posavasos - singular?
Is this a singular noun in construction?
The coaster is on the desk.
El posavasos está encima del escritorio.
Is that right? What if you have two coasters?
Los dos posavasos-es están allá''?
P.S. My paper dictionary says a coaster is salvamanteles, but this dictionary says posavasos.
32 Answers
Lazarus, estás seguro de qué "parasoles" no es correcto? Tengo mis dudas. Por supuesto no significa que vamos a usarlo para protegernos de varios soles (a menos que viajemos a un sistema binario vía "Enterprise" (Star Trek). Pero si yo tengo dos sombrillas, por ejemplo, debo entonces decir que tengo dos parasol, o dos parasoles? La primera me suena bastante mal.
lazarus1907 said:
Thanks.You're right: "parasol" is singular, but how many Suns are you expecting to stop? Hehe.
In plural we have "pararrayos", but that's different."Lavaplatos" and "lavavajillas" are very common in Spain, and "lavarropas" is extremely unusual. I don't know why I added it (it exists, though). I am sure I missed a lot anyway; it wasn't meant to be an exhaustive list.
>
My dictionary (the good old hard-bound paper kind, which I now find to be a traitor) agrees with you.
If it's any consolation, Natasha, I agree with you. Although samdie is correct (and I myself follow his rule in this case), people do indeed use ground when indoors, and I don't think I would go so far as to call it an error. Maybe just imprecise usage.
samdie said:
Natasha said:
samdie said:
:
Off hand, I can think of no instance where floor/ground can be used interchangeably.
Well, in general, the floor is inside and the ground is outside -- but not always.
Keep that chair on the ground!! Keep that chair on the floor!!
OK, "floor" is better, but people do say both.
And of course, we have the ground floor marked in elevators (ha ha)
I't not that I've never heard someone say something like that but never fails to surprise me (except in the case of non-native speakers). "Keep that chair on the ground!!" for me conjures up an image of an outdoor wedding/graduation ceremony, etc I can't decide how I would feel about a scene occurring in a cabin with a dirt floor (though, I suspect that the very fact that we say "dirt floor would incline me towards "on the floor"). .
My dictionary (the good old hard-bound paper kind, which I now find to be a traitor) agrees with you.
Natasha said:
samdie said:
:
Off hand, I can think of no instance where floor/ground can be used interchangeably.
Well, in general, the floor is inside and the ground is outside -- but not always.
Keep that chair on the ground!! Keep that chair on the floor!!
OK, "floor" is better, but people do say both.
And of course, we have the ground floor marked in elevators (ha ha)
I't not that I've never heard someone say something like that but never fails to surprise me (except in the case of non-native speakers). "Keep that chair on the ground!!" for me conjures up an image of an outdoor wedding/graduation ceremony, etc I can't decide how I would feel about a scene occurring in a cabin with a dirt floor (though, I suspect that the very fact that we say "dirt floor would incline me towards "on the floor"). .
The erre en El lavarropas is no different than costarricense or puertorriqueño. It is for pronunciation reasons.
Why not add-"es" to make it plural'- Los lavarropases. There is a rule that states that if the last syllable end in "s" is unstressed ( átona), you add nothing. Examples lunes, jueves, análisis, dosis, etc
Funnily enough, I didn't think in the word "paragüero" before. It is quite common in Spain, but not all the houses or public buildings have one. So, when we don't have a "paragüero", we use a "cubo" whatever.
samdie said:
:
Off hand, I can think of no instance where floor/ground can be used interchangeably.
Well, in general, the floor is inside and the ground is outside -- but not always.
Keep that chair on the ground!! Keep that chair on the floor!!
OK, "floor" is better, but people do say both.
And of course, we have the ground floor marked in elevators (ha ha)
Natasha wrote:
I've never heard "bote de basura", only "cubo de basura".
Interesting, as the former is the only term I have ever heard used.
Dunia wrote:
Speaking about umbrellas it can be used too, although we have a specific word that is "paragüero"
Well, Natasha, it looks like that might be the exact word you want.
However, in English, we have a term "umbrella stand," but that is not usually what Natasha is referring to. Many stores and restaurants place a bucket, etc., near the door only when it is raining. These buckets would not be called umbrella stands (which are more like permanent furniture). So maybe cubo is the best word after all.
