flaco y largo en español but tall and thin in English.

Question

Heidita wrote this

Está más flaco y largo que mapa de Chile.

In English we would say "tall and thin" not the other way round.

Are there other pairs of words that are said "the other" way round?

Great question. - --Mariana--, MAY 6, 2010

interesting question :) - Izanoni1, MAY 6, 2010

Answer 1

Inspiration just hit me

"Comes and goes"

but

"Va y viene"

Wow! - margaretbl, MAY 6, 2010

Answer 2

Otra ejemplo es "tarde o temprano" mientras que en ingles se dice "sooner or later".

Answer 3

I think all those are the same in Spanish.

<

p> A couple of examples in Spanish to someone else to figure it out:

<

p> .

<

p> Aquí y ahora.

<

p> A diestra y siniestra.

Is that last one 'left and right' did you put in Phrasebook? - margaretbl, MAY 6, 2010

I think it is. It means something like "all around". Is it the same in English. I can include it. - 00e657d4, MAY 7, 2010

Answer 4

OK

No examples so here are some in English.

red and white

black and blue

up and down

above and beyond

black and white

in and out

to and fro (from)

there and back

There are lots more - are they the same way round in Spanish?

don't forget "here to there" and "that's neither here nor there" - Izanoni1, MAY 6, 2010

Answer 5

It's not the opposite order, but it is the opposite way of identifying. In English, at the end of a marriage ceremony, they say "I now declare you man and wife," abut in Spanish it's "los declaro marido y mujer" (husband and woman).

Answer 6

Ian, wouldn't tall and thin be alto y flaco? Flaco y largo would be thin and long, right?

I thought the same thing, but Heidita wrote it as "flaco y largo" in her post of yesterday. - --Mariana--, MAY 6, 2010

Would Chile's shape in the map be described as tall? Long seems more correct to me since it is a 2-dimensional representation. - Rikko, MAY 6, 2010

Oh, OK, so largo can also be used to mean tall. - Rikko, MAY 6, 2010

Answer 7

Yes, the real meaning is long, however, this refers to the the height of a man, so largo (look at one of my threads on "más largo que un día sin pan") here is tall.

Answer 8

I think it's talking about "largo" as "long" too.