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- "La ragazza è una cintura ner…
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il significato è the girl is a black belt. therefore, she's in martial arts and has a black belt. hope this helps
lmao me too...especially after the "What am I// What is a book?" questions
The expression would be the same in Spanish, I don't think it is an anglicism
I think that would be "ela é faixa preta", not "una faixa preta" and definitely not "cinto preto"
What people meant in previous comments is that Spanish and Portuguese have analogous sentences with the same meaning (eg "Ela é faixa preta" in Portuguese). Obviously, the individual words for "she", "is", "black" and "belt" are different in each language.
Yes. I am surprised that people would think of this as originating from English in any way. The systematic use of belt colour to denote rank was first used in Japan by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo in the 1880s. The best known martial arts forms are all Asian, but have international participation. I assume the origin was Japanese.
It's not the system they thought was English, but rather the phrase "[Person] IS a black belt" meaning "[Person] has achieved a black belt"
Lynette, when you say Asian you were thinking of eastern Asia, no doubt. Krav maga originated in Israel, which is also in Asia though certainly not on the eastern side. Big continent, isn't it.
You can take any reference I make to Asia or Asian as referring to East Asia. East Asia reflects the area of the greatest similarities among the cultures there. Actually, you can often see cultural similarities based on continent. But the "Middle East" has its own similarities that vary from each of the three continents that it takes up.
In German we say: "Sie HAT (she has got) einen schwarzen Gürtel". I have never heard or said: "Sie IST (she is) ein schwarzer Gürtel".
@LoliChaj I am surprised about your comment about my life and your negative rating that you gave me, I suppose. Do you really think that site which you mentioned is "German"? It's a very bad translation, with many errors and meaningless phrases. Maybe there are some groups which use this expression "Sie IST ein schwarzer Gürtel" ("She is a black belt") as a technical term in some parts of Germany. But it definitly is NOT standard or every-day-German. I HAVE (ich habe) the blue belt and I am teacher of german writing. So it's somewhat funny you rating me in German.
Being a black belt is a martial arts designation. There is a system of colored belts, white being the lowest (doesn't require any degree proficiency) and black is the highest, although there are different "degrees". This term is not German or Italian or English or American. It was developed in the 1880s in Japan for Judo, and has been adapted, with some changes, for other martial arts.
@ LoliChaj! Thanks for your answer. I understand that the expression ("to be a black belt") is actually beeing used in the international area of martial arts. It was not during my active time (1990s) in my Karate-club in Vienna.
But we got a bit distant from my starting point. I think, it's like different speech levels. One will use an expression in one context, and not in another one. For Karate practictioners it may well be the most accurate form of expression, better than "to have a belt". I am glad having learnt something new even in my nativ language. Perhaps in some years the martial-art-community will have convinced the society and we all get used to this expression.
But still I consider it a correct specific expression inside a specific context. And in reference to Fiyalka2, I just wanted to inform, that in German it definitly is not commonly used.
"Sie IST ein schwarzer Gürtel": 8 results (google) (only 4 of them not machine-translated).
"Sie HAT einen schwarzen Gürtel": 13.400 results.
336
because you don't read enough and you never google and you don't know the world of martial arts :D
https://de.qwe.wiki/wiki/Alexis_Davis_(fighter)
- 336
@StephanDob1 No, I didn't, I just explained. I never give a negative rating when I interact with somebody.
I don't think anything about THAT site, just took the first one, but just about the language. You try to google yourself "Sie (oder Er) ist..." and you will find a lot of examples. Or try to ask somebody who practices martial arts. It's the same as "he is gold medal". It's just normal for this area of life and of the world… Tschüss and good luck
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
- 372
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!
A black belt is something that one becomes by training. in American English you can say "is" or has", so the Italian sentence is correct. (In my opinion)
If they are made from leather or some organic fiber, belts may well have DNA. Not that it really matters...
- 1691
Well, yes, but that DNA doesn't encode for the belts' characteristics. There are no belt genes.
But there are genes in people -- why must it be the belt growing into a person (impossible), when it could be the person growing into a belt (merely stupid)?
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.
Thanks. I couldn't come up with a context in which this sentence made any sense.
