La verdad es que con la tele se aprende un huevo

[Perikles]

I just can't work out whether that means

1) you learn nothing from the TV

2) you learn a hell of a lot from the TV (you learn a testicle????? )

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

It certainly depends on the region what "un huevo" means, but in this case it means "nothing".

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

It certainly depends on the region what "un huevo" means, but in this case it means "nothing".

My Oxford Spanish dictionary does not give that meaning, but I was guessing from the French l'ouef = English "love" in tennis.

Thanks

[JPablo]

No, no, no. In Spain, "aprender un huevo" is "aprender mucho".

Véanse los ejemplos, con una googleada:

https://www.google.com/search?q=defi...hrome&ie=UTF-8

De ahí, a un pequeño sello, Quality Madrid, en el que hace casi una década ganó su primer sueldo. "Aprendí [***]un huevo[***], pero la música que hacía era horrible.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
AÑO: 2003
AUTOR: PRENSA
TÍTULO: El País. El País de las Tentaciones, 28/03/2003 : LA ELEGANCIA TOMA LA PISTA
PAÍS: ESPAÑA
TEMA: 04.Música
PUBLICACIÓN: Diario El País, S.A. (Madrid), 2003


Desde mi punto de vista es un sitio muy recomendable para aprender un huevo de todo tipo de sistemas y con muy buen rollo en general, de hecho sigo manteniendo un montón de amigos allí.

http://trabajobasura1.rssing.com/cha...7/all_p38.html

So, in summary, "to learn a hell of a lot"! :-)

Ah, the Oxford on line gives you these examples, (2nd one applicable to your context!)

me costó un huevo — it cost a bomb
sabe un huevo de vinos — he knows an incredible amount about wine

https://es.oxforddictionaries.com/tr...uevo?locale=en

Saludos, Perikles! (Long time, no see you!)


Debatir nunca es perder el tiempo. Aun sin llegar a conclusiones o a un acuerdo se aprende un huevo. Se aprende mucho, sobre todo a escuchar a los demás.
http://www.cruzdesanandres.com/forov...=3403&start=15

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Oh well, Pablo is likely to know better, since you live in Spain.
As far as I know, in Colombia it would have meant "nothing", and in Mexico that expression is not used in that kind of context; on the other hand, I'm biased against TV, so my ignorance and prejudices won again. Sorry for that.

[JPablo]

No problem.

It is definitely something used in Spain, but not in the rest of the planet...

I don't watch much TV either..., so "aprendo un huevo con los diccionarios e Internet"... ;-)

Saludos cordiales.

[Perikles]

Fascinating! Thanks both. I find this colloquial Spanish very difficult.

And hello again JPablo


Edit: I've just read in the same book : "Nos has impresionado un huevo"

[JPablo]

You're welcome, Perikles.

Yes, my mom used to say, "Los primeros cien años son los peores"...

[aleCcowaN]

se aprende un huevo = se aprende mucho ---> huevo = something round and massive, like a boulder
no se aprende un huevo = no se aprende nada ---> huevo = the number zero

[JPablo]

Good point, Alec.

We would understand both correctly in Spain. The first one being the more broadly used.

[aleCcowaN]

We use locally "se aprende una bocha" more, roundish as an egg but it includes some notion of weight, like a bowling ball. For the negative way we prefer similar constructions like that giving origin to putanesca as the name of a sauce, when not referring to failing forms of intimacy.