184 Comments
il significato è the girl is a black belt. therefore, she's in martial arts and has a black belt. hope this helps
The expression would be the same in Spanish, I don't think it is an anglicism
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I think that would be "ela é faixa preta", not "una faixa preta" and definitely not "cinto preto"
I answered: The girl has a black belt.
It was OK but ladolcevita1 explained perfectly otherwise the girl should be a Genetic Modified Belt or something like that.
Grazie tante
I answered "has a black belt," too, but it was marked wrong. --Difficult to distinguish between "è" and "ha" when spoken quickly, and both make equal sense.
I put "ha" because, although I heard é, it didn't make sense to me and I assumed the audio was at fault. I may remember in future!
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How would it be possible to genetically modify a belt? Belts don't have DNA.
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If they are made from leather or some organic fiber, belts may well have DNA. Not that it really matters...
Thanks. I couldn't come up with a context in which this sentence made any sense.
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Since i was doing martial arts as a kid, i assumed the meaning, but i find it utterly misplaced in a beginners course. Already it is not always easy, since also English is a foreign language, but this kind of task is not helpful and only discouraging.
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Does this really have the same meaning in Italian? I would have thought ha, not è, for someone who owned a martial arts Black Belt.
Thank you for a perfect ecplanation. I was embarassed to read about a belt-girl)))
Thank you for the explanation. You've been very helpful. I didn't think of the obvious.
thanks, that helps. I thought this was a typical Dutch expression. Did not know it is used in multiple languages
I didn't understand this sentence at all until I said it out loud in English. I thought it was just another goofy Duolingo sentence.
i typed "the girl has a black belt" by accident and it still identified it as correct :?
Saying she "has" a black belt really is another way of say that's her rank/level. In English at least, the verb choice doesn't matter as much as the intonation ("bláck belt", not "black bélt").
Now that's a great comment! Here's a lingot for you! :) I'm training bjj and that's the way we use it aaall the time!
Technically, if she is a black-belt(er) in some martial arts, then she does have a black belt.
Well "technically" she's good at karate too ... so will Duolingo let us type that as well or is it more of the usual randomness?
Lol that what exactly happened to me, I automatically thought it was "ha".. I didn't notice the "è" until I saw the "other translation"
Apparently they've gotten stricter on the answers. I also put that she has a black belt, and it was rejected.. Sigh. Another heart gone.
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It is not the literally correct translation ("She is a black belt"), but it is a hermeneutically correct translation ("She has a black belt"). DuoLingo is probably going soft on people who are not familiar with martial arts.
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A bit of a trick here - describing clothing and colours before switching randomly to a title . . .
At first I was like "What, the girl is a black belt?!" but then I realised the girl is a BLACK BELT. >.<
Funny, I started thinking about this subject with earlier sentences about a brown belt, but still the verb to be did throw me for a second. A good one. The sentences are not themselves computer generated. Cheers to the minds and players!
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/blackshirt#blackshirt__1
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/fascist
I believe this will fully cover your question.
hahahaha, i wrote it right. but i got into this section in order to know in which situation could it be possible to use this sentence. know i see. XD
I was confused until I got to the end of the sentence. Do they really say it this way in italian?
In Italy we say "la ragazza è una cintura nera" meaning that she is an expert in martial arts.
We have a lot of this kind of expression: we use a tipical piece of livery to indicate the person's role.
Other examples:
- "Quell'uomo è un ghisa" = That man is a cast iron (=traffic policeman)" for the typical hat;
- "Lei è un camice bianco" = She is a *White coat" (=doctor) it should be the same in English, I think;
- "Lui è un colletto bianco" = He is a white collar";
etc.
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Well, actually this is also the way to say it in English. "Black belt" is a way to express the proficiency in martial arts. It is used in English as well.
https://www.google.se/#q=%22he+is+a+black+belt%22
I know they say it in english. I was asking if they really also say it that way in italian.
So what if I want to say the boy/guy is a black belt? "Il ragazzo è UNO cintura nera??" This doesn't sound quite right to me.
In terms of quality management there is some certain technique which resembles this martial-arts-colored-belt-thing as well. Therefore she would be a very well trained professional in this field of work with having a black belt diploma.
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In SixSigma Quality Management there are green belts, black belts and champions. I think this might fit also here in this context.
I stared at this for a good 30 seconds before I understood what the heck it meant.
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How the hell is "the girl's a black belt" NOT accepted???? It's the same damn thing
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So many people like to shows how brainless they are, posting that this is wrong without reading a lot of comments already have explaining why and how this phrase is right. -.-
Yah bfore I read the first comment I thought WTF how the hell a girl is a black belt... now everything is clear
naturally i understood it meant "she is at the level of black belt of karate", but do native italians say like this?
I miei due centesimi (my two cents)
Anche in portoghese si può dire allo stesso modo: "A garota é uma faixa preta" (La ragazza è una cintura nera)
Ma il più comune sarebbe senza l'articolo indefinito (uno) "A garota é faixa preto" in aikido. Quello che credo è il modo più comune di esprimermi in portoghese brasiliano.
