Well, it is an idiom but that doesn't prevent it from retaining its literal meaning. The idiom is basically a shortened form of "They were swimming as though their lives depended on it." i.e. Making the greatest possible effort.

A small aside: "the water came in the house" is a bit lacking in drama and suggestion of danger. It would improve your argument if you were to say, instead, "the house was being flooded".

I am not familiar with that idiom, Melissa. I know "swimming against the tide" or "with the current" but am not sure what your professor is referring to. What I imagine is that the professor is referring to the "for their lives" part of the phrase.

"He ran for his life." "They paddled for their lives." "They swam for their lives" all imply, I think, that the protagonists are trying to get away from something following them. Something is threatening and the protagonists must escape.

That may be why your phrasing does not sound natural for this context. I could help you further, I am sure, if I had more of your paragraph. For example, did they have to swim because there was nothing to grab onto? Did the water sweep them from their house? .. out to sea? Were they in a hurricane? (I am (currently) from Florida

While we are at it (that phrase is also idiomatic, by the way), may I (ever so slightly) correct your English?
You should pose your question this way: "How do I say.." or "How can I say..."

Please correct me in any way you see necessary (English, Spanish). I don't want to continue to make the same grammar errors that I seem to have been making all this time.Tthe more I learn Spanish, the more I learn that I have been applying incorrect phrase, word, and grammar usage in English, since English is my first language. It has been a great experience.

Anyways, here is more of my story:

Por ejemplo, un hombre dijo que él vivió en Galveston, Tejas con su familia y su madre cuando un huracán, se llama Ike, cambió su vida. Por muchos días la ciudad estaba esperando este Huracán. Pero cuando la familia de este hombre se fue, su madre no quería dejó. Por eso, él no quería dejó tampoco. ÿl sabía que esta decisión era peligrosa.

Los dos estaban solos en la casa de su madre estaba al lado del mar. Cuando el agua entró muy rápido y más fuerte nadaban para salvarse la vida. Cuando el agua retrocedió la madre le dijo que la próxima vez saldría también.

I didn't know how to say 'flooded' so my teacher told me to just put that it entered the house.

Please let me know what you think.
Any help is much appreciated.

Best wishes,

Melissa Young

Janice said:

I am not familiar with that idiom, Melissa. I know "swimming against the tide" or "with the current" but am not sure what your professor is referring to. What I imagine is that the professor is referring to the "for their lives" part of the phrase."He ran for his life." "They paddled for their lives." "They swam for their lives" all imply, I think, that the protagonists are trying to get away from something following them. Something is threatening and the protagonists must escape.That may be why your phrasing does not sound natural for this context. I could help you further, I am sure, if I had more of your paragraph. For example, did they have to swim because there was nothing to grab onto? Did the water sweep them from their house? .. out to sea? Were they in a hurricane? (I am (currently) from FloridaWhile we are at it (that phrase is also idiomatic, by the way), may I (ever so slightly) correct your English'You should pose your question this way: "How do I say.." or "How can I say..."

>

Whoops...I think I am the wrong person to offer help here I misread your post as to be asking how to restate the "swimming for their lives" expression in English to be sure that the reader would understand that the persons had to actually swim to survive. Someone who speaks Spanish will have to tell you whether or not "swimming for their lives" whatever that translates to in Spanish, is idiomatic or not

By the way, I understand enough Spanish to have been able to read your paragraphs. Hurricane Ike was really devastating, wasn´t it! I think that your fellow and his Mother were lucky. In a photograph I have here from the cover of a local magazine in Austin, Texas, one sees just one lonely house even standing. Your hero and heroine would most certainly have just been swept away with their belongings if their home had been located on that beach.

Melissa said:

Please correct me in any way you see necessary (English, Spanish). I don't want to continue to make the same grammar errors that I seem to have been making all this time.Tthe more I learn Spanish, the more I learn that I have been applying incorrect phrase, word, and grammar usage in English, since English is my first language. It has been a great experience. Anyways, here is more of my story:

Por ejemplo, un hombre dijo que él vivió en Galveston, Tejas con su familia y su madre cuando un huracán, se llama Ike, cambió su vida. Por muchos días la ciudad estaba esperando este Huracán. Pero cuando la familia de este hombre se fue, su madre no quería dejó. Por eso, él no quería dejó tampoco. ÿl sabía que esta decisión era peligrosa.

Los dos estaban solos en la casa de su madre estaba al lado del mar. Cuando el agua entró muy rápido y más fuerte nadaban para salvarse la vida. Cuando el agua retrocedió la madre le dijo que la próxima vez saldría también.

I didn't know how to say 'flooded' so my teacher told me to just put that it entered the house.

Please let me know what you think.

Any help is much appreciated.

Best wishes,

Melissa Young

Janice said:

I am not familiar with that idiom, Melissa. I know "swimming against the tide" or "with the current" but am not sure what your professor is referring to. What I imagine is that the professor is referring to the "for their lives" part of the phrase."He ran for his life." "They paddled for their lives." "They swam for their lives" all imply, I think, that the protagonists are trying to get away from something following them. Something is threatening and the protagonists must escape.That may be why your phrasing does not sound natural for this context. I could help you further, I am sure, if I had more of your paragraph. For example, did they have to swim because there was nothing to grab onto? Did the water sweep them from their house? .. out to sea? Were they in a hurricane? (I am (currently) from FloridaWhile we are at it (that phrase is also idiomatic, by the way), may I (ever so slightly) correct your English'You should pose your question this way: "How do I say.." or "How can I say..."

>

Melissa said:

Cuando el agua entró muy rápido y más fuerte nadaban para salvarse la vida.
Sorry, when you said that your teacher labeled "for their lives" as an idiom, I somhow got the impression that you were translating into English. So I'll make some suggestions and leave it to the native speakers to polish/correct them. Cuando se inundó la casa se echaron a nadar como locos (or a nadar a todo poder). You could also tack on "para salvarse la vida" at the end for additional emphasis. If your teacher really objects to "inundar" (which means, in this case, "flooded") because you haven't "had" this word yet, You could make it "Cuando entraron las aguas se echaron ..."

:

Gracias, para ayudame

"Gracias" is a short for "Te doy las gracias" (I say thanks to you), and "para" indicates who receives the thanks, which is a bit absurd, since "you" is already implicit in "Gracias". So "Gracias para ayudarme" would be translated as "I thank you to Mr. Ayudarme". You have to say "Gracias por ayudarme", as "por" indicates the reason why you are thanking someone.

Te doy las Gracias por ayudarme.

lazarus1907 said:

:

Gracias, para ayudame

"Gracias" is a short for "Te doy las gracias" (I say thanks to you), and "para" indicates who receives the thanks, which is a bit absurd, since "you" is already implicit in "Gracias". So "Gracias para ayudarme" would be translated as "I thank you to Mr. Ayudarme". You have to say "Gracias por ayudarme", as "por" indicates the reason why you are thanking someone.

>

Pero cuando la familia de este hombre se fue, su madre no quería dejó. Por eso, él no quería dejó tampoco.
no quería salir. dejar usually has a direct object (leave someone/something behind) Déjelo encima de la mesa. (leave it on the table.) or it may mean to permit. Déjeme pasar. Let me past.

Even if dejar were the correct verb it would be no quería dejar. You dont conjugate both verbs.

Estaban nadando para salvar sus vidas''.. They were swimming to save their lives

Tuvieron que nadar para salvar sus vidas they had to swim to save their lives

Nadaron para salvar sus vidas they swam to save their lives

Gracias, para ayudame gracias por ayudarme ......gracias por la ayuda ..or gracias por su ayuda