Germany is not so hot as Portugal

Question

I was thinking about these two sentences:

Germany is not so hot as Portugal

Germany is not as hot as Portugal

I think both of them are correct, aren't they?

Thank you.

Germany is not so hot as Portugal - could indicate that the speaker thinks Portugal is too hot. - ian-hill, Dec 27, 2011

Answer 1

'Not as hot as' indicates that the weather is not as warm there.

'Not so hot as' indicates that it is not as fashionable or as desirable as the other. It is a slang usage, but common.

Hi Joyce, Do you mind if I comment on this? It is entirely correct to say, "It is not so hot in Portugal as it is here." To say that would not be current slang; in fact it is (now) a somewhat archaic usage. - Jeremias, Dec 27, 2011

Whichi is not to say that calling something not so 'hot' in the sense of not so 'great' is not a slang usage, but there is another usage as well in which 'so' is equivalent to 'as'. - Jeremias, Dec 27, 2011

Jeremias, you have a point, but you have added, "as it is here" to make them equal. Here is the dictionary entry for hot: http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/hot - JoyceM, Dec 27, 2011

Jeezle's comment makes my point about slang. - JoyceM, Dec 27, 2011

I hear "not so hot" a lot. - jeezzle, Dec 27, 2011

Answer 2

Germany is not so hot as Portugal - Germany sucks compared to Portugal.

Germany is not as hot as Portugal - Germany has a cooler climate than Portugal.

That's right - Ranman, Dec 27, 2011

Answer 3

Yes, they are both correct. Using 'as' would be more common.

I agree. As is the more commonly used option. - annierats, Dec 27, 2011

Only the second is correct, if you are talking about the weather. - faliron, Dec 27, 2011

Answer 4

'Not so hot as' indicates that it is not as fashionable or as desirable as the other. It is a slang usage, but common.

¡Hola Nila:!

Las dos frases son completamente correctas pero el uso de "so ... as" es ristringido a los cultos (creo que los británicos todavía lo usan en conversación). Además, en los *Estados Juntitos" ha adquerido otro sentido (mencionado por Ianta) de "no tan bueno/amable como" (y eso también contribuye a la confusión).

Hace tiempo que te hiciste miembro (¿Ha llegado a ser aceptado la forma "miembra"?) del foro y supongo que ya sabes que a pesar del entusmiasmo o convicción que tienen, hay muchos jovenes que no conocen bien su propia lengua. Desde luego, eso no los impide de dar sus propias opiniones sobre la gramatica inglesa.Para ellos lo "acustumbrado" es lo "correcto".

¿Miembra?. I would say that it is correct. Anyway, some people are not used to it and they say "una miembro" instead of "una miembra". - nila45, Dec 28, 2011

Answer 5

What we are discussing here is the use of 'as' and 'so' in comparative clauses.

Technically, they are two-part comparative subordinating conjunctions.

It is interesting that these conjunctions are used differently in assertive vrs. negative clauses. In an assertive clause, only 'as' is correct. In a negative comparative clause, either 'as' or 'so' may be used as the primary comparative conjunction.

The lake was as blue as the ocean. Correct.

The lake was so blue as the ocean. Incorrect.

The lake was not so blue as the ocean. Correct.

The lake was not as blue as the ocean. Correct.

In an asser

Let's me see. The two last sentences are identical. - nila45, Dec 28, 2011

Sorry, Nila. You may have figured out the error, but if not I corrected it. - Jeremias, Dec 28, 2011

Excellent. You have supplied a good rule of thumb. Who would have thought I would learn something about English usage while trying to learn Spanish? - Peggy_Hill, Dec 29, 2011

Answer 6

I'm a native English speaker, and frankly, I didn't know if there was a difference, so I googled it. As far as (ha!) I can tell, there is no grammatical difference between so ... as and as ... as. The difference is all in usage.

In the Northeastern United States where I live, I would guess that as ... as is much more common. So ... as has the potential to sound extremely stuffy and pretentious.

As for your two sentences, this is how I saw the difference between them when I read them together:Germany is not so hot as Portugal -- It is summer in Europe and the weather is currently hot in both countries, but slightly milder in Germany. Germany is not as hot as Portugal -- The typical German climate is cooler than Portugal's most of the time.

As I considered each sentence on its own, there was no difference between them.

I'm sure that clears up nothing. I would use as ... as more often than not.

Peggy, there is a difference. See my note in this thread. - Jeremias, Dec 27, 2011

Answer 7

And what about "Spain is so hot as Portugal"?

That is interesting, Nila, because this is not correct. In a positive comparison, one must use 'as', 'so' is incorrect.

Answer 8

You can say "something is not so hot", but you cannot say "something is not so hot as something else". It is grammatically incorrect. This is true of adjectives in general: there is nothing special about the word hot.

She's not so tall. (good)
She's not as tall as Shaq. (good)
She's not so tall as Shaq. (wrong)

Good answer. - nila45, Dec 28, 2011

Answer 9

Germany is not so hot as Portugal - could indicate that the speaker thinks Portugal is too hot. -

Germany is not as hot as Portugal - does not offer any information about how hot Portugal is in the opinion of the speaker.

But I am "nit-pickin" here.

Answer 10

After studying the difference between "so" and "as", I think I have found a similar translation into Spanish.

Germany is not so hot as Portugal.- Alemania no es así de caluroso como Portugal. (In this sentence, I would be insinuating that Portugal is extremely hot in comparison to Germany). And I would be closer to the idea that it is not so nice or so good or so desirable (as Samdie and Joyce mentioned).

Germany is not as hot as Portugal.- Alemania no es tan caluroso como Portugal.

In the first sentence, there is an indication about how it is not as good or as desirable as the other.

Answer 11

And what about "Spain is so hot as Portugal"?

I mean, I am trying to guess if the expression "so - as" is correct in negative and positive sentences.

Answer 12

To be honest with you, I'm not sure about the first one. It may be grammatically correct, but the second one is much more common and sounds much more natural (at least to me).

Answer 13

As/As is the option I'd choose.

Answer 14

'Not so hot as' indicates that it is not as fashionable or as desirable as the other. It is a slang usage, but common.

Only the second is correct, if you are talking about the weather.

I thought as...as and so...as were interchangeable. So, does this difference apply only to the word hot or is it used generally?

Ianta, please see my comment to Joyce, because I think you are correct in your previous assumption. - Jeremias, Dec 27, 2011