volar = blow up

Question

This is something I've recently noticed in a couple of movies: using volar to mean blow up (as in demolish by explosions).

So, are the following using it correctly....

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The demolition company will blow this building up tomorrow. = La compañía de demolición volará este edificio mañana.

Something went wrong, and the lab blew up. = Algo fue mal y se voló el laboratorio.

The house was blown up by the explosion. = La casa fue volando por la explosión.

.

In other words, the thing you're blowing up is the direct object, right?

Answer 1

What dogwood is talking about is known as phrasal verbs. What's interesting about the endings is they have a wide range of meanings beyond those you would normally associate with them but there is an element of logic to it.

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• "up" generally increases or emphasises
• "down" decreases, lowers
• "in" implies entry arrival
• "out" implies departure, leaving diminishment

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- So think of some common verbs and invent a meaning with the prepositions. You'll see that most of the time you are right. There are plenty of compatible opposites such as "speed up" mas rapido "slow down" ralentizar

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These are just a couple. If they are combined with a common but slightly tricky verb such as "get" we can see how it works. A general rule a "rule of thumb" for "get" is that depending on context, it will usually take on the meaning of "movement" =mover in Castellano rather more often than the usual association of coger.

So think of a sentence with get up, get down, get in, get out and you'll see what's happening

Hmmmm.........I hope this makes sense.

Answer 2

I've seen the car was blown to pieces - el coche voló en pedazos

And this one:

Una explosión cataclísmica voló la isla de Krakatoa en pedazos.

But volarse por los aires - to blow oneself up

So it looks like the object getting blown up can be either the subject OR the direct object. - webdunce, Jul 25, 2011

Answer 3

The English terms "blow up", "blow away", "tear down", etc. have always seemed strange to me. They suggest direction to the action. I'm not sure these terms have widespread use, but I have heard them all my life. Other terms like "climb up" are also confusing, since the definition of the verb suggests the direction. I have also heard the term "climb down", but that seems to defy the definition of the verb.

Also, I've noticed people saying "go down the street" or "go up the street" when "the street" is on level ground. In this case, both terms have the same meaning. They are just expressed differently.

It must be difficult for students learning English to understand.

Based on the dictionary on this site, the preposition (used as an adverb in this case) is not carried into the Spanish translation. Here's an example

up

Check the use of "up" as a preposition indicating motion.

In my opinion (and my average hasn't been good lately), the object being "blown up" is the direct object of the action.

It's a good question. I'll look forward to hearing other answers.