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jemeta

Dec 26, 2002, 11:17 PM

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Más con un/una

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Hello again! You guys are so helpful! I stay quiet a lot, but I learn from reading everyone else's posts. I just wanted to say THANK YOU really quick. Now back to my silly questions...... (I say silly because I practice speaking Spanish everyday and the things I question here are very common in conversations, so I am too embarrassed to ask the people with whom I converse!)

Okay, when saying 'a little' of something, would I actually use 'un/una'? For example, if I were to say "I am a little tired," would I say, "Estoy una poca cansada," or, "Estoy poca cansada"? I come across many instances such as this and never know if I'm saying it correctly..

Also........ is 'tampoco' only used with negative comments? I always thought it was the same as 'también' but am now confused..

How about 'tal vez'? What does that mean?

When my friend says, "Te quiero mucho," is he really telling me he loves me?? I realize most Mexicans (that I've met anyhow) aren't as scared of hugging, kissing, and expressing 'love' for their friends, so how can I tell what he means?

You guys are life savers-- Thank you!!

Jennifer

scott

Dec 27, 2002, 1:20 AM

Post #2 of 14 (3153 views)

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Re: [jemeta] Más con un/una

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Te quiero mucho means he loves you... So if you ever see T.Q.M. graffitied anywhere, thats what they are referring too..

tampoco more or less means either, in a negative sense. In a way I guess its the negative of tambien. I'm learning as I go, so I don't have any textbook rules for you, but tambien & tampoco are definately not the same and I'd say tambien conveys a positive "also" sense , and tampoco an exclusionary negative sense. If that makes any sense at all. They are opposites, and not interchangable in any way. Tambien is like "yes, that one too". Tampoco is like "no, not that one either".

tal vez is like, perhaps, maybe, who knows, etc....

I'm not a native speaker or anything, but to me "estoy una poca cansada" and the other one both seem really wierd. Stop translating and just give in and say something like "tengo sueño", just accept it and don't even bother translating, and use your tone of voice to get the idea across.... "tengo sueño", "tengo muuucho sueño", etc....

Also the word for "a little" or "a bit" in Mexican Spanish is tantito. If you say "hablo español un poquito" its like you are regurgitating something from your intro to spanish text book. Well, this is how it was explained to me the second time I used that phrase, after coming to Mexico. They told me its better to say something like "hablo tantito", and in fact this girl told me it drives her crazy that gringos always say "hablo un poquito". Take it for what its worth, but that was my experience.....

Also Mexicans seem to make heavy usage of the diminutive suffixes. Maybe thats why the word "poca" looks so wierd to me. I'm sure "poquita" would be more common. There are other words like this, for example, the word "ahorita". Some how I learned the word "ahora" and its now stuck in my mind, and I find it really hard to say/pronounce "ahorita". But anyways every single time I use that word ahora, I always hear it rephrased... For example yesterday I said "quiero dar los regalos a los niños ahora"...."ha ha, el dice que quiere dar los regalos ahorita" (after they were already in bed, when the adults were opening their gifts)..

There are other words like that too, but I think thats probably how the word poco is, unless its used as a phrase such as "a poco" or "poco a poco", instead of the simple usage as an adjective... but then again I probably have no idea what I'm talking about...... I'm sure someone else will give you more info tomorrow....


(This post was edited by scott on Dec 27, 2002, 1:22 AM)

REY

Dec 27, 2002, 7:33 AM

Post #3 of 14 (3128 views)

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Re: [scott] Más con un/una

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Hi. "te quiero mucho" literally means "I want you a lot" but "te quiero" is very commonly used to mean "I love you"....thing is, what kind of love?

"Tampoco" means "neither" like "yo no quiero ir, y tampoco el." = "I don't want to go, and neither does he."

"tal vez" = maybe/perhaps "tal vez el quiere venir." = "maybe/perhaps he wants to come."

You can use "un poquito" or "una poquita" to mean "a little" but "a little tired" will always be "un poquito cansado(a)"....I can't think of a reason for that right now. :( so, just remember that, and you'll be ok ;)

"hablo un tantito" refers to you speaking very little of something..like spanish. (degree or extent)

"hablo un poquito" refers to you speaking very little (very shy person there!). (amount)

"ahora" = "now, today"... "ahora te toca a ti" = "now it's your turn"/"me voy ahora" = "I leave today"

"ahorita" = "right now/this very instant"..."ahorita le digo" = "I'll tell him/her right now/this very instant"

Hope that helps some...

Mereja

Dec 27, 2002, 8:52 AM

Post #4 of 14 (3108 views)

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Re: [jemeta] Más con un/una

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"Estoy una poca cansada," or, "Estoy poca cansada"?



You could say: "Estoy un poco cansada." I am not sure why. I don't know the rules for it. If you are a man, you would say: "Estoy un poco cansado."



