Spanish - 3 questions

Kathie Freeman · Aug 26, 2008

The older man in this scene has no money and sometimes resorts to finding meals in restaurant waste containers. His younger companion has a couple of bucks in his pocket and won't consider this action. I need the Spanish equivalent of "Me? Go dumpster diving? I don't think so!"

Also, when you roll down a car window is it "bajar la ventana" or "poner abajo la ventana" or something else?

Last, I need to get it straight about "ing" endings. How would you translate "I was walking aroung the corner and met a man coming out of the swinging door." being that the door may or may not actually be swinging at this moment.

escritora · Aug 26, 2008

I need the Spanish equivalent of "Me? Go dumpster diving? I don't think so!"

I'm interested to see other's translation. The term "dumpster diving" and the phrase "I don't think so" don't translate very well. At least to my ear.

I'd say

"Yo? Banarme en la basura? Ni lo piense!"

Means: Me? Bathe in garbage? Don't even think about it.

Also, when you roll down a car window is it "bajar la ventana" or "poner abajo la ventana" or something else?

If I'm telling someone to roll down the window = Baja la ventana
If I rolled down the window = Yo baje la ventana
If I am going to roll down the window = Yo voy ha bajar la ventana

Kathie Freeman · Aug 29, 2008

I was thinking maybe something like "scavenging", but my dictionary gives "remover basura" and "rebuscador" and that doesn't sound quite right, either.

Can anyone give me any help on the "ing" endings?

JustGo · Aug 29, 2008

Verbs ending in -er and -ir typically end in -iendo, whereas -ar verbs typically end with -ando. My Spanish is a bit rusty, but I believe walking would be caminando and coming would be veniendo (or possibly viniendo - I forget if the root changes...). I've got no idea what swinging is, though, sorry :-(

Make sure you run my translations through a... well, translator before using them. Like I said, I'm rusty.

Deb Kinnard · Aug 30, 2008

"I don't think so" could translate creo que no or en tus sueños, the latter if you need your character to talk snarky.

To put down the window would be bajar la ventana. The forms quoted above are correct with the exception of voy ha bajar la ventana; it would be voy a bajar etc.

Dumpster diving has no exact equivalent, since it's an English idiomatic expression. I like bañarme en la basura quoted above.

As far as the '--ing' endings, it varies. Spanish tenses are not like ours. The 'I was walking around the corner' phrase could be translated Caminaba en torno a la esquina cuando conocí (or choqué con) un hombre etc. "Swinging door" I don't know.

Kathie Freeman · Aug 31, 2008

Thanks for your help. The thing is, my translator always comes up with something like "Caminaba circundamos y resolvimos un hombre que salía de la puerta que giraba." It never gives me a "ando" or "iendo" ending and it just sounds strained to me.

I like en tus sueños 'cause this kid definitely has an attiutde.

Deb Kinnard · Aug 31, 2008

You're very welcome--anytime.

Translators are notoriously non-idiomatic, while real folks (characters) are notoriously the opposite.

If you have further questions, feel free to PM me at any time & I'll do my best.

Symphony · Sep 4, 2008

Kathie Freeman said:
Also, when you roll down a car window is it "bajar la ventana" or "poner abajo la ventana" or something else?

Last, I need to get it straight about "ing" endings. How would you translate "I was walking aroung the corner and met a man coming out of the swinging door." being that the door may or may not actually be swinging at this moment.

Don't know the first one about dumpster-diving (don't even understand that one in English - sorry).

When you roll down a car window it's 'bajar la ventana'. A few minutes ago, baje la ventana (with an accent on the 'e' of baje). A few minutes from now I'm going to bajar la ventana.

I was walking = Andaba
I met a man coming out of the door = Me encontre (accent on final 'e') con un hombre que salia de la puerta (could be 'revolviendo' but I'm sure there's a shorter and less literal way of saying it)

VeggieChick · Sep 4, 2008

Symphony said:
When you roll down a car window it's 'bajar la ventana'.

Where are the characters from? That would affect the language a lot. People from Mexico speak very differently to people from Argentina or from Spain. As far as I can tell, a car window is a "ventanilla" rather than a "ventana" (at least in certain countries I've lived in), so you need to establish place beforehand.

Kathie Freeman · Sep 4, 2008

Okay, so I think I finally have it on the ing endings.

Since I'm using US place names, the characters would likely be from the US or Mexico just to keep it simple.

As far as the other, I'm wavering between "Bañarme en la basura" and "Comer de la basura"

oneblindmouse · Sep 10, 2008

To roll down the window is "bajar la ventana", so the past tense would be "bajé la ventana."

And It's never ever "voy ha" followed by the infinitive, but "voy a" followed by the infinitive. They sound the same, but "ha" is from the auxiliary verb "haber".

"ventanilla" applies to the window of a ticket office, box office, etc.

marie2 · Sep 13, 2008

Me? Go dumpster diving? I don't think so!

Yo? Tirarme a rebuscar en la basura? Ni lo pienses!

"I was walking around the corner and met a man coming out of the swinging door."

Estaba caminando alrededor de la cuadra cuando me encontré con un hombre saliendo por una puerta giratoria.

Hope that helps

oneblindmouse · Sep 14, 2008

The word for street block is different in different cultures. "cuadra" means a stable in Spanish spoken in Spain, and causes much amusement, whereas we use the word "manzana", which literally means "apple" and presumably causes equal amusement the other side of the Atlantic. I've always wondered if "the Big Apple" comes from "the big block" or from "the big temptation of Eve"!

Kathie Freeman · Sep 14, 2008

oneblindmouse said:
I've always wondered if "the Big Apple" comes from "the big block" or from "the big temptation of Eve"!

I think it comes from an advertising slogan they used in the '60's - something along the lines of "New York is a like a big apple, come take a bite."

Anyway, I much prefer "un hombre saliendo" to "un hombre que salia". It sounds more natural to my ear.

Spanish - 3 questions

Kathie Freeman

That Crazy Cat Lady

escritora

.

Kathie Freeman

That Crazy Cat Lady

JustGo

Digging through graves of giants

Deb Kinnard

Kathie Freeman

That Crazy Cat Lady

Deb Kinnard

Symphony

VeggieChick

Kathie Freeman

That Crazy Cat Lady

oneblindmouse

The new me

marie2

slowly but surely

oneblindmouse

The new me

Kathie Freeman

That Crazy Cat Lady