Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Piccoli esercizi di traduzione 3

Questi sono basati sulle forme interrogative e negative del
 Present Simple.
1)Non capisco questa parola.
I don't understand this word.   
2)La coca cola non le piace.
She doesn't like the coca cola
3)Lui l'ama, ma lei non l'ama.
He love she, but she doesn't love he.
4)Mio padre non parla inglese.
My father don't speak English.
5)Mia sorella non fa colazione a casa.
My sister doesn't have breakfast at home(o meglio haven't?)
6)Non fumo, non bevo e non mangio carne.
I don't smoke, I don't drink and I don't eat meat
Che tristezza! :-)
7)Ai miei amici non piace la musica classica.
My friends don't like the classical music.
8)Noi non dormiamo molto. Ci alziamo molto presto.
We don't sleep much.We get up very early.
9)Non abitano a Milano, ma conoscono la città.
They don't live in Milan, but they know the city.
10)Giocate spesso a tennis?
Do you often play tennis?
11)Dove abiti?Abiti a Roma?
Where do you live?Do you live in Rome?
12)Lavora a Genova tua sorella?
Does your sister work in Genova?
13)A Jane piace la musica classica?
Does Jane like classical music?
14)Che cosa fa tuo padre?Fa il medico?
What does your father do?Does he do a doctor?
15)Che cosa significa "stiff"? Non lo so.
What does "cadavere" mean ? I don't know. 
L'ho riportata in negativo! :-)))
16)Quanto costa? Quaranta sterline. Ti piace?
How much does it cost?Forty pounds.Do you like it?
17)Loro che cosa fanno di solito il fine settimana?
What do they usually do in weekend?
Grazie ancora.

What do they usually do in weekend?
What do they usually do in/during the weekend?
Sebastiano
-- 
No wonder people say "gesundheit" when you say "Tchaikovsky".

Grazie ancora.
Figurati!  We're here to serve.
ciao
ari

Sě. Haven't lo puoi usare quando usi have nel senso di avere,
Really? even with "my sister" as the subject?
bye
GFC

normalmente, non significa cadavere.
Stiff is slang and it's also somewhat deamining.  I can see it how it would be
used in movies a lot, but if  you went to the morgue to identify someone, you
wouldn't be referring to that person as a "stiff".
bye
ari

 What do they usually do in weekend?
"At weekends" penso. "At weekend" se si tratta di un singolo finesettimana
(suppongo!).
Ciao, FB

Penso "What's your father's job? Is he a doctor?".
What does your father do for a living? 
This is the most commonest way to ask what job someone does, here (UK)
at least.

 (suppongo!).
io sapevo on the weekend.. però il mio dizionario non mi aiuta molto e
nemmeno 
dictionary.com
 :|
cosa dicono i nostri amici english native speakers in riguardo? :)

, j...@jj.jj says...

AmEng Joe here.
"What does <your father> do?" would be understood to mean "what line of 
work." It depends on the context, of course, but just by itself it would 
imply it's asking about someone's profession.
A common question among new friends is simply, "What do you do?" (and 
"for work" is understood.)
Of course, it *can* lead to some *interesting* replies... 
-- 
Un-not my address if you wanna reply.

, 
gue...@t.com
 
says...

AmEng Joe here.
"On the weekend", che puo' significare un singolo finesettimana; per 
esprimere frequenza, semplicemente "weekends."
On the weekend I'm going to the beach. (This coming weekend.)
Weekends, I go to the beach. (I go regularly, on the weekend.)


>Does Jane like classical music?
Era nell'esercizio o il nome "Jane" ha ossessionato anche te? (faccina
sorridente)
Ciao, FB

 most common
Or "commonest", which I prefer (ecchissenefrega).
Bye, FB

 
I am certain that "Jane" loves classical music.
yuk yuk



Thanks Ara, you are indeed right, it's not possible to be more common
than the commonest thing. I'm so glad you're around to pick up on
every grammatical error I make. Please feel free to do the same with
my Italian.

