basic conversation Dominican style

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Shelley

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Oct 16, 2004
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I want to practice a basic conversation and have a few phrases I would like to learn. Any help would be appreciated.

- What are you doing?

- How was work today?

- Were you busy?

- What are you doing tonight? or,, Are you going out tonight?

- I am going shopping with my friend.

- I am staying home tonight.

- What is for dinner? or,, What are you eating?

- Have fun.

I think that's all my questions for now. If you can think of any other basic conversation phrases, please add them on. Thanks!!!! :classic:

ps> I did search the Spanish forum and apologize if I missed finding these already answered somewhere.
 

Chirimoya

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These are probably not 100% correct, so there may be corrections or alternative suggestions, but here's a start:

- What are you doing?

?Que estas haciendo?

- How was work today?

?Como te fue en el trabajo hoy? /?Como te fue hoy en el trabajo?

- Were you busy?

?Estabas ocupado/a? / ?Estabas atareado/a?

- What are you doing tonight? or,, Are you going out tonight?

?Que vas a hacer esta noche?/ ?Que planes tienes para esta noche? ?Vas a salir esta noche?

- I am going shopping with my friend.

(Me) voy de compras con un/a amigo/a.

- I am staying home tonight.

(Me) voy a quedar en casa esta noche. / No voy a salir esta noche.

- What is for dinner? or,, What are you eating?

?Que hay para la cena? / ?Que hay de cena? / ?Que estas comiendo? / ?Qu? vas a comer?

- Have fun.

Que lo pases bien. ?Diviertete!
 

Marianopolita

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Chirimoya..

Just from a grammatical standpoint:

1) Voy de compras...... [me] is not required.

2) Voy a quedarme en casa.... [me] is definitely required in this phrase.


LDG.


Chirimoya said:
- I am going shopping with my friend.

(Me) voy de compras con un/a amigo/a.

- I am staying home tonight.

(Me) voy a quedar en casa esta noche. / No voy a salir esta noche.
 

Chirimoya

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Lesley D said:
Just from a grammatical standpoint:

1) Voy de compras...... [me] is not required.

2) Voy a quedarme en casa.... [me] is definitely required in this phrase.


LDG.

Those are indeed the ones I had my doubts about. However, could we have both 'Voy a quedarme en casa' and 'Me voy a quedar en casa'?
 

juancarlos

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Chirimoya said:
Those are indeed the ones I had my doubts about. However, could we have both 'Voy a quedarme en casa' and 'Me voy a quedar en casa'?

Afirmativo, Chirmoya! You can put me in front of voy or with quedar. That's an advantage that still exists in Spanish. My French teacher told me once that that's how it used to be in French centuries ago, but it changed since then.

Now, my doubt is the following: if something is not grammatically necessary, does it follow that it is incorrect to use it? This question is for Lesley, since I saw the examples above and sometimes I may say: Me voy a la playa or Me voy pa' (para) la casa. Is it correct both ways or should I leave "me" out of it?

I am glad Lesley is here.
 

Marianopolita

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Juancarlos.... para ti cualquier cosa.

Your question and examples are classic in terms of incorrect grammar in the spoken language. Grammatically it is incorrect & even semantically speaking it does not makes sense. [Voy] means 'I am going'. [Me voy] means 'I am leaving'. Therefore just with the difference in meaning with the transitive form [voy] vs the pronominal form [me voy] there should be no confusion. Using your examples:

Voy a la playa and voy pa' la casa. You could use the pronominal form with [me] if I asked you a question:

?Cu?ndo te vas? You would say 'me voy a las' xxxx. Meaning when are you leaving?. I am leaving at xxx time. However, if you are simply stating that you are 'going' somewhere [me] should not be used.

That?s the essential difference between the transitive form [voy] (from the verb [ir]) and [me voy] (from the verb [irse]).

LDG.
 

juancarlos

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I am glad you shed some light on this subject, Lesley. Sometimes we speak in a colloquial way, without stopping to think. Of course, me voy means I'm leaving and voy I'm going. So, if you mean you are leaving for the USA, you say: me voy a Estados Unidos, but if you are only going there for a visit, with the intention of returning, you say: voy a Estados Unidos. Are those examples right? Sometimes the differences are subtle and many people don't notice them.
 

