That's what I guessed, but I don't remember having seen it before.

Many thanks.

[chileno]

Y eso se traduce como "estaba en alguna parte/algún lugar..."

[irmamar]

Gracias, Chileno.

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Is this a common sentence in tales?

No. ¿Dónde la has visto? Me suena a The Princess Bride.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by pjt33

No. ¿Dónde la has visto? Me suena a The Princess Bride.

¿No es común en cuentos?

Es un cuento de mi libro de texto de inglés.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by irmamar

In a country which was somewhere or other, there lived...

Is this a common sentence in tales? (I mean, such as 'once upon a time').

Thanks.

Originally Posted by pjt33

No. ¿Dónde la has visto? Me suena a The Princess Bride.

Oh, I don't know that it's necessarily UNcommon. I mean, if you start a story with "Once upon a time....", I would not be surprised to see ".... somewhere or other ....." in that story. Maybe it's more common in the US?

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Oh, I don't know that it's necessarily UNcommon. I mean, if you start a story with "Once upon a time....", I would not be surprised to see ".... somewhere or other ....." in that story. Maybe it's more common in the US?

Yes, it starts "Once upon a time...".

Do you prefer to say story instead of tale? (I mean 'cuento infantil').

[hermit]

Hi Irmamar - In conversation, the term 'story' is more commonly used.

'Tale' is more a literary term, as in "A Tale of Two Cities" (book title).

Conversationally, however, someone exaggerating a real-life story may be described as "telling tall tales".

[irmamar]

Thank you, Hermit.

Does 'tall tale' in this case mean 'exageración' (even 'mentira')?

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Thank you, Hermit.

Does 'tall tale' in this case mean 'exageración' (even 'mentira')?

Yes, and 'a tall story'

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Yes, it starts "Once upon a time...".

Do you prefer to say story instead of tale? (I mean 'cuento infantil').

Originally Posted by hermit

Hi Irmamar - In conversation, the term 'story' is more commonly used.

'Tale' is more a literary term, as in "A Tale of Two Cities" (book title).

Conversationally, however, someone exaggerating a real-life story may be described as "telling tall tales".

Originally Posted by irmamar

Thank you, Hermit.

Does 'tall tale' in this case mean 'exageración' (even 'mentira')?

Hermit definitely beat me to it, and explained it much more elegantly than I would have.

A "story" is any story, true or false, told in a narrative style, written or spoken, etc.

A "tall tale" is usually extremely improbable and unbelievable, told in an exaggerated fashion - but typically told as if it were true and factual (yet SO exaggerated, that you know for sure that it's NOT true!). Again, it could be told or written, but I would say that there is an aura of oral tradition implied with the word "tale"....

Sometimes the word "tale" is used to talk about lying (you mentioned "mentira"). For example, a child tells his mother a story, and the mother says "stop telling tales". That means that she knows that the child is lying.....

If I EVER hear "Once upon a time....", I think of "fairy tales" like Cinderella, Snow White, Jack & the Beanstalk, etc. "Once upon a time..." might not be solely reserved for "fairy tales", but traditionally so. They also end with "And they lived happily ever after." See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_upon_a_time

Related, to start a story with "It was a dark and stormy night...." is sort of a joke - a story that would be overly-serious and overly-dramatic. And it is classically how Snoopy (the comic strip dog) would start the novel that he was repeatedly attempting to write.... See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_was_...d_stormy_night

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by irmamar

¿No es común en cuentos?

Es un cuento de mi libro de texto de inglés.

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived....

[laepelba]

Oooh - are we creating a fairy tale here?

Originally Posted by pjt33

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived....

....a beautiful princess and her lonely widowed father, the king of the land.....

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

If I EVER hear "Once upon a time....", I think of "fairy tales" like Cinderella, Snow White, Jack & the Beanstalk, etc. "Once upon a time..." might not be solely reserved for "fairy tales", but traditionally so. They also end with "And they lived happily ever after." See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_upon_a_time

Thank you Lou Ann for your detailed explanation. But I still have a question: Why did you write "fairy tales"? I meant those tales/stories (cuentos para niños, cuentos de hadas, príncipes, etc.).

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Thank you Lou Ann for your detailed explanation. But I still have a question: Why did you write "fairy tales"? I meant those tales/stories (cuentos para niños, cuentos de hadas, príncipes, etc.).

Tales is a more general term (as I described). I knew what you wrote. I just wanted to add a little bit more information, so I included "fairy tales" (isn't that what "cuentos de hadas" means?) and "it was a dark and stormy night". Just extra information, that's all.....

[bobjenkins]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Thank you Lou Ann for your detailed explanation. But I still have a question: Why did you write "fairy tales"? I meant those tales/stories (cuentos para niños, cuentos de hadas, príncipes, etc.).

Hola solo inicio a escribir en el hilo, pero

Fairy tale significa lo que dijes (cuentos para niños, cuentos de hadas, príncipes, etc.)

Y Tall tale significa un cuento que es probablemente falso

Cuando pienso en "a tall tale" lo viene a la mente..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecos_Bill

Like many tall tales, Pecos Bill stories involve combinations of super feats of courage and prowess (such as riding a tornado whirlwind like a bronco and using a rattlesnake for a lasso)

[pjt33]

Bueno "tale" se usa bastante, pero menos que "story":



Hay ciertas frases con "tale", la mayoría de las cuales ya se han mencionado.

A tall tale - un cuento exagerado, una mentira.
A fairy tale - un cuentro de hadas
To tell tales - mentir, contar chismes ("Dead men tell no tales")
To live to tell the tale - contarlo

[poli]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Thank you, Hermit.

Does 'tall tale' in this case mean 'exageración' (even 'mentira')?

To tell tales significa inventar historias
Pero la palabra telltale (una palabra) en from de adjectivo tiene otro significado. Significa evidencia que dice la historia.

Ejemplo: When John came home from work late, his wife saw a telltale
lipstick mark on his collar.