Laundry detergent

NanSanPedro

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What goes for laundry detergent? SpanishDict (I love that term) tells me "la detergente" as does google translate. But my kid says he's never heard of that word. He uses "fa" which may be a kreyolized version of the word "fab". What word or words do locals use?

Thanks!

Rob
 

Africaida

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Maybe it varies by region, but here everyone says "detergente"

Seem to be the generic term....but it is common to name something by the most common name brands, so "fab" would be a possibility.
 

Africaida

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Chirimoya

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What goes for laundry detergent? SpanishDict (I love that term) tells me "la detergente" as does google translate. But my kid says he's never heard of that word. He uses "fa" which may be a kreyolized version of the word "fab". What word or words do locals use?

Thanks!

Rob
Find a better dictionary or online translator. It should be el not la as it is a masculine noun.

Detergente de ropa

Malko said:

Ace (no accent on the 'e' because the stress is on the first syllable) is the brand name that is used generically. Pronounced Ah-seh.
 

Marianopolita

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Find a better dictionary or online translator. It should be el not la as it is a masculine noun.

Detergente de ropa



Ace
(no accent on the 'e' because the stress is on the first syllable) is the brand name that is used generically. Pronounced Ah-seh.

The dictionary used is correct.... 😉 SpanishDict has it right.
 

Marianopolita

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What goes for laundry detergent? SpanishDict (I love that term) tells me "la detergente" as does google translate. But my kid says he's never heard of that word. He uses "fa" which may be a kreyolized version of the word "fab". What word or words do locals use?

Thanks!

Rob

Does your kid or son know that the actual product is detergent? It is not Fab which is just the brand name.

Fab comes in two forms detergente en polvo o detergente en gel.

Anywhere in the Spanish-speaking world detergente is understood then you can get into using the brand name as mentioned by Africaida.
 

cavok

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I think the word "detergente" appears on most, if not all, packages, so everyone should know what that means.
 

Marianopolita

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View attachment 3525
I see now it can be either, but if we're talking about líquido or polvo shouldn't it be masculine?

The noun is masculine el detergente. No option.

The second option is an adjective and the form does not change if the noun it’s modifying is masculine or feminine. That is what that means.
 

Chirimoya

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The noun is masculine el detergente. No option.

The second option is an adjective and the form does not change if the noun it’s modifying is masculine or feminine. That is what that means.
So 'la detergente' as quoted by the OP based on GT and SpanishDict is incorrect.
 

Marianopolita

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CristoRey

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Maybe it varies by region, but here everyone says "detergente"

Seem to be the generic term....but it is common to name something by the most common name brands, so "fab" would be a possibility.
Fab detergente.
Good at removing coffee stains too.
 
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NanSanPedro

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Fab detergente.
Does your kid or son know that the actual product is detergent? It is not Fab which is just the brand name.

Fab comes in two forms detergente en polvo o detergente en gel.

Anywhere in the Spanish-speaking world detergente is understood then you can get into using the brand name as mentioned by Africaida.

He knows now. I showed him. But fab is the kreyol word for detergent. That's why I think fa is the way haitians just say fab in Spanish. All his Spanish was taught by a Haitian woman that's lived here for some time. It's bound to have some kreyol in it.
 
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Marianopolita

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He knows now. I showed him. But fab is the kreyol word for detergent. That's why I think fa is the way haitians just say fab in Spanish. All his Spanish was taught by a Haitian woman that's lived here for some time. It's bound to have some kreyol in it.

Although I don’t speak Kreyol nor have any exposure to it at all I think the same phenomenon is happening. Fab, the brand name is the word they use to refer to detergent but I doubt that is the actual word for it. They probably have a word equivalent to detergente. If not there would be several words because there is more than one brand.


A2E872F7-2B1E-4BF8-8F23-BE2487453236.jpeg
 
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