- 72
I translated it word by word, then I came here to see what the bip was this about, since it didn'tmake any sense to me... Now it makes sense... Thank you
- 1557
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)))
It would be too simple and not quite confusing enough. Plus, the context would be right and that we can't have ;)
Perhaps we should have the developers of the English course introduce sentences like "This takes the cake" in the context of food, then explain to the learners that "cake" isn't the point. The sentence refers to something else entirely.
While I'm all for equality, I'd choose everything be smart rather than everything be confusing XD
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
Yes. And they do accept blackbelt as one word which is how I often see it in English.
A minute before I saw your comment I had wrote this sentence with a sophisticated 'wtf' to the margin of my booklet. :D Thanks for sharing this info.
One of the most important components to communication is always missing on Duo - context. Admittedly some Duo exercises are a little strange, but most of the strange reactions to sentences that people have on Duo is the first context they use to interpret them would make it strange, although another one may well exist to make it sound more "normal".
A ridiculous choice of sentence in a beginners course, especially since colors are taught on the same level with clothes (and not martial arts). Given your choice of words "she's in martial arts and HAS a black belt" the translation "she has a black belt" should be accepted. If she IS a black belt, she HAS a black belt. Logic dictates it.
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"
- 2190
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.
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.
- 655
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!
I stared at this for a good 30 seconds before I understood what the heck it meant.
Given that this software gives such weird sentences, it took me a moment to realise what the context was.
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.
- 907
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.
I asked an italian. it really means she is a master (Black Belt) in a martial art.
This is very tricky considering the fact that the topic is colors (taught on the same level with clothes) and not martial arts. The point is not to trick the student into making a mistake or catching the fact that they didn't think of various secondary meanings but to ACTUALLY teach them something. Or test their knowledge of the material. Ridiculous choice of sentence given the context.
I could not agree more! Many times the sentences are traps that give you the feeling they are put there on purpose to prove.... maybe how smart the teachers are?
She IS a black belt! Like as in karate she's a black belt in karate come on people
People who have earned black belts in martial arts don't say they have them, they say they are them. That's the norm
- 336
it's nice that somebody checks them, finally! :)
anyway, the sentence is not strange at all to milions of people in the world who practice martial arts (+ their friends, relatives, to those who read about them etc. etc.) ;)
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/blackshirt#blackshirt__1
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/fascist
I believe this will fully cover your question.
naturally i understood it meant "she is at the level of black belt of karate", but do native italians say like this?
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.
- 1316
In SixSigma Quality Management there are green belts, black belts and champions. I think this might fit also here in this context.
- 630
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. -.-
found this old sweet children's song, and thought it would be appropriate to share here, since it talks about colours, that we are learning here now https://youtu.be/XgXVr0ZkbIY ENJOY!
This exercise is designed to make you depend on your knowledge of Italian and not your expectations to translate. Most people have heard someone referred to as a blackbelt, but our instinct here is nevertheless to change è to ha, although no one should actually confuse those two at this point in the course.
- 1520
I suppose since I am also a black belt, this held no problem for me. :) I came to the discussion thinking I would see who else commented that they are also in martial arts. I figured it would be a discussion on styles and ranks. Imagine my surprise that people were confused by the meaning of the sentence!!! I had no idea!
There was a girl/woman who said that this exercise was appropriate because she was on her way to martial arts class. I think some of the people were more thrown because they were looking for this to mean something specific to Italian. If you don't do martial arts it won't be the first thing that comes to mind in an Italian course. I had come in here when I first got this exercise just to confirm my understanding, since idioms in different languages could be different.
Ciao, Marcella, benvenuto nel forum. Potremmo usare alcuni contributi nativi. I am obviously not Italian, just trying to learn your beautiful language.
- 250
English learners should be reminded that black-belt is BLACK-belt. "She wears a black belt is: black BELT.
Jay - Well that may well have become the ambition of that girl in the third Karate Kid movie. About the only thing that I remember about that movie is that it was filmed in and around my old high school. I am never sure with comments like this whether you are unaware of martial arts terminology, and therefore don't understand how a person can "be" a black belt, or whether you don't think a girl might have that goal.
- 336
Some days ago, I even heard this on tv: "Lei è la cintura nera dell'assenteismo". "E'"! Not "has". Think about it...
