"Algunos/Unos" - proper usage

Question

Which is more appropriate to translate 'a few' in the movie title 'For A Few Dollars More'?

Edited to be compatible with IntenetExplorer formatting. Please do not use double quote (" ") marks in the question box. - Moe, Nov 25, 2011

Answer 1

Welcome to the forum.

The movie (starring Clint Eastwood?) is "Por unos pocos dólares más". If you go online and type in a search you will get the reviews in Spanish.

(Actually, in view of the other posts, I searched a little more and also found the translation "Por un puñado de dólares" for the same film.)

That was probablly a different movie. A Fistful of Dollars. For a Few Dollars More was the sequel. - 0074b507, Nov 25, 2011

Gracias, gfreed! I am obviously not up on my movies... - mountaingirl123, Nov 25, 2011

Check out the movie posters. The Argentine version says 'Por Unos Dolares Mas' and the Spainish one uses a different title altogether: 'La Muerte Tenia un Precio'. It's a reference to some philosophical text that starts the movie. Thanks again! - papagrande, Nov 26, 2011

Answer 2

Gracias. Funny, the subtitle in my DVD says 'Por unos dólares más'. How does that compare with using 'poco' - what I mean is, many translators seem to use as few words as possible. That may be why they dropped the 'poco'. Which reads better to a native speaker that conveys the title's meaning properly 'unos pocos' or just 'unos'? Also, I see 'Por' favored over 'Para'.

Answer 3

This is an interesting topic and I personally would like to see a more comprehensive summary than I have been able to find.

They are sometimes equivalent, however my understanding is that algunos is more emphatic or specific. Therefore, in this case, I would prefer

Por unos dolares más, or even Unos pocos dolares más.

I am curious to see what a native Spanish speaker might say about this.