de cabo a rabo
So, I was reading a book on Spanish grammar and there was a phrase that translated the expression from top to bottom as de cabo a rabo. I would personally use de arriba abajo, and I think de cabo a rabo means from start to finish. Por ejemplo: leí un libro de cabo a rabo. I really think this book is wrong, but I was also thinking these expressions may be able to be used interchangeably. ¿Qué piensan ustedes?
7 Answers
Por ejemplo: leí un libro de cabo a rabo. I really think this book is wrong, but I was also thinking these expressions may be able to be used interchangeably. ¿Qué piensan ustedes?
Wrong? It is perfect! "De cabo a rabo" (or "de cabo a cabo") means from the beginning to the end, which couldn't be a better description for a book. "De arriba abajo" means pretty much the same and it can also be used, but you don't start at the top of a book after all, do you? (just joking, it can be used)
Look at these literary examples:
...le sirvieron para aprenderse la Biblia de cabo a rabo
...gran alivio, y después de leer de cabo a rabo el libro del Emilio...
...como cuando lees de cabo a rabo cinco periódicos seguidos...
jeje, pues claro que sé la respuesta, pescador, pero contesto pocas respuestas ya que siempre tengo mucho lío.
Si dices de arriba abajo te puedes referir a una página de un libro, from top to bottom. Si es el libro entero: de cabo a rabo.
sin embargo, si el texto es de hecho solo una hoja o página...también puedes decir de cabo a rabo, ya que es el "todo".
En definitiva: de cabo a rabo: you read it all, from top to bottom or any other way, but you read it all
De arriba abajo: you read it from top to bottom, which under certain circumstances can also mean all
"De cabo a rabo" really means "from one end to the other", and can be used in place of many English phrases:
from start to finish
from beginning to end
from head to toe
from top to bottom
inside out (as in knowing someone inside out)
from A to Z
from end to end
and many others.
"Había limpiado la casa de arriba abajo".
I wish you had said that right from the start
I personally think this sounds better than de cabo a rabo... I would not use de cabo a rabo for cleaning.
Limpié el armario de arriba abajo...sounds good
Wait for more answers, let's see what Lazarus or cogumela say
O.k. so maybe i was using the wrong context. I don't necessarily mean reading a page in a book. The specific sentence I am talking about translated "Había limpiado la casa de cabo a rabo ". Y creo que debería ser : "Había limpiado la casa de arriba abajo".
[1]: http://www.wordmagicsoft.com/dictionary/es-en/de cabo a rabo.php
de ca·bo a ra·bo Adverb
- from beginning to end, all along the line, all the way through, from A to Z, from bow to stern, from end to end, from one end to the other, through and through, from a to izzard;
Synonyms: de extremo a extremo, de pe a pa, de principio a fin, del principio al fin, en toda la línea, in extenso; De cabo a rabo. Completa, entera y totalmente, desde el principio hasta el final. ; De cabo a cabo. Completa, entera y totalmente, desde el principio hasta el final.
de cabo a rabo -> from beginning to end
Heidita, please help me! You edited my question in 1.43 seconds, and I'm about 94.9 percent sure you know the answer. These are the little things that separate me from a beginner and an intermediate beginner. qfreed thanks for the definition, but Im really looking for a little more insight.