Yah bfore I read the first comment I thought WTF how the hell a girl is a black belt... now everything is clear
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.
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.
- 1298
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.
- 336
ma perché non leggete prima e non vi informate????? è NORMALE e usuale dire che una persona E' cintura bianca, nera, blu o rossa!
- 123
Even though the phrase is correct, as others have pointed, in my opinion it's not good to put such a sentence in a begginers course. It's the type of thing that only confuses learners. Perhaps this sentence should be placed in the SPORTS subject. Or maybe something else. In the "Colors" subject, in my opinion, it's a little early and confusing for people.
Why does duolingo keep repeating the same question over and over and over...? I swear I have seen this one at least 20 times (if not more) in the "Colors" unit. Same thing with the waiter and his grey shirt. And I got them right the first time !
found this sweet old children's song about colours, and thought it appropriate to share here. https://youtu.be/XgXVr0ZkbIY ENJOY!
"la ragazza è una cintura nera"?cos è questo, karate? Ci ho messo un po' a capirlo
Are you just making a joke, or are you unfamiliar with the martial arts concept of being a black belt?
- 336
why don't you read the other comments and answers, before writing yours? you would seem smarter and save time ;)
It's more an idiom than a pun. This isn't a play on words as much as a standard usage that does not make literal sense.
- 938
when i first read this i was like "the girl is a belt... a black belt? what???" and then i remembered martial arts are a thing
I am assuming that Italian is like English, since the martial art belt system is imported in both countries. In English you can say someone has or holds a black belt, but it is at least as common to say that someone is a black belt. Here's a site that tracks black belt in English sentences, and is is very much used.
https://sentencedict.com/black%20belt.html
To be honest, I suspect that Duo was checking that we were paying attention, but this is legitimate.
- 336
google gives this: она черный пояс
I think it's ok for a karateka or judoka etc, later you have various данs ;)
- 336
maybe even worse than that... :'( in which sector?
why didn't you read EVERYTHING before makin such bad impression? ;)
Why not replacing it with "The girl has a black belt" instead of expecting people to brainstorm about martial arts? What is the point of such an example?
Well to the extent that people are totally unfamiliar with being a black belt in martial arts it is a less helpful exercise. But the exercise is extremely helpful for those who are familiar with martial arts black belts. The idea is that people will change what they hear to something else if it seems to make more sense, but the sentence that makes "more sense" may not be the correct one. If you hear a verb you aren't expecting, there are two possibilities. One is that the expression in Italian uses a different verb. That would be a different standard usage which is important to learn. The other is the meaning is not what you think it is. That's when you try to figure out what being a black belt means. If a native English speaker told you that someone is a black belt, you wouldn't assume that they meant they had one. You would ask what it means.
- 907
Spot on!
In the normal world: a new thing comes up, one googles it or reads the first comment on this page and learns a new thing.
But in the Duolingo world, if one does not understand something, one doesn't read any of the comments and refuses any explanation while covering their eyes and ears.
- 336
Because the right way to say it is that the girl IS a black belt. You can have it at home, a leather one, but you will never be a martial art champion. She IS!
I totally agree, the example is not relevant , we are not here to guess about possible martial art meanings. It is about learning the basics of the language at this point.
Maybe the point is not to make people think about martial arts, but to have an example that sticks better in memory, exactly because it is unusual? I mean it's not as if all the questions/examples/exercises or whatever you call them are weird. That indeed wouldn't make sense. But an occasional one, a specific idiom, to make you stumble mentally - I don't see a problem with that.
I still think the example is not appropriate for absolute beginners. But of course teachers may choose their way of teaching the language , which may meet with disapproval from more experienced teachers and who happen to know many other languages .
Given the size of this thread - yes, maybe this sentence at that level was not such a great idea. I just don't understand why this is considered such a huge issue. As I mentioned in another comment, there are courses that throw deliberate nonsense sentences at you, and the students are rather amused than annoyed. I somehow get the impression that a lot of the commenters here feel offended, and I don't know by what. It just feels like making a mountain out of a molehill to me. But that's just me, seems I am in the minority...
- 907
'a mountain out of a molehill' in Italian is una montagna da un topolino ('a mountain out of a small mouse').
