- Forum >
- Topic: Spanish >
- "Este abrigo es muy ligero y …
"Este abrigo es muy ligero y lo quiero comprar."
Translation:This coat is very light and I want to buy it.
65 Comments
Clothing can be ligero (lightweight) but food can be, too. We use the adjective "light" for both meanings in English. Does anyone know if this parallel applies to other usages of "ligero" and light? E.g., can you do "light reading" in Spanish and indicate as much with "ligero"?
932
Ligero has about the same range of meanings as "light" in English - with little weight, also metaphorically. "Light reading" can be expressed as "lectura ligera" or "lectura liviana".
Yes, absolutely. If DL marked it wrong, you should report it at the report menu at the prompt. (IIRC, DL doesn't cover putting object pronouns at the end of infinitives until later in the course. So that may be why you haven't seen it yet; your response is not only correct, it's a common construction.)
Thanks. I have looked beyond DL for my internet Spanish and thought it was a valid construction but wanted to check if there was a rule or exception I was missing.
No, you got it. As I said, it's not even unusual to attach the object to the end of the infinitive or to a command (e.g., Besame).
Yes, I just discovered that you do it with commands too. ( A kiss for a lingot; you're sooo easy!)
In spanish, do people draw a hard distinction between jackes and coats? I certainly don't know the difference.
- 932
As much a distinction as in most other places. Coats usually go past the hips and are made of thicker material, mostly felt or leather.
Exactly as we use the two nouns in English, Ryagon. Though as you no doubt know, in practice there's quite a bit of overlap (pun intended).
- 1866
The English words are missing to finish the sentence. I've reported this lesson at least fifteen times.
- 179
I can not complete this lesson because you continually omit needed words to complete the sentence on this question and another. I have attempted several times. this happens to often
- 932
The words are not omitted, but rather hidden from view. If you're on mobile, try rotating your device to landscape mode. If you're using the browser version, try zooming out (with Crtl and - in most browsers) or adjusting the window size.
Or better yet, stop leaning on the crutch of picking words from a list, add a Spanish keyboard to your phone (to get the diacritical marks and prevent spell check from undoing your work), and just write out the words you want. You know, as we do in real life.
ETA I have rethought my bias against the word tiles since I wrote the above a year ago. (I started using tiles in French for Spanish speakers because I wasn't using that tree to learn French, just for extra practice in Spanish.) What I find is that using tiles frees me from worrying about typos and allows me to concentrate on the actual form of Spanish words. I don't use them all the time, but there's nothing wrong with mixing things up a bit.
Duolingo is for learning languages, not practicing them. You can't just throw new learners into the metaphorical pool to teach them how to swim, which is why the word selection replaces typing in the first few levels of each skill. If a learner feels the need to cement the concepts in their brain by typing the phrases (which is a good idea), then they can just continue onto levels 3-5.
The only way to "learn" a language is to practice it, so I have no idea what you meant to say. "Word selection" does not entirely replace typing in the first few levels of each skill--or maybe it does if you are using the word selection on your phone.
I understand that those who plan to spend a long weekend in Cancún don't feel a need to read Cervantes. But on the whole I don't understand the logic of "I want to learn this language but only a little bit of it."
It's less "I want to learn this language but only a bit of it" and more "I can't write a sentence in this language until I know the vocabulary and the grammar." Give easier lessons so the user can actually get a feeling for what means what, and THEN test them on it with harder problems. And again, if the "select the words" problems just don't cut it for someone, they can go to levels 3-5.
or, you can use the web and use the typing from the very beginning. (You will have to peek at the hints w/ new words, of course.)
Oh, I get it, Ella. You mean one can use one's phone to access the internet; using a smart phone doesn't mean one has to use the DL app. Good point!
ETA I just deleted a post of mine two posts above that included a joke about "millennials" complaining. I was entirely kidding. (Hey, my grandchildren are millennials, after all.) But now that I have "MOD" after my name, some of my more faux-snarky posts don't seem so funny any more. I am not the boss of DL, but I do think I should take care not to give the impression that I am representing the site's views, particularly not unfriendly ones.
