66 Comments
I really think idiomatic phrases like this need to be their own section later in the lessons. Tossing them in randomly with no explanation is kind of tough.
I agree too and also the should have like a mark, or distinction or something, to know that you are dealing with an idiomatic pharse
I totally agree with you. It's okay that they accept literally translations as corect answer, but still that doesn't allow us to completely understand the idiomatic phrase and its meaning
I agree! Literal translations should always be accepted as well, otherwise it would really be unfair.
Especially since "X is my daily bread," the literal translation, IS a saying in English. So why not just use a direct translation? :/
I'm Portuguese but I'm doing this course from English and I must say that I was able to translate this idiomatic phrase pretty much immediately because in Portugal we do say: '[Something] é o pão nosso de cada dia', in this case: 'Trabalhar é o pão nosso de cada dia' but I didn't remember that this expression existed in English as well. 'Work is my bread and butter', it's almost the same if you think of it.
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"Daily bread" is also used to mean something which gives you sustenance, whether it is financial, mental or spiritual. The sentence could be interpreted in a poetic way to mean a hobby, pastime, work or job which gives enjoyment or satisfaction.
This is what I was thinking also. One interpretation is that the person speaking really likes his work, and looks forward to it every day, far more than just a thing to do to get money.
In Portuguese we say "pão cotidiano" as "everyday food". In this phrase, we would think that the work is what gives him/her everyday food.
"Work is my daily bread" is the more literal translation and makes sense to me. I think the signal phrase at the end might function better if it were changed to reflect that. I bet some people use the phrase "my bread and butter" instead of "my daily bread" to mean the same, figurative idea that they rely on it to get by.
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I agree. And in English, it means, basically, "The work is how I make my living."
this was a really annoying sentence to get as the first of what I wanted to be a perfect streak! So very hard to understand what she is saying too!
I find that when I don't make mistakes, I do not remember as well. Pain is all part of the learning experience. :-)
It means that someone is a workaholic I guess. But I think that Italians like siesta better.
I was kinda hopping for some insight, but most of the comments below are just winging. If the sentence is an idiom, then I'm happy with that. Learning can be confusing and frustrating, but hey-ho, in my book a price worth paying.
It's an idiom. The English equivalent is "my bread and butter" meaning that this activity or product is what pays for the food you need to live. "Construction is my bread and butter, I play music for fun" - meaning that they make no real money from their music and they have to work a job in construction to pay the bills.
thanks for your reply. I understand the meaning of the phrase in italian, but I didn't know that english equivalent would be "bread and butter". It is strange when you translate different phrases and then "hop! You're wrong because in english the idiom has two words not one"....
The first time this came around I used daily bread and it accepted it. This time it wants "bread and butter"??
Work is my everyday bread should be correct??... Work is my daily bread I believe is saying the same!!!
"Every day" and "daily" have the same meaning as adverbs. When used as an adjective, "daily" means what you would think, but "everyday" has a meaning closer to "ordinary" or "commonplace." It's just a little nuance, there would be no way of knowing that unless you were told.
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Also I think everyday in Italian is "quotidianamente" the way weekly is "settimanalmente". It would have been more consistent to teach "quotidianamente" as learning patterns helps figure out new words.
I translated it to "I knead my daily bread" because one translation for lavoro is listed as knead. I was way off. :(
Check out the Lord Prayer
il nostro pane quotidiano, Padre Nostro.
Padre nostro che sei nei cieli, sia santificato il tuo Nome, venga il tuo Regno, sia fatta la tua Volontà come in cielo così in terra. Dacci oggi il nostro pane quotidiano, e rimetti a noi i nostri debiti come noi li rimettiamo ai nostri debitori, e non ci indurre in tentazione, ma liberaci dal Male.
In English the idiom "bread and butter" refers to the daily sustenance one needs to live. For example, I sell blankets I've made but my bread and butter is teaching.
When one uses the term "daily bread" it is usually in a religious context. It is a phrase taken from the Lord's prayer. "...give us this day our daily bread." It refers to what sustains a person spiritually, but can refer to one's overall needs.
Since this sentence is referring to work, the "bread and butter" translation is more accurate, though not literal. However, it does seem to be redundant. Most people do not work for fun. :)
A more specific term would seem better. Would an Italian say, "L'insegnamento è il mio pane quotidiano"? When I searched both phrases on the Italian internet "pane quotidiano" was used in this way, while "pane e burro" was not.
Duolingo, I would like to say that the answer is wrong. It says: "Work is my bread and butter"! And it must be: "Work is my dayli bread"!
I must admit I've never seen or heard used either of the two answers as they are given. I have used both phrases at different times but always with further explanation or context, never as stand alone phrases. For work to be my daily bread I think it would need to be more specific unless this person enjoys all work. Bread and butter work implies 'jam' or more lucrative work; construction is my bread and butter work but stripping in the evening is where I make the jam.
i find these tricky ones really helpful. It is so hard to get it right, that you have to really LEARN them.
For a person born in Italy is easy to translate to: "bread and butter"; not for a foreign.
The translation is a misunderstanding of the English idiom, 'my bread and butter', nevermind the Italian.
This sentence both in English and in Italian does NOT make any sense. I don't understand what it's trying to say.
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The volume of the speaker's voice drops so low on the word "pane" that it is indistinguishable from "carne" or some similar word.
This is not right. Not all of us are native engish speakers and we definitely do not have everyday butter! I popoli of the european south have always stangled for bread. This is why we all have similar expressions.
we are asked to translate the sentence into English. The literal translation is perfectly understandable in English. It's another example of Duolingo, it never listens !
I agree with comments beloe. I got that it was an idiom ... got the bread but would never have figured out the butter.
The only translation here was "work is my bread an butter" but I read "work is my daly bread"why is it wrong?
Because the sentence says: "Il lavoro è il mio pane quotidiano". Where is butter?
