Spanish Word of the Day

Quote: Wizard

At some point I think it was discussed how to say "pancake" in Spanish. I hope the above sign shed some light on that question.

Did you notice the sign in English as well? If I had a restaurant catering to American tourists, and I wanted to call attention to its pancakes, I'd also name it American-fashion rather than Mexican-fashion.

Pancakes in mexico are largely known as Hot Cakes.

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I noticed lots of small convenience stores calling themselves a "mini super." Is it just me, or is this a contradiction in terms?

It's short for "mini-supermercado," or "small supermarket." That's what convenience stores are called. OF course, you could also ask, for instance "¿Hay un Seven por aquí cerca?" and be directed to the nearest convenience store.

Quote: Wizard

Today's SWD means to be slippery.

Actually it means "to slip"

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Until I change my mind, instead of creating my own examples, which are always replete with errors, I will just quote from the book where I found the word.

We wouldn't you know it:

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Ejemplo time

Pooh intentó lavar el piso, ¡pero el jabón lo puso muy resbaloso! = Pooh tried to wash the floor. But the soap made it very slippery!

Quote: Nareed

"...¡pero el jabón lo HIZO muy resbaloso!"

Tell it to the writer/translator of Día de limpieza.

In the English Winnie the Pooh books, especially the older ones, the writing is deliberately childlike, especially when referring to Pooh, who is a "bear of little brains." Perhaps that is what is at play here.

Quote: Wizard

Tell it to the writer/translator of Día de limpieza.

If you don't know by now my view on 99.99999999% of translations, it's to late to talk about it now.

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In the Enligh Winnie the Pooh books, especially the older ones, the writing is deliberately childlike, especially when referring to Pooh, who is a "bear of little brains." Perhaps that is what is at play here.

That's a Trekki attitude. The original does not contain a similar error.

Pooh intentó lavar el piso, ¡pero el jabón lo puso muy resbaloso! - professional tranlsation
Pooh intentó lavar el piso, ¡pero el jabón lo HIZO muy resbaloso! - Nareed

For what it's worth I think the professional translation is awkward.

En la casa del jabonero el que no cae resbala

"In the House of the Maker of Soap, he who doesn't fall, slips."

The meaning seems to be some kind of warning to a person who is pointing out how someone screwed up. You are always going to at least "slip". I can't think of the equivalent proverb in English.

Quote: Nareed

Did you notice the sign in English as well? If I had a restaurant catering to American tourists, and I wanted to call attention to its pancakes, I'd also name it American-fashion rather than Mexican-fashion. Pancakes in mexico are largely known as Hot Cakes.

It's short for "mini-supermercado," or "small supermarket." That's what convenience stores are called. OF course, you could also ask, for instance "¿Hay un Seven por aquí cerca?" and be directed to the nearest convenience store.

Cabo, Cancun, and to some extent Tijuana are a product of the combined cultures.

I am guessing that "Seven" is short for 7-11. While they may be more commonplace in Mexico City, in the small towns OXXO seems to be the dominant convenience store.

While "supermarket" was probably the word in the 1950's to refer to large markets, I am guessing that mercado conjures up visions of a traditional market in Mexico. So the "super" has inadvertently come to mean "modern".

Quote: Pacomartin

For what it's worth I think the professional translation is awkward.

I think it doens't make sense. How do you put a floor slippery?

I could go with "dejó el piso muy resbaloso" as that would mean "it left the floor very slippery," which does make sense as well.

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The meaning seems to be some kind of warning to a person who is pointing out how someone screwed up. You are always going to at least "slip". I can't think of the equivalent proverb in English.

More or less. It was used decades ago in a short-lived blooper-type show.

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I am guessing that "Seven" is short for 7-11. While they may be more commonplace in Mexico City, in the small towns OXXO seems to be the dominant convenience store.

Oh, it varies a great deal. In Morelia and Queretaro there are even regional places. And in addition to Oxxo, there's Círculo K and Extra. But the quasi-generic name for all of those is "seven." Maybe because they are the most common. It's not unusual to find two stores within two blocks of each other. In fact, the block where my office is in has two 7-11s, one in each corner (I speculate the franchises are owned by the same person, but I have no evidence).

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While "supermarket" was probably the word in the 1950's to refer to large markets, I am guessing that mercado conjures up visions of a traditional market in Mexico. So the "super" has inadvertently come to mean "modern".

No. Supermercado means exactly the same thing as supermarket in English. It's shortened to "Super."

Quote: Nareed

No. Supermercado means exactly the same thing as supermarket in English. It's shortened to "Super."

In the USA the term "Supermarket" is defined by the Smithsonian. The first one was King Kullen in Queens, NY opened in 1930 and it has to be LARGE, and primarily self service, with produce on one side. Most items are pre-packaged with only a few things measured out and wrapped for the individual customer.

Even though there are many places to get self service food (Kmart, Walmart, 7-11, and even drug stores) we tend to still reserve Supermarket for LARGE stores. Fresh & Easy (a British chain of roughly 200 markets that are usually 8 aisles and the size of drug stores) tend to steer away from the term supermarket and instead call themselves "neighborhood markets".


Although the prefixes "mini-" and "super-" are not precisely antonyms, most people treat them that way.

Quote: Pacomartin

Pooh intentó lavar el piso, ¡pero el jabón lo puso muy resbaloso! - professional tranlsation
Pooh intentó lavar el piso, ¡pero el jabón lo HIZO muy resbaloso! - Nareed.

I'm in no position to correct Nareed, but as someone tring to learn the language when I see poner I ask myself, okay what kind of idiom is it in this time. For example, pone de pie. means stand up. I think it is common to say se puso for he/she became.

Quote: Pacomartin

The first one was King Kullen in Queens, NY opened in 1930 and it has to be LARGE,[..]

How large is large?

The typical Walmart here is alrge. Smaller supermarkets operated by Walmart use either the "Superama" or "Aurrera" brands. Comercial Mexicana has some subdivisions, too, but not as clear. They come in a variety of sizes either way. And they are all "Supers" in Mexico.

I was just in the Walmart in San Jose del Cabo on Sunday. It is about the same size as a large US Walmart. That is where I bought the Winnie the Pooh book Día de limpieza. I was hoping to buy some Los Tigres del Norte CDs, but they didn't have any CDs at all.