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Isaías Chango ✓
Spanish
Oct 26, 2020
Fue increíble saber de nuevo de Tracee después de tanto tiempo. Me alegra ver que su español se ha mantenido a pesar de no haberlo practicado mucho. Felicidades y gracias por explicarme la actualidad de tu país. Hasta pronto. :)
Maury
Spanish
Apr 10, 2019
Felicitaciones Tracee por el nuevo miembro de la familia....me encantó saber todos los detalles de su nacimiento... gracias por compartirlo!
Juan Carlos Santiago
Spanish
Dec 31, 2018
Gracias por todo espero que tengas un excelente año nuevo mucho éxito
rocio
Spanish
Nov 14, 2018
Como siempre... conversar contigo es un gusto. Tu habilidad para incorporar lo nuevo en tu conversación es asombrosa. Felicitaciones!
Activities
  • Commented
    It's always "were."

    However, this is a construction for which English speakers have created an acceptable alternative grammar.

    Like the song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," 'Ain't' is a word that isn't correct, but it's used with frequency. (It is also used for emphasis, rule-breaking.) You wouldn't use it in a paper, but it's a valuable thing to know, and native speakers will use it with frequency.

    Likewise, "If I was a ..." isn't correct, but you'll hear English speakers use it. "Were" is one of the remaining uses for the subjunctive that we have in English, and we don't work hard preserving it. People who don't know will just use "was", and it causes no harm to the sentence.

    There are songs in English that are written "If I were a rich man" (from Fiddler on the Roof), "If I were a boy" (Beyoncé), "If I were a carpenter" (Johnny Cash) and the alternative "If I was a rich girl" (Gwen Stefani) and "If I was your girlfriend." (Prince)

    I would use "were" always in this situation, but I wouldn't stop an English speaker for using "was."

    Both carry the same sense to the listener, so it isn't a mistake that causes confusion. It's stylistic, with "were" being correct, and "was" being more colloquial.

    0 voted
    October 1, 2018
    0
  • Commented

    I'm from the East Coast. I pronounce them all the same. My husband uses at least two pronunciations, but it's so subtle as to be unnoticeable.

    He does Mary with a short R, then Marr-rry like his "R" got stuck but same vowel sound. I think his Merry is the same as his Mary. But to me, this was shocking, because I found out he truly believes they are pronounced different, and I use the same sound for all three.

    Even with his belief, in everyday use I'm sure his versions of these words all blend together in sound.

    They certainly sound more similar than Aunt and Aunt.

    That's the same word, same definition, pronounced "Ont" and "Andt" without the letter 'd'. That word I use both ways, however I feel like in the context. If that word has to pronunciations and we know whom I'm referring to, I think Aunt Mary can have a Merry Christmas getting married just fine.

    The Aunt/Aunt conundrum again, pronunced: On-t, and And-t, minus the "d", is a fun one. I can use both pronunciations sincerely in the same paragraph of text.

    It's similar to The and The, which are different in The End and The Coffee. (to exaggerate: it's thee end, Tha coffee). Well, and that's Thee End!

    0 voted
    May 15, 2018
    0
  • Commented

    To perform (actuar, hacer, presentarse)

    "I performed well in the show today."

    To overwhelm

    [I don't even know a translation.]

    Not to be confused with overcome, which is vencer, suponer.

    I want to challenge myself.

    Those are the four I most struggle with. (Ellos que me cuestan lo más.)

    There's also "that dessert that moves, it's like a soup of chocolate, it's cold and you use a spoon."  In Spanish: it's pudding. Or "pudín", spelled correctly, but it can be pronounced exactly like in English if you want.

    A fidget spinner, también, is a "spinner" or a "hand spinner." No traducción es necesario. 

    0 voted
    May 15, 2018
    0
  • Answered
    I am unable to help you because: I don't want to help you. I am unable to help you because: I don't have time. I am unable to help you because: Your problem is yours to solve. I am unable to help you because: It is a test, and I cannot cheat for you. I am unable to help you because: I don't give money to strangers. I am unable to help you because: you are dying, and this cancer is stage 4 and incurable. "I am unable to help you" is a polite way of saying "This problem will not get fixed (by me.)" There's a polite admission of unwillingness, which is represented as "unable-to-ness", aka "inability out of one's own control." Whether the help would make any difference, or be of any use, is still questionable. I am in no position to help you: because your knowledge is better than mine. I am in no position to help you: because I am not strong enough to lift that. I am in no position to help you: my leg is in a cast, and I need to stay in bed. I am in no position to help you: I have no money, I am broke, my bills aren't paid. I am in no position to help you: my life situation is worse than the problem you need solved. When I hear this, I think "I am in no (financial) position to help you." It is an admission to being poor at the moment. Poor in money, or poor in resources, or poor in education, or power in power/control (as in, "I am in no position to help you, my boss would kill me." (Kill= be mad) This phrase passes along an emotional burden to the listener. "I'm not really in a position to help out right now: my dog just died, and I have $2 for food for a week. People might at times use this phrase on purpose to appear poor, sad, or not a target for the person's requests. They value the peace and solitude of not getting pressured or asked for help more than they value a positive outward appearance of their life. Imagine a Bill Gates in a Toyota Corolla, saying, "Sorry, don't have money right now. I'm not really in a position to help out" and then drives away.
    0 voted
    November 4, 2017
    0
  • Answered
    We don't "close problems." These sentences don't make problems. If there is an issue, we can close a case. So a problem, like a missing class on italki, becomes an issue, and "please make sure all problems have been solved", "please make sure all issues have been addressed" (worked on, solutions proposed, maybe still ongoing). "Please make sure everything has been resolved." (Finished, 100% complete.) "Please make sure that all cases have been closed." (For customer service problems.) You don't close problems, you SOLVE problems. Or work on problems. Or address problems (when interpersonal or client problems need you talking to other people who may be angry, unknowledgable, or uninformed.) Make sure and Make certain are both correct. "Make sure" is far more common. "Make certain" sounds formal, perhaps more British, but it isn't used at all. Except for an item that has a Yes/No answer. You can make certain that the door was closed, email was sent, payment received. Yes/No type questions. It is a nice way of a boss saying "Please check again." The "make certain" is polite, and implies that the other person is forgetful and needs to "make certain" that they didn't forget their wallet, or that they did it wrong, believe it's done, and the boss says they need to "make certain" that the job WAS done satisfactorally. It can be a way of being strict while sounding polite. "Make sure" is much more common, a tad more informal, and very kind. "Make sure to visit the museum!" "Make sure you sign up for the free gift." "Make sure to try some food while you're here." "Make sure to visit NYC when you visit the United States." It can be a recommendation, an offer, an invitation. It also is a kind reminder: "make sure to tie your shoes!" "Make sure to wear sunscreen." You can't "make certain" to do those things, since they are recommendations. It isn't you MUST wear sunscreen, or MUST visit New York City. Make certain is a yes/no, with a possible consequence if not done.
    0 voted
    November 4, 2017
    0
  • Corrected

