"Unite lo zucchero e l'uovo."
Translation:You mix the sugar and the egg.
84 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
For me, the most accurate way to say this would have been "combine the sugar and the egg" (unless of course "creaming" is actually intended.) However, with my past experiences with Duolingo, I was afraid to write "combine" but was totally expecting "unite" to be counted wrong since I knew that was not what was truly intended. I was pleasantly surprised when "unite" was counted correct, but I think a better edit to the class would be to add "combine" or "mix" in the list of appropriate meanings for the word...
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Only sometimes you just mix sugar and egg without necessarily wanting or needing to cream them :-)
Elena18: "cream" may well be the appropriate term, but it's definitely not the term most (American) English speakers would use. To suggest it to non-natives trying to learn basic English, runs the risk of misleading them into thinking it's a common term. "Combine" or "mix" are what the vast majority of natives would say.
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I don't understand: isn't it "io unito, tu uniti, lui unite"? Why is it translated in the second person?
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My guess is that it is "voi unite". . . you (plural) mix.
So my question is that if you are stating instructions in general (as in a recipe or asking for something at the table) do you always use the "voi" form? ("passi il sale" o "passate il sale"?)
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thanks a lot for your answers, webMan1 and Blomeley :it's much more fun when you understand your mistakes and thanks Elena for your extra English touch!
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I offered this just for consideration too, as I think that putting things in the same place is different from mixing/mashing/combining or even joining (as in fastening) them. Also 'add' might need something existing there to add to.
Thank goodness! I was too "chicken" to try it. And everyone else seems to want to use "mix", but "mix" and "combine" in cooking are two different things, and it seems that "mix" has its own verb in Italian, so the correct English (to me at least) should be "combine"...but again, I was too chicken to give it a try, and stuck with the literal translation of "unite"... :-)
I also would like to see in the drop down, or 'hover', the word that is eventually going to be the answer that is displayed back to me. I think that is a good idea. I don't profess to understand the word translation database or how the sentences are generated, but it does seem a reasonable request for each sentence.
Actually, the more accurate term for English recipes here would be "combine". There is a specific verb for mix ("mescolare"or something like that) but in this case, they are saying to "unite" (i.e. combine) them, which in English would be to combine. (Think of a recipe, "combine the wet and dry ingredients..." whereas "mix" implies to actually use a mixer, etc.)
Ooohhh, that is a really tricky one. Technically it would be correct from a meaning perspective. However, Italian does not have phrasal verbs, and the translation you used is absolutely a phrasal verb. I suspect that is why it is not accepted. (I think a phrasal verb combination would only be accepted if there was not a common word that meant the same thing, which we have here in the form of both "mix" (although to me that one is controversial since "mix" and "combine" mean different things) and "combine". )
The fact that Italian does not use phrasal verbs should not prevent us using an English phrasal verb as a translation. I also wrote "Put the sugar and the egg together" because that seemed the most exact meaning, without getting into the technicality of did they "mix". But it counts as wrong, of course.
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"Mescola lo zucchero e l'uovo" seems more appropriate. Compare to other Romance languages: misturar (Portuguese); mezclar (Spanish); mélanger (French).
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I just think that if 'mix' is in the official 'correct' translation, then it should be listed as a possible hint for 'unite'.
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What I'd like to know is if it would be acceptable to, "Unite lo zucchero con l'uovo"? Because in English we often mix something "with" something. Just curious.
Learning a foreign language is a process. My "native Italian" Italian teacher says that adults must approach learning a language as a toddler. Toddlers make mistakes in grammar and word usage but in time, the grammar and word use is correct and appropriate. We all learn from our mistakes. Don't be so hard on Duo and be more forgiving of yourself.
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@Vinny Please tell me how they're supposed to gauge your performance and knowledge without hitting you with things you might not know. That's how they find your level. There's no shame in your game, man. Wrong is ok. I just hate making the same stupid mistakes.
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Add the sugar and the egg. Should be accepted. It blew my perfect score. Very annoying.
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I translated as 'you put together...'. Is that incorrect English? (I know we're here to learn Italian but hey, I just like learning all languages)