" He is not the same;" Translation exercise; all levels .

Question

Él no es el mismo. tampoco es otro.

He is not the same; neither is he another.

Please correct my sentence. Give your take on the meaning if possible .

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Following on from a lesson and correction by Francobollo ,

I realised that a simple sentence like the above

can for us beginners in Spanish hold a few

traps , I was sorely tested by it , and am still not sure if I have it right.

By the way, beautiful photo! - rac1, Oct 29, 2012

Thank you rac1, it took some searching. - ray76, Oct 29, 2012

Answer 1

El no es el mismo

He is not the same. He has change. He's no longer the person I once know. No es lo mismo. El ha cambiado. No es la persona que conozco de una vez.

Could you please elaborate ! - ray76, Oct 29, 2012

Welcome to the fora annietaglay, could you complete the sentence giving both English and Spanish , because we have members here that are learning both English and Spanish . Good luck. - ray76, Oct 29, 2012

As far as I can see that is excellent , wait for a native to give it the thumbs up. Thanks mate. Just needs an accent above capital E , maybe you cannot do them , I cannot do accents on capitals - ray76, Oct 29, 2012

I once knew.. Sorry for all the corrections! - francobollo, Oct 29, 2012

He has changed / No es el mismo (lo is for things) / No es la persona que conocía. - francobollo, Oct 29, 2012

Yes, I think this is a good answer. - annierats, Oct 29, 2012

thanks mate & thanks francobollo for the corrections... - annietaglay, Oct 30, 2012

Answer 2

That was deep rac1, but is there really a re-birth, a reincarnation? For me rebirth of self is just growing or changing oneself from bad to good or good to bad. That is "He is not the same" I say because before he was so kind, sweet, humble, generous but now he become so arrogant, sarcastic and selfish.

Que era más profunda en rac1, pero ¿hay realmente un re-nacimiento, una nueva encarnación? Para mí renacimiento de la libre es soló está creciendo o cambiando uno mismo de malo a bueno o bueno a malo. Es decir, "no el mismo" " lo digo porque antes de que él era tan amable, dulce, humilde...

pls sorry for my words, i'm just learning. thanks

You doing OK Annie , we are all just learning here , no need to apologise . Good luck mate. - ray76, Oct 30, 2012

thank you - annietaglay, Oct 30, 2012

Yes, there is..you can only understand it with your spirit. The natural mind cannot comprehend the things of the spirit. We become transformed by the renewing of our minds. - rac1, Oct 30, 2012

It is a life long-journey, as our minds become more and more in tune with our spirit, things become clearer. - rac1, Oct 30, 2012

I agree, Annie, to me the words just mean he has changed in some way, possibly for the worse. - annierats, Oct 30, 2012

Answer 3

He is a shadow of his former self?

Se ve como su propia sombra?? ( Sorry, Ican't think of how to translate the idea) Es menos fuerte que antes?

Here is Francobollos version, I like it: No eres ni la sombra de lo que eras

Es la sombra de lo que solía ser. - francobollo, Oct 29, 2012

We can also say, when someone has changed a lot... No eres ni la sombra de lo que eras (You have changed dramatically) - francobollo, Oct 29, 2012

Thank you Franco. - annierats, Oct 30, 2012

Answer 4

Ray,

Your sentence is perfect! Using Él here for emphasis is perfectly fine.

A variant:

Él no es ni uno ni otro.

Reminds me of a song: No soy de aquí ni allá - --Mariana--, Oct 29, 2012

ni de allá--- That happens to me... I've lived in so many places that I've had the foreigner's syndrome all my life. - francobollo, Oct 29, 2012

Me too Franco , I wake up sometimes and wonder where the hell I am , but the young lade often tells me . Thanks Franco, you made it much easier. - ray76, Oct 29, 2012

Mariana that sounds like a great song ,what is the name ? - ray76, Oct 29, 2012

Answer 5

He is not the same, nor is he another. - Él no es el mismo, ni es otro.

To me, this refers to the re-birth of the human spirit. I believe the change happens in the present and continues on after death into eternity. You are the same person, but a change has taken place within your spirit.

Para mí, esto se refiere al renacimiento del espíritu humano. Creo que el cambio que ocurre en el presente y continúa después de la muerte en la eternidad. Tú eres la misma persona, pero el cambio ha operado en tu espíritu.

ni es otro... (él) / el presente continúa (no y) / cambio ha operado en tu espíritu... Very nice words, Annie! - francobollo, Oct 29, 2012

Thanks, Franco! - rac1, Oct 29, 2012

Rac1 , you are right there lady , the change is internal and spiritual. - ray76, Oct 29, 2012

Answer 6

He is not the same; neither is he another.

My attempt....

No es el mismo; tampoco es otro.

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