Which one of these is the correct..?
Hello every one. I'm new in this forum, but I've been using Spanishdict since 2 or 3 years ago to solve some doubts. I'm a native spanish speaker who has studied english language since I was 4, however I still have some dificulties because I speak, think and read in spanish almost all the time. Some times I read novels and other books written in english and have no problems, but I still don't feel confident in my grammar. Well, my doubt is, which one of these phrases is correct? "I want it so hard" or "I want it so bad". Hope some one can help me, thanks a lot!
7 Answers
I want it badly
I want it so badly
I really want it
You don't (even) know how badly I want it!
You have no idea how badly I want it
I want it (like crazy)
I'd never say nor expect to hear "I want it so hard" ...it's not really something people say "In the US"
In light of Annie and Eddy's comments I guess one would hope to hear the version with "hard" ...but you would never say that to mean "me muero de ganas de" ..ever. Then again, all of these comments could have a "certain" undertone
Hola Kacris,
The word "bad" is an adjective and as such it qualifies a noun. The word "badly" is an adverb and as such it can qualify a verb, an adjective , or another adverb. For example:
Qualifying a verb: "I walk quickly"
Qualifying an adjective: "The dog is incredibly big"
Qualifying an adverb: "Paul runs unbelievably slowly"
Therefore "I want it so badly" is the more elegant expression. The word "hard" functions as an adjective and an adverb in English, so your second expression is not wrong but it jars on the ear.
Hope this helps.
Definitely do not use I want it so hard in England. Completely different context.
Edit: Annie just beat me to it, hehe.
In England: Don't say: ' I want it so hard.' Especially not if you're a woman. I'm sorry to say so, but over here this would have disastrous undertones, unless you want it good and hard, of course. I cannot be more explicit here, just avoid it!
Hello!
Hear are some expressions using hard:
It's hard to understand...
I have a hard time getting any work done. (I have a hard time ... followed by any verb in the "ing" form - present participle).
Think of hard as meaning "difficult" in its abstract sense rather than "intensely" which is how you are using "badly" in your examples.
Of course if you say "hardly" this means "almost not at all". Such as in: "I can hardly hear you"
I think the best answer is " I want it badly" or "I really want it". I think that "I want it so hard" is more based on the literal translation from spanish than the english expression.
Thanks a lot to all of you. I really cannot imagine what could happen if I said "I want it so hard" to any one XD, you really saved me from a huge disgrace! ¡Gracias a todos y feliz fin de semana! :-D