 Non si  dice "at weekends"
Si dice, si dice.
Ciao, FB

il 17 Apr 2004 18:15:28 GMT, 
gfca...@aol.com
 (GFCARRERA) ha
scritto:

Or to the rigor mortis state as a means of determining time of death.
Is the body still stiff or not.
-- 
              O      __
      ___   /\     / / O  
     /__ \   | \   /  |
    O  /  \ /   \./   |       Loki
        |________ |
 

 at least.
We must be old fashioned. We still ask "what do you do?" etc. for a
job question. It wasn't wrong, just one of many OK ways to ask the
same question IMHO. 


 
AmEng Joe here.
Never heard it in the US; I don't think it's used in GB, either.


same question IMHO. 
I agree if you're on the subject but I can't Imagine a situation where
you'd ask a complete stranger " what do you do?". 
BTW.. Are you a Kiwi? or a Brit expat in NZ?

:)
I understand what you're saying. My English is lazy sometimes. I'll do
my best to check my posts for mistakes in future. No hard feelings.

 Never heard it in the US; I don't think it's used in GB, either.
"At weekend(s)" is used in Googleland (very nice place; a bit too crowded,
but agreeable, and full of odd sorts). It must indeed be used in GB,
according to google.
Bye, FB

 BTW.. Are you a Kiwi? or a Brit expat in NZ?
When someone says "kiwi" I can't help thinking of the fruit.
Bye, FB

 Is "what's your job?" likely or at least possible to be said?
AmEng Joe here.
"What's your job?" sounds a little odd to me. "What kind of work do you 
do?" is common here, as is "What do you do for work?" and just "What do 
you do?"


 BTW.. Are you a Kiwi? or a Brit expat in NZ?
I do so at work, but then I get a way with murder with our customers.
:-)
And wash your mouth out! I'm an Aussie in NZ, and have been for many
a decade...


 When someone says "kiwi" I can't help thinking of the fruit.
Well that's because you guys leave half the name off. <sigh> to late
to teach everyone to get it right.... I think our marketing board
realises it was a mistake.
We call it 'kiwi fruit', because the "kiwi" is in fact Apterix a
small nocturnal flightless bird with a call 'kiwi' (sort of) or a
neozelandese. It could be worse, the fruit was the 'chinesese
gooseberry' and there are other meanings to the word gooseberry....


Really? even with "my sister" as the subject?
No, of course not. In that case it would be "hasn't". I was thinking
about phrases where you can use 'to have' in that way, like "have you
got this" or "have you ever been there", and I didn't notice that the
subject required the 'has' form. Sorry.


wouldn't be referring to that person as a "stiff".
Right. And it's US slang. I don't think it is used elsewhere. The most
common word meaning 'dead person' is 'corpse' but I guess that if
somebody goes to the morgue to identify someone, they would ask for
the permission to see the *body* of their friend, am I right?
The 'technical' word to say corpse should be 'cadaver' but it isn't
much used in everyday speech. It's used in medical speech.


sorridente)
She's haunting me in my dreams. I asked Freddy if he can replace her. 


Niente "the". E cosa sarebbe "coca cola" in inglese? "Coke".
Never heard of "The Coca-Cola company"? ;)


 normalmente, non significa cadavere.
Ho preso il primo termine che ho visto! :-)
Stiff di norma sta per "rigido", "duro"...
Ringrazio  te e tutti gli altri che mi hanno corretto, non vi rendete conto di
come mi siete utili! :-)
Alla prossima! :-)

 e non la ordinerň.
Sei come quello che non beve, non fuma, e non mangia carne? :-)
Io cmq a parte l'errore sul THE(non lo azzecco quasi mai.. :-))), ero convinto
che
si dicesse Coca-Cola perchč questo č il marchio internazionale: anche sulle
lattine americane penso ci sia la scritta Coca-Cola.
Ipotizzo che coke stia ad indicare quel tipo di bevanda genericamente, ma la
vera inimitabile Coca-Cola(quella col marchio) č quella e cosě rimane :-)
Ciao.

