"She imports a radio."
Translation:Ella importa un radio.
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I think that radio is feminine so should be una. The program accepts una but says that un is also right. Es correcto?
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The theory is that a radio set is is feminine, and the concept of radio is masculine. In reality I don't think many people make the distinction, and either one works. On a side note, in theory a TV set is a televisor, but in Mexico I know that call it a television.
In Spain most people insist it's femine. The explanation above is the wrong way round! If you check with REA, radio is both. What you listen to is an estación feminine, but a radio set was originally a radiofono, so like telefono.
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Radio in the masculine form is the device, while in the feminine form it is the radio waves that the device receives. When talking about it, you listen to the radio waves not the device.
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weird. in life it is quite opposite as human beings can't listen to the radiowaves, yet they listen to the devices called radios. yes, specific frequencies, but still from the device.
If you look carefully, it's optional masc. For device in Latin America and in Spain you will get corrected for using that.
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Realmente "Radio" tiene hasta seis significados diferentes, según el RAE, que es el diccionario por el que todos los hispanohablantes debemos guiarnos. http://dle.rae.es/?id=V1GlXnv|V1HlZk4
Únicamente tiene el género femenino la maquina que reproduce sonidos mediante ondas. Que posiblemente es al lo que se refiera Duo. Pero como esta fuera de contexto, no se puede afirmar.
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I got tricked and "una" instead of "un" as well (see comments below about el radio device being masculine) but can anyone tell me why you don't use "se" here? "Ella se importa un radio".
Gracias!
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Importar/ to import is not reflexive. "Se importa" is passiv "it is imported"
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Is it normal, or even the slightest bit common, to use the verb IMPORT to mean "To be important or to matter" in English? It sounds terrible to my ears.
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It is not common, nor used as a verb that way, but as a noun: noun |ˈimˌpôrt| [in sing. ] the meaning or significance of something, esp. when not directly stated : the import of her message is clear. • great significance; importance : pronouncements of world-shaking import.
Not used commonly, but I'm a word nerd, with a big vocab and I like to incorporate the exceptional into my speech.
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Radio is faminine when it is related to radiodifusion (f). It is the short form of it.
But wouldn't "A ella importa una radio" mean "A radio is important to her"? Not "She imports a radio"? A mí/ ella importa? Or is it that the word has an entirely different meaning depending on its context?
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The word has a different meaning, depending on context. :)
Importar - to import; to be important.
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According to RAE the DEVICE is radiorreceptor and both el radio and la radio are colloquial.
RAE gives 6 meanings of RADIO as follows
EL radio1, is radius from Latin radius
EL radio2, from Fr Radium means Radium
LA radio3, radiodifusión=BROADCASTING
EL o LA colloq. radio4, radiorreceptor = radioreceiver
EL radio5 radiotelegrama = radiotelegram
EL o LA radio6, radiotelegrafista = radiotelegraphist
http://dle.rae.es/?id=V1GlXnv%7CV1HlZk4%7CV1HspiD%7CV1J0Z3h%7CV1LdofK%7CV1M4aB1
But you have not fully understood the REA web site which marks radio as m. o. f. The device is NOT masculine in Spain!!
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Thank you. I corrected. Now everything is according to RAE (you have a typo)
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"the" refers to a specific thing, while "a" refers to one of any number of a specific thing. Here is a link that explains the difference. http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/defart1.htm
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Arreglenlo de una vez. Solo hay una respuesta correcta: "Ella importa una radio"
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"Ella importa una radio", because the device is used mainly as feminine.