phrase

la frase

phrase(freyz)

noun

1. (set expression)

a. la frase

(F)

Today we are going to learn useful phrases for when you go to the supermarket.

Hoy vamos a aprender frases útiles para cuando vayas al supermercado.

b. la expresión

(F)

Your essays would be better if you used fewer hackneyed phrases.

Tus ensayos se mejorarían si usaras menos expresiones trilladas.

2. (grammar)

a. la frase

(F)

He often constructs phrases without verbs.

A menudo forma frases sin verbos.

b. la locución

(F)

I need you to mark all the verb phrases in this text.

Necesito que marques todas las locuciones verbales en este texto.

3. (music)

a. la frase

(F)

That is the end of the first phrase of this song.

Ese es el final de la primera frase de esta canción.

transitive verb

4. (to express)

a. expresar

I think you should phrase the question more politely.

Creo que debes expresar la pregunta con más cortesía.

b. formular

Can you help me phrase this request?

¿Me puedes ayudar a formular esta solicitud?

5. (music)

a. frasear

I want you to phrase this part of the song like a lullaby.

Quiero que fraseen esta parte de la canción como canción de cuna.

phrase

Noun

1. (general)

a. la frase

(F)

phrase bookmanual or guía de conversación

transitive verb

2. (general)

a. expresar

3. (music)

a. frasear

Copyright © 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited

phrase [freɪz]

noun

1 (Gram) (Mús) frase (f)

the opening phrases of the Lord's prayer he punctuated every phrase by slapping the counter the key phrase, though, is "all other things being equal" a writer spends many hours going over and over a scene - changing a phrase here, a word there it was a single short phrase being sung over and over again Stephen played a phrase: Jack replied with a variation

noun/verb phrase frase (f) nominal/verbal

a sentence consists of a noun phrase followed by a verb

2 (expression) frase (f)

she had picked up some useful phrases había aprendido algunas frases útiles

I think the war was, /in Churchill's immortal phrase/, "Britain's finest hour"

I think, to use or to borrow your phrase, that ... creo que, usando tus propias palabras, ...

my German was practically nil - a few phrases here and there that's exactly the phrase I'm looking for it takes its name from the Maori phrase for "good health" that's exactly the phrase I'm looking for it takes its name from the Maori phrase for "good health" knowing so many Greek students in London, she had picked up some useful phrases Grenada was seen as proof, to use Reagan's phrase, that America was back to borrow a famous phrase of the Prime Minister's, a reporter asked Mr Mandela if Mrs Thatcher was a person he could do business with

3 (idiom) locución (f); giro (m)

the French have a phrase for this state of affairs the old phrase "the survival of the fittest" he used a phrase I hate: "you have to be cruel to be kind" the American phrase "laying an egg" meaning to fail at something

catch coin set stock turn

transitive verb

1 (orally) expresar; formular

I should have phrased that better debería haberlo expresado or formulado mejor

he paused, wondering how to phrase his answer they phrased it as a question as you so delicately phrased it remember that the way you phrase a question will often determine the response it receives wealth, as my old Grannie used to phrase it, is no guarantee of immortality it was an objection he had to phrase very carefully I would have phrased it quite differently he phrased his question carefully the moment I'd said it, I could see that I'd phrased it wrong he phrased his request vaguely because he was not sure whether he was addressing a servant or a member of the family his ambiguous way of phrasing things

2 (in writing) redactar; expresar

can we phrase that differently? ¿podemos redactar or expresar eso de otro modo?

they will be happy to give advice about how to phrase your application your invitations could be phrased as follows the speech was carefully phrased you may be drafting a letter and choose to revise a poorly phrased sentence immediately the document is phrased in terms of individual rights

a carefully phrased letter una carta redactada con cuidado

3 (Mús) frasear

listen to the way Carreras phrases it the ability to phrase a great melody to its best advantage the concerto, played and directed by Schiff, seemed at times heavily phrased

modifier

phrase book (n) libro (m) de frases

we bought a Danish phrase book if you have left the phrase book behind, don't be afraid to point, gesticulate, or otherwise improvise

phrase marker (n) (Ling) marcador (m) de frase

phrase structure (n) (Ling) estructura (f) de frase

the phrase structure of sentence three is shown in the diagram below a phrase-structure [grammar] computer languages can be described using phrase-structure grammars phrase-structure rules can tell us a lot of useful things about sentences any book on generative grammar will explain phrase-structure rules and transformations