 Never heard it in the US; I don't think it's used in GB, either.
"At weekends" is the *only* form used in GB.
"On weekends" or just "weekends" are American forms only.
-- 
Mary

 Ipotizzo che coke stia ad indicare quel tipo di bevanda genericamente, 
No, la bevenda generica si chiama "cola".
-- 
Mary

Alla prossima! :-)
Okay!


 bene sul libro di  grammatica...)
È uno dei pochi punti su cui io rinuncio del tutto a tentare di tracciare
una regola. 
Perché ci vuole oreeecchio!
Ciao, FB

 "On weekends" or just "weekends" are American forms only.
I knew it, didn't I.
Bye, FB

, 
sebapo...@libero.it
 says...

AmEng Joe here.
Spot-on with that; every point you make. (That, btw, is *not* am AmEng 
expression: Spot-on. See? I'm learning English, too.:-)


 lingua parlata.
AmEng Joe here.
Anche sulle lattine e le bottiglie americane c'e' scritto "Coke"; ci 
appaiono entrambi. Su un lato, "COKE" e sull'altro "Coca Cola."
Anche, su un vecchio "ad campaign": "Have a Coke and a smile!"


 
By the way, there is also the rather common, but tautological expression 
"dead body." :-)
(I realize a body *can* be alive, but when you ask to "see the body" 
aren't you usually........ hmm........    Never mind!:)


 15.  What does "stiff" mean?  I don't know.
The most common use of stiff as a noun (in the USA) is as a slang term
for a corpse, which you often hear in police or crime dramas.
One homicide detective to another: "They found another stiff in the
river this morning".
It is also used as a generic pejorative, in phrases such as "You big
stiff, I ought to knock your block off for ruining my car".
It is also used as an ironic term of endearment, always used by women
towards men: "You big stiff, you didn't have to spend all that money
for a birthday present for me". In this connotation, it is synonomous
with the word "lug" ("blockhead").
Definition
stiff (PERSON)
noun [C] US INFORMAL
a person of the type described:
a working stiff
you lucky stiff
----------------------------------
Slang 1. A corpse. 2. A person regarded as constrained, priggish, or
overly formal. 3. A drunk. 4. A person: a lucky stiff; just an
ordinary working stiff. 5. A hobo; a tramp. 6. A person who tips
poorly.
Joe from Massachusetts

In article <dIvgc.2942$2e6.1885@lakeread01>, 
josc...@cox.net
 says...

AmEng Joe here.
You reminded me of another expression (like "lucky stiff", which does 
*not* mean "lucky dead body", but rather implies you are envious of the 
"stiff".) 
"bored stiff" meaning reallllly bored. (Also "bored silly", but that has 
an element of humor to it, whereas "bored stiff" does not.)
Any others?


 wrote in message
news:MPG.1aec55b5c...@news.verizon.net...

There is one compound word, "bindlestiff", which was common during the
Great Depression, when the word "hobo" was very common. A
"bindlestiff" was a hobo, and the use of "stiff" for "hobo" is
probably a shortened form of the word "bindlestiff".
Joe from Massachusetts

 che sono her e him.
Sei da dove č nata la mia confusione?
Dal fatto che it viene usato sia come soggetto che come complemento, e io ho
portato la regola a tutti gli altri pronomi :-)
Mentre it rimane  it anche come complemento, she diventa her, e cosi via! :-)
vabbč ho chiarito un'altra cosa! :-)
Ciao.

> Sei da dove č nata la mia confusione?
SAI ovviamente...

 What do Aussies and Kiwis say?  Loki?
hmmm ... Both. We watch faaaar too much American TV to remain pure
Brit offspring these days. 