And again, that's only an issue if you are using the phone app. Since I use my laptop, I get a few questions with multiple choice answers, but not many, and certainly not all of the questions in Levels 0-2. If you indeed can't write the sentence, you get another shot of it at the end of the lesson. You also get the same sentence in Spanish to English and English to Spanish forms. I really don't see how DL could make it any easier.
I am certainly not a unique learner on Duolingo. My goal is to speak and understand spoken Spanish. I want to chat with my neighbors, shopkeepers, new companions, etc.
I write many sentences daily to practice and to help me remember. My notebooks are indexed on the computer as well as in the current notebook. Plus each has a Table of Contents and multiple pages of categories that interest me. Other than abbreviations for parts of speech my guess is the content is 95% Spanish.
I open SpanishDict.com and my index when I start Duolingo lessons. I look up new vocabulary and write extra sentences in my notebook. That site includes example sentences and phrases that I personalize in my notebook.
I have downloaded Spanish keyboard to phone and tablet.
AND I use word tiles. AND I use word prediction.
That does not make me a lazy learner doing a job half way.
I use those tools to meet my goals; talking and listening with understanding.
The only Spanish I need to write is on greeting cards or specific medical info. I've already written the medical histories as well as possible future symptoms and body parts that might fall off.
Any person who suggests using word tiles makes you a less serious or worthy learner has both limited perspective and limited knowledge.
Hi, Guillermo8330. I took the time to write about my learning practice and replied to you only because I realized you were a Moderator.
If I was quoting you I would have used quote marks around "lazy". I didn't.
I see you have edited an earlier post that still begins, "Better yet, stop leaning on the crutch of picking words from a list." Later you wrote "But on the whole I don't understand the logic of 'I want to learn this language but only a little bit of it.' "
Those are the comments I was addressing. I interpreted them to mean you wanted to understand why someone might choose to use tiles and not perceive that as a "crutch". In order to increase range of perspective and understanding I explained my process.
Rest assured that you certainly didn't "make me feel slighted" and have nothing to apologize for.
Thank you, Bridget. I'm glad we cleared that up. I was just clarifying my clarification, not accusing you of misquoting me.
FWIW I think the best method is some combination of tiles and typing out words--especially with Spanish where spelling is such a good guide to pronunciation and vice versa. But I notice that's what DL forces me to do when I am "refreshing" finished skills.
BTW, I just watched a BBC documentary that revealed the 17th century meaning of "slighted" in English was to raze someone's castle and/or estate to the ground! I'm glad you knew I wasn't trying to do THAT! LOL.
Bridget, I don't think I called anybody "lazy", but I did express my bias against the word tiles in a post from a year ago. I just amended that post, because I have since found that using word tiles frees me from worrying over typos and allows me to connect more quickly to the correct word choices. My bad. Sorry if I made you feel slighted.
- 932
Este is the masculine form which you can use to describe a singular masculine noun. Esto is the neutral pronoun, which doesn't describe a noun, but usually an idea, or a more complex concept. Like in "Esto es malo" - "This is bad", where "this" doesn't refer to anything specific.
In Argentina we never use ligero for a coat or a jacket. They can be liviano, but not ligero
The pronunciation is driving me mad. Its not clear at all and marking the whole sentence wrong for a minor mistake. I'm learning DL, speak clearly and underline a mistake if it's 1 letter wrong, not reject the whole sentence!
DL needs to mark itself wrong. It left out "y" in the word choices. Therefore I was wrong because I wrote the sentence without "y".
If you want to effect a change, you have to report such errors at the reply menu available at the prompt itself. Reporting it here doesn't reach the program writers.
But I have a question: I don't use the phone app, but from my laptop I have the option to "choose keyboard instead". When you encounter this sort of glitch, can't you simply switch to typing and insert the correct answer?
Oh, Thank you. I never thought to switch to keyboard. Unfortunately, when you report something it doesn't let you explain why you're reporting it so how does Duo know what to fix?
Isn't there a "Something else is wrong" among the Response Menu choices? Check that and perhaps the program writer will figure out the problem.
