grammar: "a caballo regalado ..."
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Could someone kindly provide a literal translation of "a caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes" and break down the grammar? I know that it means roughly "don't look a gift horse in the mouth", but the "no se le miran los dientes part" just isn't making sense. Are the teeth doing the looking? Are "they" looking? At what? Gracias por ayudarme!
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updated JUN 15, 2010
posted by ddogg
1 Answer
0
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a caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes
A un caballo regalado = a given horse (as a present)
no se le miran los dientes= you (impersonal) don't look him his teeth
Literallly that's what it is.
Se is impersonal here, so you (impersonal, or "one") are doing the looking.
updated JUN 15, 2010
posted by 00494d19
if one is doing the looking, why the -an ending? should i think of it as "the teeth are not looked at - ddogg, JUN 15, 2010
