Amused by or at

Question

Hi again everyone:

     No suelo preguntar mucho    porque por lo general, 

suelo comprender bastante bien algunos temas que me traen dudas, pero en esta oportunidad, me gustaría que me ayuden con esta inquietud.

En español se traduce en ambos casos frecuentemente con "con" (at/by).

Tony was very amused at the story. --> Tony se divirtió con la historia.

She seemed greatly amused by his jokes. --> Parecía que sus bromas le divertían mucho.

 Yo puedo atinar instintivamente cuándo usar tal o cuál, 

pero no logro poder explicarlo. ¿Alguien me puede ayudar? Gracias

Tony was very amused 'by' the story. She seemed greatly amused ' at ' his jokes . Both are correct , for me it depends on the common usage in whichever country they are used ,Necesitamos un estadounidense. - ray76, Mar 4, 2015

Your answers are OK by me , but wait for someone from England and the U S A.. - ray76, Mar 4, 2015

Well, you see I would have been at great risk to use 'de' in Spanish, thanks for the 'con'. - annierats, Mar 4, 2015

I would always say amused by the story. I think I would say amused by his jokes, but would accept at in that case. By seems a safe bet, as Annie notes in her answer. :) - bosquederoble, Mar 4, 2015

Answer 1

In my opinion as a native either would be acceptable and correct. Personally, I believe I would probably use 'by' most of the time. However, 'at' would not sound at all odd or wrong to my ears, and I'm aware many people would say 'at' instead of 'by'. Indeed, I daresay I too use 'at' in this context sometimes without even thinking about it.

Answer 2

I would use ' by'.

I was so amused by his behaviour that I even laughed at his hopeless jokes.

You always laugh 'at' something, but you're amused 'by' it.

Please note that I'm not a native so you can be amused by my answer or even laugh at me, if you like.

Great answer, Annie. - rac1, Mar 4, 2015

:) - ian-hill, Mar 4, 2015

Thanks! - annierats, Mar 4, 2015

Ditto rac1's comment. - Jubilado, Mar 5, 2015

Your English is as American as mine, and I've been in the US for over 20 years. How do you do it? - Daniela2041, Mar 5, 2015

Daniela, my Englsish is very British, although I speak with a Scandinavian accent ( lots of people think I'm South African) . I've been in England for over 30 years. - annierats, Mar 5, 2015

Answer 3

Thanks Annie, Ray, Bosque and Falda for each one of your answers. Well, It seems that it can be used interchangeably.

Not exactly, amigo. You could in a lot of cases, but it will sound odd in certain instances. - rac1, Mar 4, 2015

thanks, Rac1 .... let me know your point of view about the answer I got and pasted on here. - leumas11, Mar 4, 2015

Yes, i said in one case only by would sound correct, in the other I prefer by, but would accept at. - bosquederoble, Mar 5, 2015

Do you know, Leumas, I wouldn't let myself be worried by this, I've been in England for half a life-time and i've never had any problem or misunderstanding with this. Either would be understood. - annierats, Mar 5, 2015

Thank you so much, Annie, your words are really encouraging :-) - leumas11, Mar 6, 2015

Answer 4

I asked the same question in another forum and this is what I got:

When you are amused by something, it's an action, most often by a living being. I can be amused by my cat's antics, by my husband's attempt to load the dishwasher, or by a YouTube video.

When you're amused at something, it's a static situation. I might be amused at the condition of my son's bedroom, at the presentation of a luxurious breakfast in bed as interpreted by a five-year-old.

What do you guys think? Do you agree? Does it make sense?

Yes, it does make sense. :) - rac1, Mar 5, 2015

Once more time thank you, Rac1 - leumas11, Mar 5, 2015

De nada, amigo. I hope we haven't confused you too much. lol - rac1, Mar 5, 2015

Leumas: I don't think that static thing works. I would still use at / by interchangeably after amused in any situation. Sorry it can't be pinned down, but generally follow annierats' advice. - Jubilado, Mar 5, 2015

Thanks Jubilado, another point of view is always useful :-) - leumas11, Mar 5, 2015

Answer 5

Jeez, I'm a native speaker and I don't believe I could come up with a rule for when "at" or "by" is more appropriate. Maybe they're both equally acceptable (or maybe I need to learn my own language better.

Thus, I think that it's equally correct to say I am amused at the condition of my son's bedroom " or "I am amused by the condition of my son's room."

True, but they're are instances when saying "at" instead of, "by" doesn't sound right. - rac1, Mar 5, 2015

so, I think I will stick to the rule I was explained. Thank you all, anyway. - leumas11, Mar 5, 2015