Queda vs Hay

Question

Hola

Acabo de aprender una frasa nueva, pero no sé si entiendo bien.

No queda comida.

Pero he aprendido ¨No hay comida¨

Son mismos? Y si no son mismos, qué es la diferencia?

Hi.
I just learned a new phrase ¨No queda comida¨ But I learned ¨No hay comida¨ Are they the same? And if not, what is the difference?

Muchas gracias Roger

'una nueva frase' - sinsonte, May 15, 2012

Thanks, but OK, I´ll have to admit I don´t understand the apparently preferred word order. Could you please explain why? THANKS. - rogspax, May 15, 2012

He meant, I think, "frasE" instead of "frasA". The word order isn't very important in Spanish. - comunacho, May 15, 2012

Ahhhhh, of course. One of my many newbie mistakes, letting my German (where it IS Frase, and which I was just reviewing earlier this evening) interfere with my Spanish. Thanks! - rogspax, May 15, 2012

Well, actually... I did do it purposely feeling that the word order mattered in a subtle way, lol... but whatever. Carry on. - sinsonte, May 15, 2012

Answer 1

No food remains.

Answer 2

I guess often they can be used interchangeably - I wonder if 'no queda' gives a feeling that there was food before but now there isn't any left' but 'no hay' just means that there isn't any and whether there used to be any or not is not indicated.

I have no reference to back this up and am just wondering - perhaps a native speaker will comment

you're right, "queda" means that there was some before, but not any more. - comunacho, May 15, 2012

There isn't food in the fridge. No food remains in the fridge. I'd say yes. - sinsonte, May 15, 2012

thanks guys :) - Kiwi-Girl, May 15, 2012

They are as different as 'there is no food' and 'there is no food left', quite different. - afowen, May 15, 2012

Is there any desert? There's none left (we ate it all). There is none (we didn't buy any). You're might respond quite differently to each situation. - afowen, May 15, 2012

Lol.... as an English speaker.... "there is no food" ....and "no food remains"... is the EXACT SAME THING. In fact, one wouldn't say "No food remains" in English. And "there is no food" also implies that none remains.... I mean. What can I say? - sinsonte, May 15, 2012

@sinsonte: It is the difference between, "There's no food left." & "There's no food." In the 1st instance, it is clear that there WAS food (and my teenage son ate it all?? jejeje). In the 2nd case, there may have never been any food (because of famine?) - Netjert, May 15, 2012

Answer 3

Hi Roger.

Check it out in the dictionary, there lies your answer - quedar.

Well, I already THOUGHT I knew queda, but I´d only learned ´to be located (at)´ - rogspax, May 15, 2012

So is it just the different between ¨There isn´t any¨ and ¨There isn´t any left¨? - rogspax, May 15, 2012

There you go man, I always check the old dictionary - so many words with so many meanings... :-) - afowen, May 15, 2012

Fair enough. I should know better than to think just because I learned a word, that I learned ALL of a word. :) Will keep that in mind for sure. - rogspax, May 15, 2012

Alto cinco! - afowen, May 15, 2012

Answer 4

No queda comida. This is none left. Your kids arrive late for lunch and say, "¿Hay comida?" and you answer one of two ways......

"No queda comida" meaning there was food but you are too late. Sorry.

"No hay comida" meaning there is no food. Maybe mom didn't cook today.

And then there is another one that may confuse you more.

"La comida (or specific type of food) queda bién." The food was good. Said at the end of a meal.

Answer 5

There is no food

No hay/queda comida

Ya no queda más pastel = Ya no hay más pastel, se acabó todo

Answer 6

Hola Roger,

"No hay comida" = There is no food. "No queda comida" = No food remains.

Las frases significan el mismo. The phrases mean the same.

They don't mean the same. The second implies that there was food, the first does not... - afowen, May 15, 2012

@afowen - They are virtually the same despite that... but that's a valid observation obviously. - sinsonte, May 15, 2012