Now let's see how many will complain that this is neither a lesson on geography nor zoology :-D
I agree, it is very much"Much Ado About Nothing"but unfortunately the teachers on this course are quite rigid and frankly have a way of putting down learners which personally I find offending and disturbing. Some suggestions could be taken into account when it is obvious that the translations they offer in the target language are absurd,and at times even stupid. Some learners may have a background that could help with the target language. I suggest all these postings related to a really unimportant sentence from every possible perspective should come to an end.I am , and I should have been done with it long ago. Now that is final , as far as I am concerned.
- 336
maybe you don't have to guess anything. you should already know that è = is and it's finished ;)
the example with the snake in the boot is more relevant?
for me this one was EXTREMELY clear, for example. oss!
Who defends this answer, please think for a second of why there are more than 300 comments under this question.
A minute before I saw your comment I was just writing this sentence into my booklet with those certain 3 letters, signaling my confusion... So ladolcevita1, thanks a lot for your interpretation!
At first I thought it was "The girl is a belt" But then I saw the word "black" and was like ohhhhhhh
- 193
In Polish we say that "the girl has the black belt" not "the girl is a black belt". Therefore I came here to check the meaning.
Just to be clear, in English you can say both when talking about the martial arts skill level. You generally hear has in a case where someone has different skill levels in different martial arts disciplines. I wouldn't be surprised if the same were true in Italian. But, obviously, most language students wouldn't think of the martial arts if the sentence said "has". They would probably think of a leather belt.
- 336
you did not check. you commented AGAIN (like many others) and you said something that's AGAIN not true ;)
For example, you can CHECK and learn here or in google or with your friends: http://www.grapplerinfo.pl/ile-wart-jest-czarny-pas-bjj/
If you want this sentence to make sense, watch the movie, The Karate Kid. "Being" a black belt in the martial arts is another way to say that someone possesses that martial arts ranking. There are different "degrees" to a black belt, but a black belt is the highest color in the rankings.
I've never seen it spelled with a c, but yes Karate uses the colored belt system, although it was developed for Judo. I think it's common among the martial arts.
In the martial arts, people earn belts of different colors based on their abilities. A black belt is the highest level, although there are degrees added on. People who earn their black belt are both said to have a black belt and be a black belt. Here is a discussion of famous people who "are" (or were) black belts
I personally have less issues with romance languages about gender equality. When objects have gender and you have to use masculine and feminine forms to agree with any nouns, it's saying something different to use them for occupation or other personal designations. In English the ONLY words that have/had two forms were these. In Spanish, however, there is some movement to at least come up with gender neutral forms in the abstract. They change the o or a to x. (latinx) That won't work in Italian because they don't use x and don't end words in consonants. Since they have already used a, e, i and o, that leaves u. But I don't know if centuru neru would ever catch on.
- 336
THIS sentence makes no sense: "The butterfly wants me to take it to the theater" and yet nobody complains... ;)
- 208
What does it mean? She has a belt belt or she is a black belt. Lei ha una cintura nera o lei è una cintura nera? Sport??
- 336
could you PLEASE read the comments instead of writing the same question...? :o She IS! So, she also has.
- 336
нет, у девушки черный пояс! couldn't you read hundreds of comments BEFORE spending your and our time???
People who practice the martial arts receive belts of different colors, black being the best, although there are also degrees. People can be said to either have a black belt or be a black belt. Both are correct, and this exercise clearly says is.
It would be weird for those that are unfamiliar with this terminology in the martial arts. In the martial arts one can be either said to have or to be a black belt. If you are familiar it just causes a little double take. After several Karate Kid movies, I guess Duo assumed most people would be familiar with it.
- 336
in fact, it's 100% normal :) and for who doen't know, they can just read the explanations here, hundreds!
p.s. what would they say about "The insects want to learn Portuguese with Duolingo"? :)))) (and I saw that NOBODY protested!)
I agree, there are just people who do not have brains Now here are your 2 lingots lynettemcw
the lady does judo....so she has a black belt and therefore she is called a black belt.. what a stupid sentence
I actually think it's sort of a brilliant sentence for Duo, although you do have to understand the difference in English as well. This is a very basic sentence grammatically and has easy vocabulary. But the unexpected verb has people double checking their work. Understanding the less common sentences is what gives you a feeling of success which promotes some confidence in your Italian.