    My favorite food !!

    I have liked strawberries very much since I was child.       (Meaning: I have always liked strawberries)

    I ate a strawberry parfait yesterday.

    It was very delicious !!

    Strawberries make me happy ♡      (They make you happy today, too? And always? Make, not made.)

    What is your favorite food ?


    Very good!


    0 voted
    October 6, 2017
    1
  • Answered
    Teachers often tell their students they are being "loquacious" as a fun synonym for "talks too much", while framing it as a positive character trait. "You're being loquacious, let's keep quieter! (Smile)" By often, I mean 15% of teachers may utilize this word in that context, and that's only in school. Loquacious is a word that isn't needed - it has replacements like "chatty", or "talkative", that a person would uses hundreds of times before dusting off the big word. Garrulous is a word that isn't even used, except on old SAT tests.
    0 voted
    September 23, 2017
    0
  • Answered
    If you used these words in a conversation, nobody would know what you meant. I have never heard of them before (and score 99th% on vocabulary). I would agree that using these words would simply confuse your meaning to your intended audience. They are cool if you like studying odd, eccentric English words and their etymologies, but you could go a lifetime without those two words.
    0 voted
    September 23, 2017
    1
  • Corrected

    Practice makes perfect

    To be a beginer sucks* [I'm not sure if that word is rude. I heard it in a Friends episode]

    It sucks to be a beginner.   Or   Being a beginner sucks.   [And not rude... you wouldn't say it in front of the Queen of England, or your bosses' boss, but we use this phrase a lot among family and friends. If someone were to tell me their family member died, I'd say as my initial reaction, "That sucks."  It means: "How awful!  Such a pain. What a terrible situation". ].

    Sucks is a word that can be a bit grosser in conversation, too, if expressed differently. "Go suck a d---" is an insult often said between rude men, but this form needs a direct object and there's other words that demonstrate the sexual nature of this. But also, kids suck a lollipop or suck on a pacifier and this is innocent in meaning.

    If you say "He sucks" about someone, it means that your boss is a jerk. "He's terrible..." is the meaning. "This sucks" means your current situation isn't bringing you joy.


    When you start learning something, it's normal to see professional people doing the same thing you want to do and think that you will never be like them.  Perfect!

    It happened to me when I started learning English, I couldn't understand anything in English and having a conversation with a native speaker was an impossible thing. At the same time I used to watch polyglots on YouTube and I thought I would never be as good as them.  Polyglot is a noun describing people, so you don't need another noun, like "actress people" is written "actresses".

    I'm not there yet, but I've practiced a lot and now I can understand most of what I read, and I can talk to natives if they speak slow. I guess that idiom (practice makes perfect) is true, although I still need to practice.

    Other options for "I'm not yet." : I'm not a polyglot yet.   I haven't arrived yet. 

    there means "I am not in that place in the future yet."  Like I want to be a celebrity, but I'm not there yet. She's worried about what life will be like in her seventies, but she's not there yet."


    0 voted
    September 22, 2017
    3
  • Answered
    He insistently wants to see you. -> He is insistent that he wants to see you. I will wait until the day you sell it to me I'll wait until the day you sell it to me (spoken), or, I will wait until the day in which you sell it to me. (Business formal) If I had known how pretty it was here, I would have come before -> If I had known how pretty it was, I would have come here before If I had known how pretty it was here, I would have visited before ("Come before" is an idiom meaning people of the past who have achieved things before, in the tradition of a Hall of Fame. Your sentence was correct, but it sounds off because of that idiom that exists.) What do you think if we moved into another house? (Perfect!) I would have felt bad if I hadn't done something about it. Perfect, but I would say "I would have felt bad if I hadn't done anything about it." Both are fine, but anything is more common in this expression. "Something" is used more in the positive: "Let's do something!" "Will you do something for me? (Asking a request for help)" While anything is used in the negative. "He wasn't doing anything." "I don't want to do anything this weekend except relax." "They didn't do anything about the problem."
    0 voted
    September 20, 2017
    1