| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | English grammar Thread poster: Jolanda Teuniss
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Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:20
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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| This is like French, acheter à? | Feb 16, 2017 |
Merab Dekano wrote:
Can’t say anything about the English grammar (not my language), but in Spanish many people ask me why we say “se lo compré A a mi amigo” (I bought it from my friend) rather than “se lo compré DE mi amigo”. I don’t know and I don’t bother to know. The important thing is that we say “se lo compré a mi amigo” and not the other way. It’s not about “why”. Rather, it’s more about “how”.
I think foreign language learners need to be more modest. If a native speaker (who is at the same time a linguist and professional translator) tells them it’s that way, well, then it’s that way.
The other day I had to convince an end client of my customer about the appropriateness of using inverted exclamation marks in the Spanish language, and that it had nothing to do with the letter “i”. Again, it’s more about “how” than “why”.
Yes, it has a name. It's called collocation.
Well, that's a name. The "Why" would be a matter of etymology (too long for this board).
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Tom in London wrote:
My English
I learned English as my mother tongue and although we did study it at school, I've never really understood how it is structured. I feel sorry for those who have to learn it because it seems very difficult, and most people who learn it never speak it with a good accent.
My [Language_Name]
I learned [Language_Name] as my mother tongue and although we did study it at school, I've never really understood how it is structured. I feel sorry for those who have to learn it because it seems very difficult, and most people who learn it never speak it with a good accent.
Language_Name = Afar, Abkhazian, Afrikaans, Akan... Zulu (6,500 languages approx.)
[Edited at 2017-02-16 16:05 GMT]
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 02:20
Spanish to English
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"Breakfast is a good way to start the day."
"Good start to the day" does not sound entirely natural to my (American) ears.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:20
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Robert Forstag wrote:
"Breakfast is a good way to start the day."
"Good start to the day" does not sound entirely natural to my (American) ears.
Mine too (Irish ears). And anyhow the statement is stupid. "Breakfast is a good way to start the day" implies that there are other options for starting the day. And when was breakfast ever a BAD way to start the day?
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Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 08:20
Spanish to English
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| When was breakfast ever a BAD way to start the day? | Feb 17, 2017 |
I'd guess that it's got to be mighty tasteless at 6 am on Death Row as a start to your last day. But, on the positive side, that day you aren't going to be needing any get-up-and-go vitamins or proteins.
| | | | | There are plenty of other ways to start the day | Feb 17, 2017 |
Not everyone eats breakfast. Schools around here have breakfast clubs for kids that don't get any, and many traditional dieters and athletes avoid breakfast.
I can think of one very obvious better way to start the day. But I would have something to eat afterwards.
When I'm in training I actually have two breakfasts.
P.S. Real sense of deja vu on the rewording...
| | | | | Better way to start the day | Feb 17, 2017 |
A bit of yoga and meditation. I'm sure that's what Chris S means, followed by a bit of muesli.
| | | | Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 08:20
Spanish to English
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... in the Spanish State they have a coffee called Bonka. Bonka first thing in the morning, they say - works wonders. Before and/or after the muesli. They had a huge market share - a competitor called Wanka came along, but surprisingly it never got a grip.
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I hear it became increasingly hard for loyal customers to find
| | | | Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 08:20
Spanish to English
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They just couldn't get their hands on it.
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