22 Comments
Does wheels mean tires in Esperanto? Are these sentences about bicycles, motorcycles, cars, or what?
703
Apparently there is a difference. I just got dinged for saying tires. The local dialect, at least, of American English has tires and wheels being an interchangeable commodity. And, since Duo doesn't teach us pneŭ(matik)o I think that something needs to give.
The words are not synonyms, though some may incorrectly interchange their them in the US. Tires are mounted on wheels. Some may consider a tire to be part of a wheel, I'm not sure which is correct. But on a bicycle, spokes are part of the wheel, not part of the tire. On a car the rims are a part of the wheel, not part of the tire.
- 703
I'm not arguing that point. But if Duo included the word for tires then I would have just kicked myself and gone on. In effect, the wheel is the whole unit which rotates from the axle. The tires, the rims, the spokes, all of them are a part of the wheel.
And, as I look back at this, I can see that asking for Duo to include pneŭmatiko, rando, and spokoj is just getting more technical than some may be ready for.
I see. I suppose the primary confusion is the inaccurate (American) phrasing of "changing a tire (on a car)," and "spare tire". The spare tire include a spare wheel. And changing the tire requires changing the wheel (because of how car tires work).
Perhaps the confusion also comes from our country's worship of cars. On a bicycle changing a tire (tube) and changing a wheel would mean different actions done for different reasons. The distinction exists for bicycles because it is possible for people to mount tires on wheels, and then inflate those tires, themselves.
The phrase given by Duolingo does not specify that a car needs its wheels changed. But I suspect that many people (myself included) made that assumption.
I thought of trains going from China into Russia where the distance between the rails changes. They lift the chssis and change the wheels
The only discussion has been about cars. I have "changed" many tires, but have never "changed" a wheel. In my opinion, this training section is awkwardly presented.
When I lived in Russia, I did change tires on my car's wheels twice a year, though. From winter tires to summer and backwards. This involves going to the tire service, where they do it in 15 minutes. So it is also also common to change tires without changing wheels on some regions.
This seems a little off to me, too. The only vehicle we have learned about so far is car, and generally you "change" a tire, not a whole wheel. Seems like a non-English speaker wrote this part of the training.
- 2045
This one goes so fast, I couldn't even begin to understand what the speaker was saying. Esperanto REALLY needs the turtle option for spoken phrases.
- 1272
No.
Occasionally it helps to change devices, speakers, or headphones. Otherwise consider it ear training.
Sorry really basic question BUT could someone explain when you use 'devas' and when to use 'havas' for - have. I think I can see, but seeking confirmation/correction. Dankon!
"Havas" indicates possession and requires an object--I have a dog. "Devas" is "have TO"--I have to feed the dog."