"Te quiero mucho," is he really telling me he loves me??



A friend of mine once told me, "if he only says, 'te quiero mucho' be careful because he could be meaning 'I want you'. But if sometimes he says 'te amo' then he probably has more feelings for you." That may not always be true. But friends also say "te quiero mucho" and they don't mean anything romantic.

Mereja

Dec 27, 2002, 8:55 AM

Post #5 of 14 (3111 views)

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Re: [scott] Más con un/una

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Have you heard this one? "Soy de pocas pulgas". What do you think it means? One thing it doesn't mean is that I don't have very many fleas.

My husband says it sometimes, but of course those with a college degree and from the upper crust may not have a clue.


Also, if someone is telling you to do something and you don't really want to do it and your getting a little iritated, you can say "ahorita", that is probably like saying I'm going right now, just to get them off your back. My kids do that. When parents are telling their children to do something and they don't get up and move, the parents may say "ahorita", meaning "right now". Or they might say, "pero ya".


(This post was edited by Mereja on Dec 27, 2002, 9:05 AM)

REY

Dec 27, 2002, 12:04 PM

Post #6 of 14 (3103 views)

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Re: [Mereja] Más con un/una

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if you translate "ser de muy pocas pulgas", you get "to be of very few fleas" Imagine someone with fleas...they won't be able to tolerate that, right? so they'll get very irritated very easily. That's what that dicho means...to be "de pocas pulgas" means to be easily irritated/angered.



it's a very common saying. ;)

javo

Dec 27, 2002, 2:00 PM

Post #7 of 14 (3086 views)

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Re: [jemeta] Más con un/una

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 "un poco" is a fixed adverb for measurement, it never changes just like "muy". You cannot say "estoy una poca cansada" or "ellos están unos pocos cansados"... the correct sentence would be "estoy un poco cansada" or "están un poco cansados", "estoy muy cansada" "están muy cansados".

"una poca" is sometimes used for "a handful of" but it is not very common, you can hear it normally on very formal occasions. "deme una poca de azúcar, si es tan amable".

In certain parts of Mexico, namely in the central states of the country, some people use "tanto, tantito" for "poco, poquito". That is simply a regionalism and a lot of Mexicans of other regions would never use it. I really advise against its use by foreigners unless you are planing to spend a long time in Mexico City, Guadalajara ot the Bajío.

Mereja

Dec 27, 2002, 6:22 PM

Post #8 of 14 (3076 views)

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Re: [javo] Más con un/una

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Para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia.

http://www.musicalspanish.com/bambasample.htm


(This post was edited by Mereja on Dec 27, 2002, 6:26 PM)

jturpen

Dec 27, 2002, 7:03 PM

Post #9 of 14 (3069 views)

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Re: [Mereja] Más con un/una

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Mereja ...

One of the first spanish phrases I ever heard (thanks to Ricardo Valenzuela aka Richie Valenz) para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia ...

I think that means 'to dance the Bamba it is necessary to have a little grace'. I don't know if la bamba is like the tango or the somba or what but I understand it is an old saying made into a song.

Joe

scott

Dec 28, 2002, 2:03 AM

Post #10 of 14 (3062 views)

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Re: [javo] Más con un/una

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Ok, I didn't realize that. I picked up tantito here in Michoacan, which is, as you suggested, a central part of the country.....

wendy devlin

Dec 29, 2002, 10:39 AM

Post #11 of 14 (3037 views)

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Re: [Mereja] soy de muy pocas pulgas...

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Thanks for the dicho, 'ser de muy pocas pulgas'.

Surrounded as I am with people, 'son de muy pocas pulgas'...I look forward to using this expression. And when I come out with this dicho when talking with friends in Mexico....

I'll save it... for just the right occasion...when it will get some good laughs. Wendy

jemeta

Dec 29, 2002, 6:58 PM

Post #12 of 14 (3025 views)

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Re: [jemeta] Más con un/una

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Acabo de pensar sobre algo más: ¿usaría 'una' con 'otra'?

Podría decir:

¿acabo de pensar como una otra frase o pensar como otra frase?

¿quisiera ir otra vez o quisiera ir una otra vez?

¡Gracias!

esperanza

Dec 29, 2002, 7:29 PM

Post #13 of 14 (3028 views)

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Re: [jemeta] Más con un/una

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Se dice solo 'otro' u 'otra' en vez de decir una otra etc. Si quieres decir que hacías algo over and over, se dice...'una y otra vez'...como la canción 'Siempre Volverás'.




http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com








jemeta

Dec 29, 2002, 7:36 PM

Post #14 of 14 (3058 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Más con un/una

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¡Gracias Esperanza! Algún día podré hablar y entender español sin demasiada ayuda........



jennifer
 
 
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