Spanish Word of the Day

Quote: Wizard

Una mariposa aleteando las alas en Brazil se puede cambiar la clima en Chicago. = A butterfly flapping its wins in Brazil can change the weather in Chicago.

1) I'm sure that's a misinterpretation of chaos theory.

2) The butterfly isn't doing anything to itself, so you drop the "se"

3) The butterfly isn't flapping some generic wings, but its own. So "..aleteando SUS alas..."

4) I don't know why, but it's EL clima

Quote: Nareed

I don't know why, but it's EL clima

The original noun was masculine κλίνω and it meant "slope" . It was adopted into κλίμα which meant "region" (uplands, lowlands, etc) and kept it's masculine gender despite ending in an 'a'.

Quote: Nareed

1) I'm sure that's a misinterpretation of chaos theory.

I thought that example was the essence of chaos theory in layman's terms.

Quote: Nareed

2) The butterfly isn't doing anything to itself, so you drop the "se"

I didn't have one. I'm always terrified of se because when I do use it I'm never right.

Quote: Nareed

3) The butterfly isn't flapping some generic wings, but its own. So "..aleteando SUS alas..."

I have to respectfully disagree there. Every source on Spanish I've ever seen says body parts and clothing are not possessive.

Quote: Nareed

4) I don't know why, but it's EL clima

Ooops. I was tempted to go with tiempo.

Quote: Wizard

I didn't have one. I'm always terrified of se because when I do use it I'm never right.

Oh, please:

Quote: Wizard

Una mariposa aleteando las alas en Brazil se puede cambiar la clima en Chicago. = A butterfly flapping its wins in Brazil can change the weather in Chicago.

It's ok to make mistakes. It's not ok to pretend you didn't make one.

Quote: Nareed

It's ok to make mistakes. It's not ok to pretend you didn't make one.

Ooops, I did it again. I forgot I had it there. That was out of habit/respect for Cesar Chavez, whose slogan was "Si, se puede."

push_ups+=20;

Quote: Wizard

I thought that example was the essence of chaos theory in layman's terms.

The Ashton Kutcher movie, "The Butterfly Effect" didn't seem to understand the concept at all

Examples of when you can use possessive body parts:"A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish"
"Mis ojos son azules" - here there is no word that makes it clear who is the possessor
"He visto tu nueva falda" - the possessive adjective may suggest that the thing is not being worn - (I saw your new skirt (on sale))
"Usted póngase su camina, no la mía" - avoids ambiguity
"Te toco los labios" - can sound accidental or matter-of-fact

Fecha: 9-6-14
Palabra: traicionar

Today's SWD means to betray. A related word is traición, which means betrayal (noun).

The assignment for the advanced readers is to compare and contrast traición y perfidia, which was the SWD on May 18 (see link).

Ejemplo time.

Greg les traicionó a los otros chavos de Brady cuando firmó el contracto de discos solo. = Greg betrayed the other Brady kids when he signed the record contract on his own.

Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber

Quote: Wizard

The assignment for the advanced readers is to compare and contrast traición y perfidia

The second word also has a strict legal definition regarding certain acts of war. For instance in this description attached to the photo it says that using the Red Cross symbol to cause death is a "perfidy" and considered a war crime. The word can be used the same way in English.




En esta escena de una película recientemente filmada para la televisión estadounidense, un helicóptero militar lleno de soldados e identificado con un símbolo semejante al del CICR, aterriza en un campo de refugiados.
© CICR

Unos minutos después, estalla un enfrentamiento entre los soldados y las fuerzas separatistas, que causa la muerte de numerosos refugiados. Exhibir el emblema para proteger a los combatientes o los equipos militares desplegados en actos hostiles es un caso evidente de uso abusivo del emblema. Aunque sea ficticia, esta escena pone en entredicho la neutralidad y las modalidades de acción del CICR. En la vida real, el uso del emblema con perfidia, cuando ocasiona muertes o lesiones graves, se considera un crimen de guerra.

Quote: Wizard

Greg les traicionó a los otros chavos de Brady cuando firmó el contracto de discos solo. = Greg betrayed the other Brady kids when he signed the record contract on his own.

Drop the "les." And don't say you didn't use it.

Quote: Pacomartin

The Ashton Kutcher movie, "The Butterfly Effect" didn't seem to understand the concept at all

That was a pretty good movie, even if the sense of life portrayed is rather malevolent.

I think the point was that many things can happen, and one action, not matter how well-thought out, will have unforeseen consequences. What I disliked was that nothing the guy ever did had any good consequences. Anythign he did made everything worse. Even at the end when--- well, that would be a spoiler.

BTW, I've no idea where the notion that body parts are not possesive came from, but I'm clasifying it like the rule that states "do not end sentences on a preposition." It's a mere gramatical fetish of no consequence.