jamar
I heard a word that sounded like "jamar" in Spanish. The speaker said it meant "you can call a person just like that when you are talking or you can call on the telephone" I cannot find the word "JAMAR" in the Spanish dictionary. Does anybody know what else it could be? Help !!
9 Answers
But I do agree with you that English orthography is a mess. Maybe someday we'll clean it up. More likely, though, an organization composed of non-native speakers will one day decide to take matters into their own hands and fix the spelling, so that English can be used more efficiently as an international language. Lazarus, why don't you start one? 
I absolutely agree with you. I educate my children at home and teaching them to read English was so difficult. Spanish, of course, was a snap. I once read that there was a movement in the early 20th century to simplify English spelling, but I think it was the First World War that interrupted the attempt. Every English student since has paid that price.
English pronounces the double L as the single L, the double D as a single D, the double S as a single S, the double T as a single T,... just to mess with people's spelling, I guess, hehe.
I know you're joking, but those double letters do serve a purpose in English. In many cases they change a long vowel into a short one.
bridle / riddle
diner / dinner
fury / furry
hater / hatter
robed / robbed
But I do agree with you that English orthography is a mess. Maybe someday we'll clean it up. More likely, though, an organization composed of non-native speakers will one day decide to take matters into their own hands and fix the spelling, so that English can be used more efficiently as an international language. Lazarus, why don't you start one?
I don't know about other countries, but in Mexico in varies from place to place. The double l and the y sound like a j or a y or somewhere in between. I say it mostly like a y, but it tends a little toward a j sound in certain words.
La Podenquera said:
Where do they pronounce ll as j and where as lj?
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irina said:
lol its llamar, my spanish teacher says it too, they pronounce the double L as J.. hope this helpeddd
English pronounces the double L as the single L, the double D as a single D, the double S as a single S, the double T as a single T,... just to mess with people's spelling, I guess, hehe.
lol its llamar, my spanish teacher says it too, they pronounce the double L as J..
hope this helpeddd
It was "llamar". Thanks for your help!
maible said:
lazarus1907 said:
On second thoughts, maybe when you say that it sounded like "jamar", you are using English spelling, which is completely useless to spell or give hints about any pronunciation in any language (English included), and of course, it doesn't help to find words in the dictionary.My guess is that the word is "llamar" (the double L sounds almost like an English J), meaning "to call" or "to phone" someone.If you hear a strange word in English you've never heard before, your chances of finding it in the dictionary can be very slim for certain words, so imagine if you try the same for foreign words whose spelling do not resemble yours. Spanish has one of the most logical spelling rules you can find (not perfect, though). I suggest you learn them (it won't take more than a day, if you really try), and join the club of those who can find words in the dictionary just by hearing how they sound.
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lazarus1907 said:
On second thoughts, maybe when you say that it sounded like "jamar", you are using English spelling, which is completely useless to spell or give hints about any pronunciation in any language (English included), and of course, it doesn't help to find words in the dictionary.My guess is that the word is "llamar" (the double L sounds almost like an English J), meaning "to call" or "to phone" someone.If you hear a strange word in English you've never heard before, your chances of finding it in the dictionary can be very slim for certain words, so imagine if you try the same for foreign words whose spelling do not resemble yours. Spanish has one of the most logical spelling rules you can find (not perfect, though). I suggest you learn them (it won't take more than a day, if you really try), and join the club of those who can find words in the dictionary just by hearing how they sound.
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On second thoughts, maybe when you say that it sounded like "jamar", you are using English spelling, which is completely useless to spell or give hints about any pronunciation in any language (English included), and of course, it doesn't help to find words in the dictionary.
My guess is that the word is "llamar" (the double L sounds almost like an English J), meaning "to call" or "to phone" someone.
If you hear a strange word in English you've never heard before, your chances of finding it in the dictionary can be very slim for certain words, so imagine if you try the same for foreign words whose spelling do not resemble yours. Spanish has one of the most logical spelling rules you can find (not perfect, though). I suggest you learn them (it won't take more than a day, if you really try), and join the club of those who can find words in the dictionary just by hearing how they sound.
In Spain it means "to eat", and It is a slang, so it could mean something else in other countries.
P.S. I've found the word in 6 of my dictionaries. Maybe you should get a better one.