How is a girl a black belt , do you mean in karate/martial arts ? I was confused by this...
- 907
If you had bothered to read any of the comments, you wouldn't have asked the question.
È una cintura nera = has a black belt proficiency in martial arts.
This is the same way one would say it in English.
Duolingo is not a phrase book. It isn't teaching you phrases it thinks you will need. It is teaching you to form and understand whatever Italian sentences you may need. This sentence demonstrates vocabulary, one conjugation of the verb essere, and the agreement between the noun and adjective. But most importantly it is teaching you to pay attention. You have to notice that the verb is essere and not avere as would be a more common sentence talking about clothing accessories. Phrasebooks are mostly for tourists because tourists have very predictable questions and statements. I don't know you, but I know when you travel you have to stay somewhere, probably eat out more, ask for directions, perhaps exchange money, etc. Any language program knows basic things that you are going have to talk about, but no one can know exactly what you are going to have to say on any day. One thing language does is describe your current unique situation. You may not have ever said a sentence no one has said before, but you probably have said a sentence in your native language that you had never heard spoken many times.
Weird, why not say the girl has a black belt in .......... I thought I was on a different course for a minute.
It refers to the martial arts system of colored belts to indicate proficiency. A black belt is the highest, although there are degrees that increase it. People are said both to have and to be their belt color.
It isn't if martial arts are part of your world. There was a comment in here somewhere that a girl made on here that this was the perfect exercise as she was just off to her martial arts class.
Are you surprised that a girl became a black belt, or are you unaware of the concept of "being" a black belt in one or more of the various martial arts?
- 1415
Its a kind of out there sentence and it expects that you know about martial arts and their belts. Oh well
In this post Karate KId age, I am surprised that this stumps people, but then different people have different experiences.
This is failure... It is not good but before I wrote "has" and Duolingo wrote me failure
I am not quite sure what you are trying to say, since English isn't your native language. But this sentence doesn't mean the girl has a black belt. That would be La ragazza ha una cintura nera. This is the girl IS a black belt. Being a black belt is a skill level in the martial arts like Karate or Judo.
In terms of rankings on the martial arts one can be said either to be a black belt or to have one. Neither is wrong. But the Italian says is, so you can't use has. I think they chose it intentionally to see if people were paying attention. But Duo may have overestimated the number of people who know about black belts. It's been a while now since the Karate Kid.
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.
- 499
Keep getting the exact dame phrase endlessly. This doesn't help learning. Let's be more variable
I understand that she is a black belt but do you have to repeat the phrase with every series of exercises? Enough is enough
It is supposed to be "La ragazza ha una cintura nera" which translates perfectly to " The girl HAS a black belt".
Makes no sense. The correct sentence should be: 'The girl has/wears a 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.
I understood that (former judoka) but I added 'woman' for clarity, 'black belt woman' and it was rejected. Why?
A sentence that needs to be explained and defended is a sentence that needs to be corrected. It's only obstinacy that keeps it unchanged. That, plus the developers want to show how much cleverer they are than regular mortals. So, they offered a sentence about a title in a context of clothes and colors. Pretty cheap.
- 630
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.
It would be more proper to say "La ragazza ha una cintura nera.", wouldn't it ?
The whole sentence indicates that. It's like saying there is no indication that it is about a sport if you said He is a point guard. I am barely sports literate, but I recognize basic terminology. The indication is that that's the meaning that makes sense. It shouldn't surprise you that the colored system of belts was not an invention in the English language. The only situation that could result in someone "being" a colored belt is martial arts.
- 336
be aware! you first read ALL the comments (and the comments on the stupid ones, like this) and than write :D
THE SENTENCE IS PERFECT!!! kuro obi rules!
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
La ragazza è una cintura nera . isn't a girl a human being, not an item, like a belt?
It would be more proper to say: "La ragazza ha una cintura nera."
Well I guess you would be correct in saying that every blackbelt owns a black belt. But that doesn't make has a black belt "more proper". This sentence is about a girl who is a black belt in some martial arts form. That's the correct answer
Ha assolutamente un significato. In realtà è un significato internazionale, ma solo nel mondo delle arti marziali.
