Una idea para la escritura

[CrOtALiTo]

Ok. Then I will give you some examples above it.


Don't worry you only need ask me, and I will glad in help you.

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

I want to asnwer your question above de qué trata"?

Look. The sentence formed for Angelica has as meaning (It is above what)

For example, I'm going to the Doctor and he told me. Jorge tell me above is your visit to the doctor, you are sick.

I hope you can understand me.

You've mixed these words up before. Remember:

above = arriba de / sobre (físicamente sobre algo)
about = acerca de / sobre (en sentido figurado)

sobre = on / on top of

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Angelica - GRACIAS!!

En CSI: Las Vegas, sobre el jefe (Grissom) quedando sordo: pienso que la trama (¿como se dice "story line"?) abandonaba terminaba/acababa antes de la conclusión.

(Did I make any sense there at all?)

I'd love more practice "assignments".

Luis - it wasn't your examples that were bad, it is my brain. Could you use "de qué trata in some Spanish sentences now? I WILL understand this time!!

Thank you, laepelba. It was much better this time.

Right! Story line = trama

In this case, you can also say "la temporada terminó antes de la conclusión". "La temporada" = "the season"

"Abandonar" is used when someone leaves something. Since it's the TV series "itself" that ended it's preferred to use "terminar" or "acabar". In Common Mexican Spanish you could also have said "se terminaba" or "se acababa".


As for examples of "tratarse de":

- Primero me llamas y ahora no quieres hablar conmigo. ¿De qué se trata?
- First you call me and now you won't talk to me. ¿What is it about?

-- ¿De qué se trató la junta? -- Se trataba de definir estrategias de ventas.
-- ¿What was the meeting about? -- It was about defining sales strategies.

- Voy al teatro. La obra trata de un niño que encuentra una lámpara mágica.
- I'm going to the theater. The play is about a boy who finds a magic lamp.


And to keep the conversation going:

Qué lástima que no se supo qué le pasaba. Nos dejaron en suspenso.
También he visto La Ley y el Orden (Law & Order), ¿a ti qué te parece ese programa?

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

In this case, you can also say "la temporada terminó antes de la conclusión". "La temporada" = "the season"

"Abandonar" is used when someone leaves something. Since it's the TV series "itself" that ended it's preferred to use "terminar" or "acabar". In Common Mexican Spanish you could also have said "se terminaba" or "se acababa".

Actually, I must have done a poor job of wording what I said, because the series did not terminate ... it was only the story line that "disappeared". They seemed to drop the whole idea of Grissom going deaf. The series is ongoing ... several years after Grissom was no longer going deaf.

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

As for examples of "tratarse de":

- Primero me llamas y ahora no quieres hablar conmigo. ¿De qué se trata?
- First you call me and now you won't talk to me. ¿What is it about?

-- ¿De qué se trató la junta? -- Se trataba de definir estrategias de ventas.
-- ¿What was the meeting about? -- It was about defining sales strategies.

- Voy al teatro. La obra trata de un niño que encuentra una lámpara mágica.
- I'm going to the theater. The play is about a boy who finds a magic lamp.

Thanks!! GREAT examples!!

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

And to keep the conversation going:

Qué lástima que no se supo qué le pasaba. Nos dejaron en suspenso.
También he visto La Ley y el Orden (Law & Order), ¿a ti qué te parece ese programa?

I'm sorry - I'm looking up these words and not coming up with anything that works together with any kind of meaning. Here's what I get:

"Qué lástima que" - what a shame that...
"no se supo" - ??????
"qué le pasaba" - that that happened... (It's a shame that something happened? What? That they stopped the show?)
"Nos dejaron en suspenso." - They left us in suspense. (?)
"También" - also
"he visto" - ??????
"¿a ti qué te parece ese programa?" - ?????? - in the dictionary it says that "parecerse" means to look alike - But I can't figure out what you're asking with the "a ti" and "te" and "ese programa"....

[CrOtALiTo]

Thank you for the advice.

I have clouds on top of my hand.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

I have clouds on top of my hand.

I suppose you meant 'I have my head in the clouds.' (Tengo la cabeza en las nubes.)

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Actually, I must have done a poor job of wording what I said, because the series did not terminate ... it was only the story line that "disappeared". They seemed to drop the whole idea of Grissom going deaf. The series is ongoing ... several years after Grissom was no longer going deaf.

[...]

