Manners and swearing
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| tener buenos modales | to have good manners |
| decir tacos | to say swear words, to swear |
| imitar a alguien | to imitate someone |
| ser incapaz de + infinitive | to be incapable of doing |
| ser realista | to be realistic |
Los modales is usually plural, with buenos or malos in front.
| Your son has very good manners. | Tu hijo tiene muy buenos modales. |
In Spain, un taco often means a swear word: people dicen or sueltan tacos. In a bar it can also be a small cube of ham or cheese, and on a menu the Mexican dish.
| My grandmother says a lot of swear words when she drives. | Mi abuela dice muchos tacos cuando conduce. |
Copying and not managing
Imitar takes the personal a when you copy a person.
| Children imitate their parents. | Los niños imitan a sus padres. |
Incapaz is followed by de + infinitive, and has one form for masculine and feminine.
| My daughter is incapable of lying. | Mi hija es incapaz de mentir. |
With no es que … sino que, you can correct a harsh judgment:
| It's not that the newbie is incapable, but that nobody explains anything to him. | No es que el novato sea incapaz, sino que nadie le explica nada. |
New at work
El novato / la novata is someone new and still inexperienced: at work, at school or on a team.
| The newbie still doesn't know anyone in the office. | El novato todavía no conoce a nadie en la oficina. |
Realista ends in -a for masculine and feminine alike: un plan realista, una persona realista.
| Your plan isn't very realistic. | Tu plan no es muy realista. |
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