Dunia said:
Yes, James, I wanted to say "on the floor". And you are right, the floor is too a surface. I meant to say a surface above the floor. In Spain we say "cubo de basura". For me "cubo" is something you put on the floor. Its use can be to fill it with water to wash the floor or to put the garbage in, basically. Speaking about umbrellas it can be used too, although we have a specific word that is "paragüero"
Here "container" is something much bigger than 60 cm.
So, should I understand that ground is not a a synonym of floor in any context?
I always get mixed "in" and "on", because "in" is very similar to "en".
In the U.S. the thing you fill with water (to wash the floor, etc.) would be either a "pail" or a "bucket". It's also a "garbage pail" (if it's in the kitchen). In the rest of the house it's normally a "waste basket" (even though they are rarely baskets, these days). The "paragüero" would be an "umbrella stand" (even if it's indistinguishable from a pail/bucket [a generation or two ago, they used to be more elaborate containers]).
Off hand, I can think of no instance where floor/ground can be used interchangeably.
James Santiago said:
lazarus1907 said:
"China" also means pebble or small stone.Matasuegras suggests the idea of scaring your mother in law (for a laugh) with the party blower."Perra" is a slang used in Spain for money.
Ah. As we say in the US, Lazarus, you da man!Thanks for teaching me china, a word I didn't know (in that meaning). I also hadn't heard perra used as slang for money. Now they all make sense. I love these words!Parasol seems to be an exception to your definition, since the noun is singular. And all the words that begin with para- are exceptional in that they use a preposition rather than a verb. Are there such words that use other prepositions or non-verbs'You missed one very common one: lavaplatos. Well, at least it's common here. And lavarropas seems unusual because it uses the infinitive form rather than the third-person singular.
>
Dunia said:
Yes, James, I wanted to say "on the floor". And you are right, the floor is too a surface. I meant to say a surface above the floor. In Spain we say "cubo de basura". For me "cubo" is something you put on the floor. Its use can be to fill it with water to wash the floor or to put the garbage in, basically. Speaking about umbrellas it can be used too, although we have a specific word that is "paragüero"
Here "container" is something much bigger than 60 cm.
So, should I understand that ground is not a a synonym of floor in any context?
I always get mixed "in" and "on", because "in" is very similar to "en".
"ground" was OK, the problem was that you said "in" instead of "on."
Yes, James, I wanted to say "on the floor". And you are right, the floor is too a surface. I meant to say a surface above the floor.
In Spain we say "cubo de basura". For me "cubo" is something you put on the floor. Its use can be to fill it with water to wash the floor or to put the garbage in, basically. Speaking about umbrellas it can be used too, although we have a specific word that is "paragüero"
Here "container" is something much bigger than 60 cm.
So, should I understand that ground is not a a synonym of floor in any context?
I always get mixed "in" and "on", because "in" is very similar to "en".
Natasha said:
I've never heard "bote de basura", only "cubo de basura". (just fyi)
Same here.
James Santiago said:
Dunia said:
I would say "cubo". For me "recipiente" is something smaller and intended to stand on a surface, not in the ground. "Bote" is similar to "recipiente".
Dunia, I don't understand. "In the ground" means underground or partially buried. I don't think that is what Natasha is referring to. We usually place a container, measuring about 60 cm tall, near exterior doorways, and put wet umbrellas in these to drain. I imagine they use these where you live, too. Therefore, the container Natasha mentions does indeed stand on a surface (the floor), and is not in the ground. Ah, wait, I just realized that you probably meant "on the floor." But around here we say bote de basura for garbage can or wastebasket, and those botes are always placed on the floor.
If these umbrella holders are used where you live, what would you call one?
I've never heard "bote de basura", only "cubo de basura". (just fyi)
Dunia said:
I would say "cubo". For me "recipiente" is something smaller and intended to stand on a surface, not in the ground. "Bote" is similar to "recipiente".
Dunia, I don't understand. "In the ground" means underground or partially buried. I don't think that is what Natasha is referring to. We usually place a container, measuring about 60 cm tall, near exterior doorways, and put wet umbrellas in these to drain. I imagine they use these where you live, too. Therefore, the container Natasha mentions does indeed stand on a surface (the floor), and is not in the ground. Ah, wait, I just realized that you probably meant "on the floor." But around here we say bote de basura for garbage can or wastebasket, and those botes are always placed on the floor.
If these umbrella holders are used where you live, what would you call one'