I'm sorry - I'm looking up these words and not coming up with anything that works together with any kind of meaning. Here's what I get:

"Qué lástima que" - what a shame that...
"no se supo" - ??????
"qué le pasaba" - that that happened... (It's a shame that something happened? What? That they stopped the show?)
"Nos dejaron en suspenso." - They left us in suspense. (?)
"También" - also
"he visto" - ??????
"¿a ti qué te parece ese programa?" - ?????? - in the dictionary it says that "parecerse" means to look alike - But I can't figure out what you're asking with the "a ti" and "te" and "ese programa"....

I thought that season ended with Grissom in hospital, getting ready for the operation, then in next season, it would be known whether it had worked or not. But it was good for the character that the operation seems to have been successful.


As for the Spanish part:

It was a very good research, but pieces didn't make much sense on their own... maybe if you try an online translator you'll get a more general idea first and then you can cut sentences into pieces to understand the use of words and expressions.

"No se supo": Sorry, hard sentence. "Se" takes the place of an impersonal subject... like saying "one didn't know".
(Maybe Rusty or Tomisimo can help me out to explain better impersonal sentences.)

"Dejar en suspenso": it is used when you don't know what will happen next.

"He visto" = "I have watched"
"Ver" and "mirar" can be used interchangeably for watching TV, movies, shows...

Parecer: Tricky verb. "Parecerse" is "to look alike". "Parecer" can be understood as "to seem". "Parecerle algo a alguien" is "what someone thinks about something"

-- ¿Qué te parece la nueva jefa? -- Me parece que es una bruja.
-- What do you think about the new boss? -- I think she's a witch.

- Me parece que el equipo mexicano no jugó bien.
- I think the mexican team didn't play well.

-- ¿Qué te pareció la lección de ayer? -- Me pareció muy aburrida.
-- What did you think about yesterday's lesson? -- I think it was very boring.


So, the sentence was this:
"Qué lástima que no se supo qué le pasaba. Nos dejaron en suspenso.
También he visto La Ley y el Orden (Law & Order), ¿a ti qué te parece ese programa?"

It was meant to say:
"It's a shame that it wasn't known what happened to him (Grissom). They left us guessing. I have also watched Law & Order, what do you think about that program?"

[CrOtALiTo]

No, I have on top of my hand an clouds.

I mean. Tengo sobre mi manos unas nubes.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

No, I have some clouds on top of my hands.
Tengo sobre mis manos unas nubes.

This sentence doesn't make much sense in English. I suppose it's a saying of some sort.
¿Qué significa la frase en español?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

No, I have on top of my hand an clouds.

I mean. Tengo sobre mi manos unas nubes.

It sounds like a poetic metaphor to me... What do you mean exactly, CrOtALiTo?

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

So, the sentence was this:
"Qué lástima que no se supo qué le pasaba. Nos dejaron en suspenso.
También he visto La Ley y el Orden (Law & Order), ¿a ti qué te parece ese programa?"

It was meant to say:
"It's a shame that it wasn't known what happened to him (Grissom). They left us guessing. I have also watched Law & Order, what do you think about that program?"

Thanks for the prompts, Angelica. My bits and pieces didn't do me well enough. I think that my understanding problem is often that I don't know enough about tenses and pronouns to be able to follow what is the subject and what are the objects of a sentence and what the time frame is. Usually I know or can figure out the root words, and then don't know to whom or to what they're referring..... (sigh....)

En español -
No miraba mucho La Ley y el Orden. Así no puedo comentar. ¿Mira usted unas telenovelas? Miro El Cuerpo del Deseo, el desempeño está muy mal, pero Mario Cimarro está muy generoso.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Don't worry... we all have been through this.
My advice is that you don't try to understand word by word, but rather general ideas. That's why I suggested an online translator. You won't have an exact translation, but after you have an idea of what the sentences mean, you'll identify better how words are being used.

I only have one correction to make: "¿Mira usted unas telenovelas?"

And one suggestion: I prefer "tú" instead of "usted"
(¿Miras telenovelas?)


El Cuerpo del Deseo:

La historia es complicada y la telenovela original era mejor.
Pero estoy de acuerdo: lo único bueno en la nueva versión es Mario Cimarro.
Y, efectivamente, su trabajo es muy malo.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

Don't worry... we all have been through this.
My advice is that you don't try to understand word by word, but rather general ideas. That's why I suggested an online translator. You won't have an exact translation, but after you have an idea of what the sentences mean, you'll identify better how words are being used.

I only have one correction to make: "¿Mira usted unas telenovelas?"

And one suggestion: I prefer "tú" instead of "usted"
(¿Miras telenovelas?)