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.
Pleeeeaaase. The sentence is a trap, chosen precisely to set a trap. It is provided to beginners of Italian in the context of colors and clothes (taught at the same level). It is uttered quickly counting on the fact that few will associate "belt" with martial arts rather than articles of clothing. If I were to develop a beginners course for English language learners and offer the sentence "She's in the pink" in the context of clothes and colors, wouldn't that be tricky? And then patronize everyone, "Hey, foolish beginners, the sentence was very clear. Why don't you use your brains?" Right ;)
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.
I agree with you. When you have a sentence so many people flag, you'd think the developers would understand they should change it. Yes, the sentence is grammatically correct and yes, it makes sense in the context of martial arts. But it is nevertheless a trap. Uttered fast and in the context of clothes and colors (yes, the wrong context), it becomes a trap. So many people commented that they had trouble with this sentence yet it is kept unchanged out of sheer stubbornness. Look at us, aren't we clever. We can talk about a title in a context of clothes and colors, and trick so many of you. Kudos to us.
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.
Yes, it needs a context. You shouldn't have a sentence about a title in the context of colors and clothes. The point is to teach not to trap. What precisely have the developers taught by going with a martial arts title? Besides, have you ever seen someone who IS a black belt but doesn't HAVE a black belt? Ridiculous.
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.
If she IS a black belt, she HAS a black belt. You can't have one without the other.
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.
Have you ever seen anyone who is a black belt in a martial art but does NOT HAVE a black belt? Really. This sentence is a trap and nothing else. That's why it was chosen over "HAS a black belt." To trick.
"the girl is a black belt " is not right, but "the girl has a black belt" is the right answer, i think.
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
Laura, someone might need if she/he is into martial arts. I agree it should be placed in a more advanced lesson, related to sports, though.
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.
The problem is that the sentence is uttered very fast and in a context absolutely devoid of references to martial arts. For a native speaker it may not be a problem but for someone just starting to learn the language it is a trap. The point is not to trick people into choosing the wrong answer. The point is to teach. And by making the choice "is a black belt" instead of "has a black belt" the developers taught nothing. They just set a trap. If this sentence had been offered in the context of martial arts, it would have been a different issue. But it isn't. An analogy in English would be to teach absolute beginners about colors and offer them a sentence with "in the pink." Now wouldn't that be tricky.
I don't know if after 9 months this will be read as answer, anyway: I agree it is a bit much to expect a context specific idiom to be understood by beginners. I also think that "the girl has a black belt" probably should be an accepted answer, if the presented sentence is "la ragazza è una cintura", I am not 100% certain of the equivalence, though. However, I do not see all that being a big problem for several reasons. The point of criticism has nothing to do with the subject of the lesson, which is "colours". The word in question is not "black"="nera" but the verb "is/has"="é/ha". I don't think there's a problem with translating "black" as "nera" here, right? OK, you're not having the expected answer on the first try, so what? Did you bet any money on your answer? Is getting it wrong hindering you from progressing in the course and giving the expected answer next time? What else have you lost but a bit of time and maybe ego? In exchange at least you gathered an extra piece of information on the side! Making errors is part of the learning process anyway. Guess what, there are courses in other languages (Dutch for instance) that throw you nonsense sentences on purpose! (like "Ik ben een appel" = "I am an apple", and that is not an idiom!) Interesting enough I have hardly read any complaints there, rather the learners were amused! So maybe cool down a bit and don't take this as a personal offense? Finally - there are no doubt some issues with Duolingo, but it is free and the lessons are the work of volunteers, so some imperfections are to be expected. Among those are some that bother me much more, like the constant mixing of plural and singular versions in some exercises of the "match the word pairs from the two languages" exercises. Anyway - the place to complain about those things is not the discussion forum, but the reporting facility! By the way, I think the greatest weakness of the feedback system is the fact that you only seem to get any feedback on reported issues, if it results in accepting an alternative solution.
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This is a great comment!
Unfortunately it is not going to get the attention it deserves because it is lost in hundreds of useless comments saying the same thing over and over and over again.
For what's worth, I salute you as you got the point of this kind of sentences.
Going from clothes to martial arts keeps ya on your toes ;) Don't want to become too complacent while learning.
