Has perdido la antigüedad....

Question

Hi everybody

This is slightly slangy....not very mind you, but I can't even think of how to say this. In the dictionary it says: length of service....does not work here at all.

But, the situation is the following: I had student for three years, and another for two, the first left but has come back, so the other guy is not the "oldest" any more, the other one is....so I would say here:

Oye, has perdido la antigüedad, Pepa ha vuelto.

Any other way of saying this than:

You are not my oldest student any more as Pepa is back.

???

Answer 1

This might sound strange in Spanish but I would say to a young person, "You are no longer my chief cook and bottle washer" (This is an idiom which means you have lost your preferred status.

or perhaps, "You are no longer top dog."link text I have also heard, "You are second on the totem pole"

I L O V E it, bottle washer, jejeje, wonderful - 00494d19, Oct 18, 2010

Gracias, Heidita :) - Brynleigh, Oct 20, 2010

Answer 2

You have lost your seniority.

Great minds think alike ;-) - Richard-Thomas, Oct 17, 2010

Answer 3

You word you are probably looking for is senior or seniority:

"You are not my most senior student any more..."

"You don't have seniority any more..."

Thanks ricahar, also used for kids? - 00494d19, Oct 17, 2010

Seniority significa just eso, Heidita: antigüedad. El más antigüo o expermentado en cualquier cosa es "senior", no importa su edad. - Gekkosan, Oct 17, 2010

Seniority technically applies, Heidita, but would not be a familiar term with most children. Highschoolers would likely know the term...especially as the last four grades are called "freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors." - webdunce, Oct 18, 2010

Answer 4

Mi reina, you could say "You have lost your seniority." This word can be used for age status as well as time-of-hire status and level of rank in the military although the miltary term is usually "You have rank."

Answer 5

Short Answer

For kids, I'd probably say: I'm sorry, now that Pepa is back, you've lost your place.

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Rambling Essay

Depending on how obvious it is that Pepa will be dethroning the other student as far as seniority goes, I might actually spell it out: I'm sorry, now that Pepa is back, you've lost your place as the student who has been in my class the longest. So, if it's obvious, I wouldn't spell it out. (I'm guessing seniority is a big deal in the class.) But, if it isn't obvious, I'd spell it out.

By the way, class seniority is pretty much meaningless here. We get a new class and new teacher each year. Once past grade five, you actually will have several classes and teachers, some of which might even change mid-year. On the other hand, being from a more senior grade is a huge deal. There is even a (thankfully fading) tradition of upperclassmen hazing the freshmen, the mere thought of which I always despised and never understood (I'm going to do painful and/or embarrassing things to you because you are in ninth grade???)

Seniority is more for people in corporations and rank for the military...though both expressions (lost seniority and lost rank) would likely be understood by teens.

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You are not my oldest student any more as Pepa is back.

This didn't sound quite right and I had to go hunting through an online thesaurus to figure it out, but I think it is more correct to say: You are not my most senior student any more as Pepa is back.

"Oldest" would refer strongly to the student's actual age while "most senior" could refer to age alone OR it could refer to how long one has been a member of some organization (the organization being your class, in this case).

"Most senior" is not something kids would understand, though. Dad-gum, it's not something most people would say, either, except in the context of employees or military personnel (it can apply in other contexts...it just isn't done too frequently).

I think we would more likely use a clause: You are not the student, who has been in my class the longest any more, as Pepa is back.

I liked your long answer, web, what is the dad gum though? - 00494d19, Oct 18, 2010

Dadgum is a "polite" cuss word, kinda like darn...maybe less vulgar and sounds very "country." - webdunce, Oct 18, 2010

Answer 6

To a kid I would say epa has been here the longest./Or Pepa has been here longer than you. You have been here second longest. or You are next in line.

Answer 7

I do not like the idea of translating with "seniority" for children in school at all. Although one can be ironic or funny, the question is "how to express the same idea in English."

In addition, I am not sure that Heidita really wants to say that because Pepe is back, the student who has only been with her for two years is no longer "top dog"? ...the more important to her. Or?

In other words, what can she say if she merely wants to express that Pepe has been with her longer.

She cannot say "oldest" because the student who has been with her for fewer years may in fact be the older of the two.

Maybe we could try something simple along the lines of .."Hey, hey young fellow (or little lady), You are no longer the student who has been with me the longest."

Maybe - if there is some sort of premium attached to having been longest in the class rather than in doing best in the class, Heidita could introduce the idea gently with "I'm so sorry...I am afraid that you are no longer the student who has been with me the longest." ¨

If the intention is to be brusque (the student is misbehaving):

Oye, has perdido la antigüedad, Pepa ha vuelto.

..then we might translate: "Listen! you are no longer the kid who's been around the longest."

Answer 8

Oye! No vas a la cabeza mas! Pepe ha vuelto!

Hey! Your not top dog anymore, Pepe is back!

(Ir a la cabeza=to be top dog)

Answer 9

Hola querido novio: Gracias por tu pronta respuesta.

Does this sound rather formal? I am talking children here.....

Answer 10

Can you confirm if I can say, hey, you lost rank! That sounds very funny, or should it be ...your rank?

I think it sounds funny. Lost your rank would be better. But in the USA neither would be as good as losing seniority.

Besos

gracias novio, eres el mejor:) - 00494d19, Oct 17, 2010

Answer 11

Mi novia me dijo: Does this sound rather formal? I am talking children here....

You could still use it for kids. It's a bit ironic / cute used for children, but it would be said with a smile and no thought whatsoever of impropriety.

jeje, divertido, como siempre, novio uno:P - 00494d19, Oct 17, 2010

Answer 12

Heidi

I think you have got it right, "you are not/no longer my oldest student".

By the way, can you say "has perdido la juventud", if a student with a younger age joins.

o, that is not possible, has perdido la antigüedad....that is what we say, no matter the age - 00494d19, Oct 17, 2010

Answer 13

I was thinking more of adults, it probably would be a little formal for children. I can't think of a less formal alternative at the moment.

Answer 14

"You are no longer my chief cook and bottle washer" (This is an idiom which means you have lost your preferred status. "You are no longer top dog I have also heard, "You are second on the totem pole"totem pole

Bryn, this is simply...G R E A T! I am laughing my head off here, wonderful, chief cook, jejeje, and I think the top dog is just out of this world, Joe suggested that too, wonderful!!!!

Answer 15

I agree with "you have lost your seniority" for any age.

Seniority

--a privileged status attained by length of continuous service.