 
Love the "a" of that "faaaar"!
(Almost like Boston.)
Me, I can't get enough of Aussie flicks.


expression: Spot-on. See? I'm learning English, too.:-)
^_^


 Me, I can't get enough of Aussie flicks.
I like the humour in their films, very similar to the kiwi one.
Weren't Cagny and Lacy near Boston?


aren't you usually........ hmm........    Never mind!:)
Yes. But if I happen to hear somebody in a morgue/mortuary* asking to
see the body of his fiancée, I would wholeheartly hope that his
fiancée was dead *and* that he just wanted to say goodbay to her.
Or, maybe, his fiancée is the *very alive* secretary of the city
morgue and we're all shooting 'Six Feet Under'. Long live the Fishers!
Sebastiano
* In order to see somebody in a morgue I would have to be in the same
morgue for no reason**, and that would be just plain weird.
** And if there's a reason, I don't want to be given full details.
-- 
Se io fossi pittore ti dipingerei
Se io fossi cantore ti canterei
Se io fossi scultore ti scolpirei
Purtroppo sono solo un trombettista.

vabbè ho chiarito un'altra cosa! :-)
Ottimo. :)


 
I think they were in* Boston; I wasn't a TV-watcher in those days. I was 
more of a "liver" than a "watcher":)
*A Bostonian considers everything within a 40-mile radius to be "in 
Boston." They could've been somewhere in the suburbs.


 more of a "liver" than a "watcher":)
(I tried being a spleen, but it wasn't nearly as much fun.)


 (I tried being a spleen, but it wasn't nearly as much fun.)
Tired of venting it were you? ;-)


 
LOL. Nevah!


 
Strano perň che su due libri di grammatica che ho non fanno questa distinzione:
dicono che si possono usare entrambe le costruzioni in ogni caso...
Mah!
Ciao.

 dicono che si possono usare entrambe le costruzioni in ogni caso...
Mi sembra molto strano. "I haven't breakfast" č impossibile, a quanto ne
so.
In breve:
usi tipo "I have breakfast, dinner...":
I have dinner/I don't have dinner
altri usi
I have/I haven't (solo in GB, un po' formale)
I have got/I haven't got (GB e USA)
I have/I don't have (in USA e ora anche in GB) ==> in questa accezione,
cioč "I don't have a bike"
quando significa "dovere" si usa "I have to/I don't have to" o, piů
informalmente, "I have got to/I haven't got to" (in USA si usa anche "I
gotta...").
Ciao, FB

 
Although the syntax "I haven't ... (noun)" is not impossible, in this 
context it sounds incorrect to me. For example:
"I haven't a clue" is a common (AmEng) expression.
"I haven't the time" also.
"I haven't any idea how to..."
These refer to specific incidents, though. Ergo
"I haven't breakfast" would mean to me that there's nothing in the 
cupboard or refrigerator with which to make breakfast. Even so, it's odd 
for AmEng.
"I don't have breakfast" means I (usually/never/seldon) eat in the 
morning.


 for AmEng.
One could turn it into a verb... "I haven't breakfasted". But it's
ugly.
 It's the kind of thing one might hear in a conversation because
no-one really talks like they write. Words get left out, sentences
gets changed halfway through, or a kind of shorthand is used.
Sometimes you can see this when a reporter writes a verbatim
transcript of a conversation and the editor inserts words, in square
brackets, that the speaker left out. But I keep wanting to add 'any'
to the above sentence myself. 


 morning.
This is not my case, I'm afraid...
Bye, FB

> morning.
Right, it's a generic (habitual) statement.   All simple-present verbs
in English get interpreted as habituals/states.  (If instead you want
an episodic interepretation, you use the progressive, if possible.)

 Bye, FB
Normal UK English is 'at the weekend' (meaning either generally or just one
, depending on what precedes it ). 'At weekend' - never heard that ! 'At
weekends' - possible  .  'On weekends' and 'on the weekend' is never used
here .'Weekends' is also originally American usage , tho' it is heard quite
a lot now in the UK - probably doesn't sound at all American to teenage ears
.
Mike