Unless you copy and paste your response, we have no way of saying what you missed.
Good question.
In Spanish, the direct object pronoun is put before the entire phrase (lo quiero comprar) OR at the end of the infinitive (quiero comprarlo). Where it doesn't go is in between.
Ryagon is so polite! Too polite to tell you "lite" isn't a real word. (I am kidding. To wit:
"First, for the majority of meanings, light is the proper spelling; second, for a particular meaning (e.g., describing low-calorie foods), the spelling lite is a variant of the standard light; and third, for another particular meaning (something lacking in substance or threat), lite is the proper spelling.
Oct 18, 2012
APA Style 6th Edition Blog: Lite or Light? Which Spelling Is Right?")
In short, the accepted meaning of "lite" doesn't fit the prompt. I don't know whether "lite" is ever a correct translation of ligero/a. It may be, I just don't know.
- 364
I am so freaking sick of getting something wrong because l misspelled with one letter. I dont give a crap about spelling it or writing it. I just want to speak it. Very frustrating.
Do you use the "tiles" option? I admit I looked on selecting words from tiles with some scorn at first, but I've noticed of late that using them frees me from worrying about typos and allows me to embrace whole phrases of meaning. If you are not using tiles, you should try it. You'll still have to type in a sentence from scratch every now and then, so it's not like you won't practice spelling at all.
Now, as for that, how do you expect a machine to know what you "know" in your mind as opposed to what you type on the screen? DL can only count or not-count what you give it. Further, lots of us here DO care about spelling, etc., because we love Spanish-language literature and want to read it. DL is here for us, too.
But I really hope using the tiles will ease your frustration.
- 153
My translation and yours are identical. Why was I marked incorrect??? Please explain!!
- 358
You are not talking to Duolingo in these discussions. You are talking to other users. We cant see what your answer was. There is nothing we can do unless you copy and paste your answer so that we can help you check it. It would be useful to have Duo's response too.
If you did happen to provide a correct translation and it is not accepted, this link should help:
How do I report a problem with a sentence or translation?
- 348
"...y lo quiero comprarlo" is valid. Ditto Guillermo8330 response. Actually, its the more common contruction of that phrase.
Wait a sec! Lo quiero comprarlo? "It I want to buy it." I don't think so.
You either put the direct object pronoun (lo) in front of the chain of verbs or at the end of the infinitive, but NOT both!
Thank you for sharing, but, honestly, I have rarely if ever found DL was wrong and I was right.
Try pasting your response here and let us take a look at it. You may have erred in some way not obvious in DL's correction.
impossible to finish the lesson!!!not enough english words to finish the sentence.........
I can't see what tiles you are offered, but every time I have thought a tile or tiles were missing, it has turned out on closer examination that there was another way to word the English or Spanish sentence using the available tiles. This is particularly likely when the response is in English.
- 932
Your autocorrect might have messed with you, it should be abrigo, not "abridge". Placing the yo in the second half of the sentence is a bit uncommon, but not wrong.
Since the first clause doesn't mention the speaker, how would you put yo in the first half of the sentence? Maybe the following?
Yo quiero comprar el abrigo porque es muy ligero.
- 932
Not claiming that putting the yo in the first half of the sentence is a good idea. :)
It's just that yo is often added to change the topic or draw attention, like you'd do with "well" or something similar in English. But doing this is just less useful if you're already in the middle of the sentence.
If you get a chance and don't mind, could you give us an example, Reagan? I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Thanks in advance, as always.
- 932
Basically you'd use the yo most often if you were talking about something that's unrelated to you before.
- Hola, ¿cómo fue tu día? Yo compré un televisor nuevo hoy. - Hello, how was your day? I, for one, bought a new TV today.
Also upon thinking about it some more, you'd usually do the same with voice modulation rather than by adding words in English. Just stressing the "I" in this case.
Most Spanish consonants--though close in sound to their English equivalents--are not pronounced exactly the same. The tongue placement is slightly different and the only way to get used to that difference is to drill and repeat what one hears.