Anche la traduzione in inglese mi ha confuso molto, per questo motivo avrei tradotto "The girl has a black belt" IMVHO Direi "has a black belt" invece di "is a black belt"
Ad ogni modo se lei "ha" una cintura nera in qualche arte marziale (meglio se fosse stato aikido) sia in italiano che in portoghese, IMHO, lei "diventa" una cintura nera.
Given that this software gives such weird sentences, it took me a moment to realise what the context was.
Oh, I didn't understand it at first but it is quite unusual to be talking about that. Anyhow, I won't question Duolingo anymore.
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the girl is a black belt has not significance in Italy.. the girl has a black belt in Martial Arts would probably work better here.
The girl has? Is there any mistake?
I am italian and I know this is not right the girl is a black belt?! No Ciao
I think the girl cannot be a black belt. So it has to be "the girl has a black belt", in my opinion.
I understood that (former judoka) but I added 'woman' for clarity, 'black belt woman' and it was rejected. Why?
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The sentence making is not good here. It should be' the girl has a black belt'
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Also, duolingo doesn't 'read' any coment! The section Forum is only for the users change any information or solve each other doubts, but doubts and misunderstandings only works if the ones wrongs like you do like Muttley told.
I think that is false because we are not talking about the girl but about her belt i think the correct traduction is : the girl has a black belt or the girl is on black belt
When a girl is a belt, it no longer matters what color she or the belt is:) Sometimes the system should suggest some explanation.
The sentence makes no sense. What is its purpose in the learning of the language?
The explanation has nothing to do with gender. A girl cannot be a black belt.
The sentence would need a context to understand it the way you presented it, outside a proper context it makes no sense.
It makes sense if you know what a black belt is. If you do, you should require little context.
It doesn't even need context. Have you never heard of any martial art before in your life? People get different rankings depending on how good they are... one such ranking being a black belt. If you thought about it for half a second instead of complaining, you'd have probably realized that.
I agree with you. The example is stupid and I do not think that playing sophist Mr. Bubba1294 will help the sentence out of the gutter. In this particular lesson we, students are supposed to learn colours and the sentence provided if the intention is to talk about proficiency in karate , should give a little background for the students to give the correct translation.
Black belts are for more than just karate, y'know. It's hard to reach adulthood without having some familiarity with the concept of black belts/colored belts for martial art rankings, so it's really not a difficult sentence. It sounds funny at first ("she's a literal belt that is black?") and then you use your brain, which has theoretically had a lifetime of cultural osmosis, to go "OH she's a BLACK BELT."
This is pretty basic stuff.
I didn't know girls could be black belts. I didn't know that you could be a belt at all. Where is your mouth?!
If you are saying: The girl has a black belt That probably means that she is wearing a black belt or has one in her dresser. If you are saying: The girl is a black belt This means she is a black belt in martial arts.
Nope... sorry to tell you that the Italian sentence has an error. It is not La ragazza é ... it's la ragazza HA una cintura nera... I answered : the girl has a black belt and it was correct.. Duolingo error.. that's all
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La ragazza è una cintura nera and la ragazza ha una cintura nera have different meanings the former being related to the martial arts world, the latter simply stating that the girls owns/wears a black belt.
This is a very silly sentence that is nonsense! Who is a black belt. Even in judo you need to earn it and then you have it.
Well I've heard she's a black belt (in the martial arts), common usage here in MN US.
Leave it out compeletely or change it to "ha", because how often do you really encounter a black belt martian arts girl in Italy? Learning a language should contain sentences, that you really expect to need
"the girl is a black belt " is not right, but "the girl has a black belt" is the right answer, i think.
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Googling "Cintura nera" you see this: https://www.google.com.br/search?q=cintura+nera&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=RnTtUcSyIIvC9QTmnoDoBQ&biw=1517&bih=700&sei=SXTtUZOIHJCK9ASg0IDwCw
;) pics speaks more than words
I understand without see.thanks.Here is too many idioms I was a little bit lost.
I cannot report this, since I didn't encounter it in a lesson. But... that sentence really doesn't make sense, does it!?! It should really be "La ragazza ha/porta una cintura nera.*, no?
This sentence makes sense because the girl is probably training a sport like taekwondo.
Ohhh... sorry, I didn't think about that at all. But still, do you use the verb "to be" (essere) with that in Italian? Thanks anyways, to both of you!
Yes, "essere" is used because the sentence is actually saying that she has achieved a certain martial art skill level and not that she is simply possessing a black belt.
other examples:
- "La mia ragazza è cintura nera di karate. = My girlfriend is black belt in karate."
- "Chuck Norris è cintura nera di taekwondo."
- "Mia moglie è cintura nera di shopping." :p
It's a bit of a confusing sentence to present to someone learning a language, I don't see why it couldn't just be 'La Ragazza ha'. Having it as 'La Ragazza è' will realistically only create confusion without teaching anyone anything of importance. Plus, going from clothes to martial arts just doesn't make sense!
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I really don't see where the problem is. The verb is essere so how can one translate it as 'have'?
The sentence itself is clear enough and belong to the realm of martial arts, which are not confined to Italy and Far East alone. Not knowing the belt system of such an ancient and noble form of fighting is not Duolingo's fault.
Going from clothes to martial arts keeps ya on your toes ;) Don't want to become too complacent while learning.