Marianopolita

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Juancarlos

Your examples are right however, instinctively I would say 'salgo para' los EEUU but that's just vocabulary preference on my part.

You are right it's the fact that it's so subtle and the more you hear it 'incorrectly' you don't question it but it always bothers me when I hear it and I tell myself don't 'pick up that habit' because it will be hard to break.

Another one I also hear a lot as well is 'morirse de la risa' vs. 'morirse de risa'. The second example is the proper way but in colloquial speech you always hear 'me muero de la risa'. It sounds very strange to me.

LDG.
 
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juancarlos

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Very interesting, Lesley. I have always said: muerto de risa. I have just always used that expression, the correct one, it turns out. I did notice that many people from other countries do say "muerto de la risa".
 

Forbeca

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good point

muerto de risa is what people usually say; this is a good point though, could it be that foreigners are the culprits, and as always, dominicans follow suit? like in the dominican instead of DR, or Dominican Republic?

Foreigners tend to do that a lot. I have a friend who says, esa chica esta loca en la cabeza :cross-eye



juancarlos said:
Very interesting, Lesley. I have always said: muerto de risa. I have just always used that expression, the correct one, it turns out. I did notice that many people from other countries do say "muerto de la risa".
 

Stodgord

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Forbeca said:
muerto de risa is what people usually say; this is a good point though, could it be that foreigners are the culprits, and as always, dominicans follow suit? like in the dominican instead of DR, or Dominican Republic?

Foreigners tend to do that a lot. I have a friend who says, esa chica esta loca en la cabeza :cross-eye

I doubt you can blame the foreigners for this. I grew up using it, and there were no foreigners around. Perhaps, it was the barrio environment I was subject ed to. But heck, I have heard well to do people say so, even on TV.
 

Marianopolita

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I agree with Stodgord

Regarding 'muerto de risa' and like expressions the incorrect usage such as 'muerto de la risa' can be avoided by awareness that the form is incorrect and by learning the proper form. As well, the tendency to put 'la' (the definite article) in front of 'risa' (the noun) stems from the fact that in Spanish some nouns are always accompanied by the the definite article 'el' or 'la' accordingly thus the confusion.


JMHO.

LDG.
 
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Stodgord

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Lesley D said:
Regarding 'muerto de risa' and like expressions the incorrect usage such as 'muerto de la risa' can be avoided by awareness that the form is incorrect and by learning the proper form. As well, the tendency to put 'la' (the definite article) in front of 'risa' (the noun) stems from the fact that in Spanish some nouns are always accompanied by the the definite article 'el' or 'la' accordingly thus the confusion.


JMHO.

LDG.



Yeah, I just changed the "risa" for "hambre" and realized that the phrase with the article is wrong.
example "me muero de hambre"
I have always used "me muero de hambre" and not "Estoy muerto de la hambre"
 

Marianopolita

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Stodgord,

You mean you would never say 'me muero del hambre' because 'la hambre' does not exist in Spanish anyway due to phonetic purposes. It's based on the same principle as 'el agua', 'el habla', 'el ?guila' etc.

LDG.

Stodgord said:
Yeah, I just changed the "risa" for "hambre" and realized that the phrase with the article is wrong.
example "me muero de hambre"
I have always used "me muero de hambre" and not "Estoy muerto de la hambre"
 

Stodgord

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Lesley D said:
Stodgord,

You mean you would never say 'me muero del hambre' because 'la hambre' does not exist in Spanish anyway due to phonetic purposes. It's based on the same principle as 'el agua', 'el habla', 'el ?guila' etc.

LDG.

Yes.
Another expression that I often hear is

"Me muero de la berguenza". I guess it should be "Me muero de berguenza"
 

Marianopolita

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Stodgord

Well, I have never heard that (yet) and it s/b 'verg?enza'.

LDG.

Stodgord said:
Yes.
Another expression that I often hear is

"Me muero de la berguenza". I guess it should be "Me muero de berguenza"
 
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