Spilling and Pouring are so different in English

Question

Why is it that derramar can be used to translate both - surely spilling is accidental and pouring is purposeful?

Answer 1

"Derramar "does not mean both "spill" and "pour"!

Spill: derramar

Pour: Vertir. Verter

vertir or verter? - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010

well it would certainly make sense to have only those two 'different' words but I have definitely seen 'derramar' used for purposeful pouring and RAE seems to back it up. - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010

Verter, sorry. Oh, *purposeful* pouring, yes, as in pouring a bucketfull of water over an unwanted serenader, for example. In that case then, yes. - Gekkosan, Nov 20, 2010

Answer 2

MC, not that I can answer your question but pouring can be on purpose but not necessarily so, at least in the US. Certainly you can pour some coffee but you can also knock over the pot and have it all pour out which is a bit more than spilling a drop of it while pouring. jejeje How's that for confusing?

good point Yesero, yes that's true, the example I came across tho' used derramar meaning to purposely pour out and I wondered how one could know that's what it mean if the same word can mean spill aswell? - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010

ooops - means / as well :) - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010

Oh I can see your point which is why I wasn't about to attempt answering your question. - Yeser007, Nov 20, 2010

Answer 3

In Spanish you say things like 'echar' or 'verter' when you pour a liquid, as in 'he poured some coffee', but in literature you might find 'derramar' in that sense too. However in normal speech it would sound very weird, and would only be used for accidental spills.

thanx Bill, that makes sense, this was definitely literature :) - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010

Answer 4

Derramar is used in the Bible and is usually translated as 'shed', as in this example:

Ha derramado sangre y ese hombre será exterminado de entre su pueblo.

In English:

he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:

I have always used verter when talking about pouring something, but derramar when I spilled it.

that makes sense, just out of interest is it ever used in the Bible regarding holy spirit being poured out? - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010

Act 10:45 Todos los creyentes que eran de la circuncisión (Judíos Cristianos), que habían venido con Pedro, se quedaron asombrados, porque el don del Espíritu Santo había sido derramado también sobre los Gentiles, - Jack-OBrien, Nov 20, 2010

o Hechos 10:45 - Jack-OBrien, Nov 20, 2010

thanx Jack, I thought I'd seen it there and that's a definite pouing out isn't it but as Bill said that fits as a literary work doesn't it, more than every day speech. - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 21, 2010

Answer 5

@ Gekko

This from RAE

Derramar 1. tr. Verter, esparcir cosas líquidas o menudas. U. t. c. prnl. 2. tr. Publicar, extender, divulgar una noticia. 3. tr. Repartir, distribuir entre los vecinos de un pueblo, de una finca urbana, etc., los tributos con que deben contribuir al Estado o a quien tenga facultades para exigirlos. 4. tr. ant. Separar, apartar. 5. intr. ant. desmandarse. 6. prnl. Esparcirse, desmandarse por varias partes con desorden y confusión. 7. prnl. Dicho de un arroyo o de una corriente de agua: Desaguar, desembocar.

This is one of those cases where 'can be used' isn't equivalent to 'should be used' - bill1111, Nov 20, 2010

true, but I asked not because I wanted to use it in this way but I saw it used in this way and was trying to get my head around it :) - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010

To put it in another way.. if you say '¿Quieres que te derrame un vaso de leche?', whoever heard that would stare at you wondering why you said that, and if it had a hidden meaning ;-) - bill1111, Nov 20, 2010

lol, yep I get it, thanx - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010

If you say: she poured the jar of milk over the Earth in order to cleanse it and bless it, then you would use "derramar". If you mean "she poured milk on his coffee", then it is "verter". - Gekkosan, Nov 20, 2010

Answer 6

I just wanted to join

Welcome, Banker. You are in! - Gekkosan, Nov 20, 2010

ja ja :) - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 20, 2010