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- "El comandante habla con el c…
"El comandante habla con el coronel."
Translation:The commander speaks with the colonel.
113 Comments
It seems a bit strange to be learning so many terms related to the military or royalty. I don't speak about these things much in English... wouldn't it be more useful to be learning terms like 'dentist', 'barista', 'plumber', etc.? Jobs one encounters day to day instead of in fantasy novels and war films?
That's a good point because watching movies with Spanish subtitles turned on is a major goal of mine. Currently, all I can catch are but a few words now and then. What I hope to find is a move with simple ordinary conversations, and not much of it, so I can watch the movie a number of times so I know what the actors say in English, so I can relate it to the Spanish subtitles as they go.
Eugene - have you investigated the telenovelas? I started finding TV series on Amazon and Now TV like Isabel and Gran Hotel. They have English subtitles (and a lot of comandants and colonels - I have learnt to dismiss servants with panache!) I've just discovered Mitele.es which has tons of TV series but maybe not with subtitles. When I first started watching Spanish films it was hard to hear any words. Then some words stood out, then phrases. When I started Isabel I could understand a quarter of what they were saying. At the end of Gran Hotel I'm picking up 75%. Isabel - they speak clearly, Gran Hotel - they speak very fast or mumble.
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Hulu also has a number of telenovelas with subtitles. And Netflix has a growing selection as well.
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When you live in a military city (Tampa) who has a diverse mix of culture including a significant Hispanic population, it's nice to know these terms even if it's just for conversation and not formal address. I may not be a member myself, but the military and their families are deeply rooted in this community.
I was wondering the same man :). But I remember when was once trying to prepare vocabulary list for my sister according to the frequency dictionary, which was made from the words taken from subtitles website. And sometimes you wonder how can be some words used more than other, for example death, murder, die, kill, colonel etc. are very usual... So I bet they choose the vocabulary with help of frequency dictionary, possibly words from tv shows.
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Think of how awesome the sentence would be if the commander were speaking to a popcorn kernel.
In Spanish and French they use Comandante and Commandant for Major. The only English speaking country I am aware of using Commandant as a rank is the Irish Army. In other armies it is usually the commanding officer of a base.
The naval rank Commander in Spanish is Capítan de Fragata. In naval parlance this is a Skipper (leader of unit).
I think you just reiterated my point. So, thanks, I guess.
However, as a little correction: you should not have said "in" Spanish and French, but "the" Spanish and French. Spanish- and French-speaking territories don't use Commandant as a rank besides Spain and France (and Monaco, but they're tiny and they base their ranking structure off the French); Spanish-speaking Latin American countries use "Mayor", and other French-speaking countries use "Major" (but, you know, pronounced in French).
Besides that, I knew all that, but thanks anyway. Maybe somebody else who is curious will make use of this info. ;)
I'm a Navy girl myself, so one never knows which ranks and occupations can be useful to learn. Especially in times of war such as we have- although there is no colonel in the Navy, i think in every other branch except coast guard and navy. Also, i am assuming that the lessons will move to more verb tenses, although at this point i think it could have integrated the gerund (ing) and past tense by now. Also wish for a ser vs. Estar and por vs. Para by this point. Alas, i will be patient with the lessons and refresh on the vocabulary.
Useful vocabulary? You are on the wrong road! This is not a program which provides you with useful phrases you can use on a trip to Mexico.
Duolingo is designed to teach you Spanish where you will be able to say not remembered useful phrases but anything you need to say.
The idea of useful phrases is a really short sighted concept iin relation to what is going on here.
You need to step back and see the vastly bigger picture.
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You should 'report a problem,' and click, 'my answer should be accepted.' We often use the present progressive in English, when in Spanish it would be more appropriate to use the regular present. They will fix this when they get enough complaints.
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So this presents an interesting question. When I tapped comandante it listed Captain and Lieutenant (I think?) as alternative meanings after Commander... How does one avoid a kerfuffle in misusing the right term for a rank with those possible alternative definitions? Perhaps just using General and Capitán and Tiente? I might have to investigate this with some Spanish speaking military mates. Would a member in a unit be able to call their CO comandante as well? Interesting.
Maybe it is inherent in the conversation.. Unless you get too many in the room?
Yes. Yellow words are words you have not seen before. Except that sometimes you get words that you have never seen before that are not yellow.
As far as I can tell you only see yellow words when they are words from the lesson that you are working on that you have not seen before. If it is a word that you have not seen before that is not being introduced in the lesson you are working on it will not be yellow. Yes, it is quite annoying. ;-)
I would love to see the etymology of the word "Colonel/coronel." In English, it is pronounced like "kernel," which is actually closer to the Spanish spelling. It is the only word I can think of in English where the "L" is pronounced as "R." But yet, in Asian languages, R and L are frequently used in place of one another. Very strange.