¿Como se dice algo parecido a "It defines man"?

Question

Quiero decir (en español) que algo "defines man" en el sentido de que es la caracteristica definitiva del hombre.

I'm trying to say (in Spanish) that something "defines man" in the sense that it is the defining characteristic of man.

I would like to clarify that I'm more concerned with conserving the meaning of something defining man than with obtaining a word-for-word translation. - Maureen-Early, Oct 31, 2009

Answer 1

Maureen-Earl, Based on your understandable need for precision of terms, I went on the Real Academia website and got their definition for "definir": "fijar con claridad, exactitud y precisión la significación de una palabra o la naturaleza de una persona". I think you've got it!! Example: "Sin defines man" - "El pecado define al hombre". (I don't think Descartes would have said that, would he?!)

Thanks so much! And, about Descartes--although that's not what he has in his "Discourse on Method" about what defines man, he was a Christian. - Maureen-Early, Oct 31, 2009

I confess I was confusing him with Voltaire. Sorry! My grasp of French philiosophers is paltry! - mountaingirl123, Oct 31, 2009

Answer 2

By chance I just completed a set of exercises in Gramática básica del estudiante de español covering the the impersonal "pronombre" lo neutro.

To quote:

Lo neutro: Yo eso no lo entiendo. Parece fácil, pero no lo es.

No es fácil: but perhaps this little "lo" is just the ticket for your translation. For example, lo neutro is used as a direct object when referring to an abstract concept ...as expressed in Spanish from the book when it "no es un objeto concreto".

In addition, and I will take the liberty to quote again:

También usamos lo cuando nos referimos al complemento de los verbos ser, estar y parecer.

...so maybe, just maybe, one might imagine that "definir" could be placed into this latter category for the particular case you require.

If so, you could try very simply "Lo define el hombre".

...I suppose one needs that little Spanish a ..con complemento directo de persona"??

But I haven't gotten that far in my grammar yet. I am not sure that "hombre" falls into the "persona" category and so I will leave it to a more knowledgeable speaker, perhaps a native, to stick it in at the right place if it is needed ...Well, I should add: in the event that this sentence is helpful and passes muster at all.

Thanks! :) - Maureen-Early, Oct 31, 2009

And from MountainGirl's post, I see that one would need that "a" and write "Lo define al hombre"!! - Janice, Nov 1, 2009

Answer 3

This sounds interesting...I am wondering what it is that defines man...? Anyway, there is a neat translation tool on this website. At the top of this page, next to the category "answers" there is a "translation" tab. Click on it, then type in your phrase, click "English to Spanish" and you will have 3 choices. I already did this (just to be sure); the last 2 choices are a better bet!

Thanks, I checked the "translation" tab already but wasn't sure if the *meaning* of the phrase was maintained after the translation. - Maureen-Early, Oct 31, 2009

I'd like to know what defines man, too! (I'm writing a philosophy paper, so for the purposes of the sentence I'm trying to write, it matters what Descartes thought on the matter. :) ) - Maureen-Early, Oct 31, 2009