46 Comments
- 25
- 7
- 7
- 3
- 144
I think "hacer la compra" means do the shopping as in a regular chore, so generally refers to grocery shopping. "Ir de compras" refers to shopping for clothes, accessories, etc. A wife might ask her husband "will you do the shopping this week" (to go buy food) - hacer la compra. Then she might say "Do you want to go with me. I need go shopping for some new clothes" - ir de compras. So he says, "Errr, uuh, ok, you can go shopping, I'll get the groceries." - Yo hago la compra. Think of hacer as to do something, a task. This link should help. https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/ir-de-compras-hacer-la-compra.140571/
Was "hacer la compra" an inferred definition of groceries or was there a word left out. I was looking for a Spanish word equivalent to groceries besides the stated phrase. I found this confusing.
- 25
- 18
- 14
- 6
I really didn't understand where "groceries" comes from here. After doing some research I learned that the meaning of "hacer la compra" translates roughly as "buy groceries" but that there is no specific word in Spanish that translates directly as "groceries".
- 15
- 11
- 8
- 2
Yeah that confused me also, and I got dinged. It seems to me they should be translating that as 'going shopping', and not implying words that are not part of the original sentence as part of the translation.
- 25
- 305
My answer was I always go shopping on Saturdays. DL marked it correct.
- 23
- 10
- 270
I answered "do the shopping" and got marked wrong. I think that phrasing might be more English than American though.
- 25
- 6
- 515
Hablo español y soy Argentina. Esta oración no tiene mucho sentido para mí. Si la dijera así, alguien me preguntaría: ¿De qué compra estás hablando? y yo le tendría que explicar que voy al supermercado a hacer las compras para el hogar.
- 25
- 18
- 15
- 12
- 12
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 5
- 5
- 1567
It sounds really odd to me. "I always do the shopping ..." would be fine, but we don't use "buying" like that in American English.
- 24
- 8
- 4
- 444
Yeah I guess, shopping makes more sense than buying. Does hacer la compra always mean grocery shopping?
- 17
- 8
- 7
- 51
I wrote [I always make purchase on Saturdays], never expected DL will accept it, but surprisingly, it was accepted. however, I can not see anything indicate "groceries" in the Spanish sentence.
- 17
- 8
- 7
- 51
I stole these from some one on the internet.
Ir de compras- going out shopping, like at the mall. The "fun" shopping, may not even buy anything, window shopping
Hacer la compra- going shopping for necessities- food, cleaning supplies- the "chore" shopping, so that groceries came in this case.
Ir a comprar- to go to buy something specific
Ir a comprar (by itself), similar to hacer la compra.
- 25
- 12
- 9
- 5
- 2
- 238
"I always go shopping on Saturdays" was accepted, although not a literal translation. This is a perfect example of understanding without 'translating'. GO DL!!! ;-)))) Que Padre!!
- 11
- 11
- 6
- 2
Ir de compras= go to the shop. Hacer la/las compras= do the action (buy something)
- 15
- 217
I suggest that "ir de compras" = "go to shop", more literally. The "the" is unnecessary, and makes less sense in English.
- 24
- 14
- 11
- 9
- 4
A lot better translation would be "i always do the groceries on saturdays", it's a natural and legit sentence + it's almost the exact same as the spanish sentence.
- 18
- 10
- 10
This wouldn't sound natural in American English--or at least not in any of the places I've lived. We "get grocery" or "go grocery shopping," but I've not heard of anyone "doing groceries."
Dialect is a funny thing.
- 24
- 14
- 11
- 9
- 4
Search "do the groceries" on google, with the quotation marks, and gander upon the thousands of examples. I can't belive you've never heard this expression.
- 15
- 15
- 13
- 13
- 12
- 11
- 9
- 3
- 2
- 2
- 2
To be fair, I didn't know it was correct until I did a Google search. Doesn't seem like it's very commonplace in America.
English is a vast language, with millions of dialects, and variations. It is really amazing how different it can be.
For example, the people in Australia say "sport" instead of plural "sports". I thought it was simply incorrect English until I googled it. You learn something new every day.
No need to be so condescending.
- 24
- 14
- 11
- 9
- 4
I wasn't. I was merely baffled, by the fact that he had never heard it. We really do learn something new every day.
- 25
- 18
- 14
- 6
We would say "do the groceries" where I live in Canada, but it would be very colloquial and a bit uncommon, as in: "Hey honey, I'm gonna do the groceries now."
- 15
- 217
I agree. "Do the groceries" might be said, but not very common in places in the U.S.
I have never heard "do the groceries" or "doing groceries" or "get grocery" in UK English. But "buy (some) groceries", "get the groceries" or "shop for groceries" are common, however "go to the store" is more usual.
- 22
- 187
I think ‘do the groceries ‘ is a more modern term and more familiar with younger people. I myself have never used the term but i would have understood it when a younger person would have said it.
the words for groceries are 'comestibles' or 'provisiones'. 'La compra' translates as 'the shopping'.
- 25
I put "I always shop for groceries on Saturdays" (as a tester!) - it was marked wrong. I've reported it, as I think this is a valid option.
- 25
- 13
- 83
Not really. To make a purchase is to buy something specific. But here they're talking about routine shopping in general. Hope this helps.
- 15
- 217
Using the "the" makes it specific. But saying "on Saturdays" is a statement in general.
Combining the two into one sentence creates a someone confusing sentence.-- Not "more" sense.
However, it can work in some contexts -- for example, the specific "it" could refer to the Sunday newspaper.
"I always make the purchase (of the paper)...." But this is a very wordy thing to say, and I doubt people would really say that.
"I buy..." is so much simpler.
- 22
- 12
You might buy groceries if your american but in england its SHOPPING. I hate that this app is geared up for americans to latin american spanish and not traditional castilian for europeans. Pronounciations are quite different. I would like to be able to choose.
- 15
- 217
You could try another language program, if you want to learn a different forms of Spanish or English.
Duo doesn't hide what it's about.
By the way, we can "shop for groceries". We shop for all sorts of items. The same is true for the word "buy".
- 13
- 11
the sentence states you are buying it on Saturdays. It doesn't specify groceries
- 22
- 28
Comestibles = groceries in Spanish. Otherwise who is to say that he wasn't going shopping for automobile parts
- 25
- 14
- 12
- 619
Hi JayJay. "Hago" (hacer) la acción de ir al mercado a comprar lo que necesito para mi casa y mi vida. Se llama "Hacer las compras", también "hago la cama" o sea, después de levantarme arreglo las sábanas, las almohadas y pongo el cubrecama. ¿Entiendes? "Hago la acción". Espero que esto te ayude. Regards
- 15
- 217
Keep in mind two things: 1) the "h" is silent in Spanish. 2) Spanish speakers tend to run words together, as they are in the sound here. Thus it takes awhile for us to learn to "hear" Spanish.
But I assume you know this, by now.
I heard "siempreago". So it seems correct to me. Perhaps a Spanish speaker can confirm or disconfirm?
- 17
There are a few words to describe groceries...abastos...provisiones....mandados....despensas...... ...but cant find that here?????strange way to teach
