Spanish phrases? Or not?

Question

A veces pienso que no soy tan brillante (bien, en realidad la mayor parte del tiempo). I am attempting more writing in Spanish and am puzzling over two English phrases which are similar in sound and use, but have a distinct though subtle difference in meaning and application. "To take time" and "to make time". I am ashamed to put my efforts at these in Spanish here. Help!! I have tried using traer and tomar for the first (and they sound not quite right - somehow off?) and hacer for the second which comes out sounding like "doing time" (i.e., in prison). Muchas gracias mis amigos de antemano!

Answer 1

Lector, I just found this on another post and it might be more appropriate than "hacer":

Te animo a que reserves algo de tiempo para ti mismo.

I encourage you to set aside time for yourself.

• Yes, this is definitely a lot closer, thank you! It definitely goes in the list. - Lector_Const Feb 16, 2012

Answer 2

Tomarse su tiempo para hacer algo. Tómate tu tiempo para pensar sobre ello.

Estoy haciendo tiempo tomándome un café, hasta que empiece la película.

• Gracias. - xocoyote Feb 14, 2012
• Un placer - olijosman Feb 15, 2012

Answer 3

Great question! I would say 'tomar tiempo' and 'hacer tiempo'(hacer is a verb that means to make).

• why thank you! porque son ellos que hice :-> - Lector_Const Feb 14, 2012

Answer 4

Lector...Martha is correct and here is the dictionary entry that shows it:

tomarse
pronomial verb
1 to have (comida, bebida) ; to take (tiempo, medicina)
2 to take (interpretar)

I also agree on the hacer.

Answer 5

I am smugly pleased that I went with "tomar" for "to take" (time), thank you very much!

Now, about "to make time" ... It bothers me. You cannot turn a crank and manufacture time; the real implication is that your schedule is revised so that there will be time left over from other tasks (free time) and I am still trying to figure this one out. In Spanish, does one "liberate some time"?? Or, as in English, did the extra phrases/clauses get dropped from "to make a place in one's schedule which will be free for" ... whatever?? (I think this is where "making time" came from - but what do I know, I am not quite that old ... yet! ho-ho!)

Answer 6

According to my phrasebook

to make time for something hacer tiempo para algo

• take your time = toma tu tiempo = (Spain) coge tu tiempo - handy Feb 16, 2012