El Cuerpo del Deseo:

La historia es complicada y la telenovela original era mejor.
Pero estoy de acuerdo: lo único bueno en la nueva versión es Mario Cimarro.
Y, efectivamente, su trabajo es muy malo.

However, what I propose instead of an online translator. Is for you to write in spanish, translate to english any and all of the possible meaning(s) a word might have ( or at least as many as you can discern, after you have done this, look at what came up and adventure a translation. Just what you think it is. Do it on another piece of paper. That means you are not looking at your scribbles anymore. then looking at your "version" see if it is ok in english, until you are satisfied with it.

Come to us, so that we can beat you to death, and repeat session, all over again. I can assure you, sooner than later you'll start making more sense in spanish, to the point you are going to forget your own language!


Hernan

[Jessica]

Isn't Usted used for people like teachers?

[chileno]

Originally Posted by jchen

Isn't Usted used for people like teachers?

Not necessarily. You use it with people you do not know or OLDER people.

Now do not say I didn't warn you.

Hernan

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by chileno

However, what I propose instead of an online translator. Is for you to write in spanish, translate to english any and all of the possible meaning(s) a word might have ( or at least as many as you can discern, after you have done this, look at what came up and adventure a translation. Just what you think it is. Do it on another piece of paper. That means you are not looking at your scribbles anymore. then looking at your "version" see if it is ok in english, until you are satisfied with it.

Come to us, so that we can beat you to death, and repeat session, all over again. I can assure you, sooner than later you'll start making more sense in spanish, to the point you are going to forget your own language!


Hernan

Right... I wouldn't suggest an online translator to write in Spanish, but rather the contrary. When she cannot understand the text in Spanish, she can get help with an online translator and have a general idea of the meaning, instead of cutting sentences to pieces and get more confused.

"Viejitos"


@jchen: yes, it's a form of respect you use for someone you don't know, that has a higher hierarchy, who is older than you, etc.

But in environments like this forum, where interaction is a little more informal, most of us will prefer "tú" instead of "usted"... in that case "usted" would make dealings colder and more distant.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

Right... I wouldn't suggest an online translator to write in Spanish, but rather the contrary. When she cannot understand the text in Spanish, she can get help with an online translator and have a general idea of the meaning, instead of cutting sentences to pieces and get more confused.

Ah, ok.

The truth is: "do something, else nobody is going to do it for you." :-)

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

"Viejitos"

Don't look at me! I am only 30 (years living in this country) Ahem!


Hernan

[laepelba]

First of all, I'm going to stay out of the whole thing between Hernán y Angelica. I got into the whole "usted" thing because I've been trying to mentally discipline myself to use usted for the upcoming conference in Mexico that I'm supposed to be working at in May. I believe that they typically use "usted" much more frequently there than "tú", and I don't want to be disrespectful....

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

Don't worry... we all have been through this.
My advice is that you don't try to understand word by word, but rather general ideas. That's why I suggested an online translator. You won't have an exact translation, but after you have an idea of what the sentences mean, you'll identify better how words are being used.

I only have one correction to make: "¿Mira usted unas telenovelas?"

And one suggestion: I prefer "tú" instead of "usted"
(¿Miras telenovelas?)


El Cuerpo del Deseo:

La historia es complicada y la telenovela original era mejor.
Pero estoy de acuerdo: lo único bueno en la nueva versión es Mario Cimarro.
Y, efectivamente, su trabajo es muy malo.

Angelica - I follow everything you said except for the last bit: su trabajo es muy malo - just to verify - you're saying that his acting is really bad, right? (Because it is probably the worst of all of the actors on that show!)

Más sobre El Cuerpo del Deseo... No sé que una versión original. ¿Cuándo? ¿Tenía la misma trama? ¿Tenía un "Salvador" muy generoso? Quizá debemos cambiar el objeto...

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

First of all, I'm going to stay out of the whole thing between Hernán y Angelica. I got into the whole "usted" thing because I've been trying to mentally discipline myself to use usted for the upcoming conference in Mexico that I'm supposed to be working at in May. I believe that they typically use "usted" much more frequently there than "tú", and I don't want to be disrespectful....

Oh you are doing beautifully. By all means use usted when in Mexico or anywhere you do not know personally the people you are interacting with.

Like Angelica suggested, here we can use tú, in a more familiar way.

Hernan.

[chileno]

By the way, has anybody noticed that Angelica does not accentuate her name? It is not only my name that I write all too often without an accent, due to laziness.

Ok guys. Tell me where should her name show an accent.

Hernán.