Patio and Yard
I came across a series of translations that have left me confused. I was hoping someone could help me make sense of this. The English words for 'patio' (paved area outside of house used for recreation) and 'yard' (ground outside of house) both translate to patio in Spanish. I was wondering how I would communicate that I was on a concrete 'patio' and not just standing in my yard. While trying to find out how to differentiate between the two I found out that 'yard' is sometimes referred to as jardín which I thought meant 'garden'. I would like to know what words you would use for 'patio' and 'yard' or any tips on distinguishing the two. Gracias de antemano.
3 Answers
Think about it like this: In England, there is no word for 'yard'. They just say garden. Of course, when you're sitting on the patio, you're also in the garden, and when you're pulling weeds and planting flowers, you're also in the garden.
The same applies to Spanish in this case. Jardín is the yard and the garden which also includes the patio.
Estoy sentado en el jardín. Estamos jugando en el jardín. Sembramos flores en el jardín. Los arbustos definen la orilla del jardín.
All of what you said is true. Another word that's used to distinguish these things is césped, which means lawn or grass.
Hi Jsan, yes - it seems that the translations are a bit 'loose' and also you have to remember what is a patio in one country could be something else somewhere else. We just had a very interesting series of posts trying to find out what a 'deck' should be called and I was able to ascertain that I should be referring to mine as an 'azotea'. I think you might have to do as Kevin suggests and just say patio con... or something else descriptive. Someone else may come along with 'the answer' though!!!
