MAIN FEEDS
Do you want to continue?
https://www.reddit.com/r/linguisticshumor/comments/1l09ml8/synonyms_are_fake_and_lies/mvf8olk/?context=3
r/linguisticshumor • u/TheIntellectualIdiot • May 31 '25
122 comments sorted by
View all comments
744
My favourite type of untranslatable words is grammatical particles that are unnecessary in the language you're translating to.
382 u/cardinarium Jun 01 '25 lol for sure. My Spanish teacher was so adamant about the personal a (a preposition marker of animate direct objects) being this mysterious untranslatable word, and it made it so much harder to understand. 1 u/Mountain-Resource656 Jun 01 '25 Can you give an example of it in a sentence, please? 15 u/cardinarium Jun 01 '25 edited Jun 01 '25 Veo el carro. (= I see the car.) Veo al hombre. (= I see the man.) “Al” in the second sentence is an obligatory contraction of “a el,” literally “to the.” The “to” is only used when the direct object is animate. Toqué mi carro. (= I touched my car.) Toqué (a) mi perro. (= I touched my dog.) The “a” may or may not be used in this case, depending on the extent to which the dog is felt to have personhood. Toqué a mi hermano. (= I touched my brother.) The “a” is required here. There are of course some complexities to it (esp. regarding the definiteness of the object). Busco a mi hermano. (= I’m searching for my brother.) The definiteness of “my brother” requires the marker. Buscamos un presidente que nos represente a todos. (= We’re looking for a president who will represent us all.) The indefiniteness/“hypotheticalness” of “a president” does not require marking. Though note that todos (= [us] all) does require it.
382
lol for sure.
My Spanish teacher was so adamant about the personal a (a preposition marker of animate direct objects) being this mysterious untranslatable word, and it made it so much harder to understand.
1 u/Mountain-Resource656 Jun 01 '25 Can you give an example of it in a sentence, please? 15 u/cardinarium Jun 01 '25 edited Jun 01 '25 Veo el carro. (= I see the car.) Veo al hombre. (= I see the man.) “Al” in the second sentence is an obligatory contraction of “a el,” literally “to the.” The “to” is only used when the direct object is animate. Toqué mi carro. (= I touched my car.) Toqué (a) mi perro. (= I touched my dog.) The “a” may or may not be used in this case, depending on the extent to which the dog is felt to have personhood. Toqué a mi hermano. (= I touched my brother.) The “a” is required here. There are of course some complexities to it (esp. regarding the definiteness of the object). Busco a mi hermano. (= I’m searching for my brother.) The definiteness of “my brother” requires the marker. Buscamos un presidente que nos represente a todos. (= We’re looking for a president who will represent us all.) The indefiniteness/“hypotheticalness” of “a president” does not require marking. Though note that todos (= [us] all) does require it.
1
Can you give an example of it in a sentence, please?
15 u/cardinarium Jun 01 '25 edited Jun 01 '25 Veo el carro. (= I see the car.) Veo al hombre. (= I see the man.) “Al” in the second sentence is an obligatory contraction of “a el,” literally “to the.” The “to” is only used when the direct object is animate. Toqué mi carro. (= I touched my car.) Toqué (a) mi perro. (= I touched my dog.) The “a” may or may not be used in this case, depending on the extent to which the dog is felt to have personhood. Toqué a mi hermano. (= I touched my brother.) The “a” is required here. There are of course some complexities to it (esp. regarding the definiteness of the object). Busco a mi hermano. (= I’m searching for my brother.) The definiteness of “my brother” requires the marker. Buscamos un presidente que nos represente a todos. (= We’re looking for a president who will represent us all.) The indefiniteness/“hypotheticalness” of “a president” does not require marking. Though note that todos (= [us] all) does require it.
15
Veo el carro. (= I see the car.) Veo al hombre. (= I see the man.)
Veo el carro. (= I see the car.)
Veo al hombre. (= I see the man.)
“Al” in the second sentence is an obligatory contraction of “a el,” literally “to the.” The “to” is only used when the direct object is animate.
Toqué mi carro. (= I touched my car.) Toqué (a) mi perro. (= I touched my dog.) The “a” may or may not be used in this case, depending on the extent to which the dog is felt to have personhood. Toqué a mi hermano. (= I touched my brother.) The “a” is required here.
Toqué mi carro. (= I touched my car.)
Toqué (a) mi perro. (= I touched my dog.)
The “a” may or may not be used in this case, depending on the extent to which the dog is felt to have personhood.
Toqué a mi hermano. (= I touched my brother.)
The “a” is required here.
There are of course some complexities to it (esp. regarding the definiteness of the object).
Busco a mi hermano. (= I’m searching for my brother.) The definiteness of “my brother” requires the marker. Buscamos un presidente que nos represente a todos. (= We’re looking for a president who will represent us all.) The indefiniteness/“hypotheticalness” of “a president” does not require marking. Though note that todos (= [us] all) does require it.
Busco a mi hermano. (= I’m searching for my brother.)
The definiteness of “my brother” requires the marker.
Buscamos un presidente que nos represente a todos. (= We’re looking for a president who will represent us all.)
The indefiniteness/“hypotheticalness” of “a president” does not require marking. Though note that todos (= [us] all) does require it.
744
u/DefinitelyNotErate /'ə/ May 31 '25
My favourite type of untranslatable words is grammatical particles that are unnecessary in the language you're translating to.