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algo de latido
filiación actual
Feb 13, 2009 06:12
15 yrs ago
Spanish term

Ni ir al cine... Ni salir a comer... Ni las fiestas con amigos...

Non-PRO Spanish to English Other Poetry & Literature
¡Hola! Necesito ayuda traduciendo estas frases a inglés por favor:

Ni ir al cine...
Ni salir a comer...
Ni las fiestas con amigos...

Neither going to the movies...
Nor going out to eat...
Nor the parties with friends... Is this correct?

Muchas gracias.
Proposed translations (English)
4 Not going to the movies...Not going out to eat...Not going to parties with friends
5 +3 Not going to the movies, or eating out, or going to parties with friends...
4 +3 There'll be no going to the cinema...no going out for meals...no partying with friends
5 Neither going to the movies...nor eating out...nor partying with friends
4 Yes, they are correct
4 Not going to the cinema? Not Eating out? Not (even) Partying with Friends? No?

Discussion

wildflower (asker) Feb 13, 2009:
The text is part of a greeting card:

Front:

Ni ir al cine...
Ni salir a comer...
Ni las fiestas con amigos...
Ni los clubs de baile...

Inside:

¡Nada disfruto más que pasar un rato a solas contigo!
¡Me encanta tu compañía!

Thank you for your help!
Catherine Gilsenan Feb 13, 2009:
Again, it depends on the context as to which answer offered is correct. What comes before this? If it is in isolation, I would choose Noni's, but we need the whole context before we can say definitively which option to go for.
Monica Colangelo Feb 13, 2009:
Carmen: creo que en este caso no se trata de tres preguntas, sino de verificar el uso del "ni" "ni" "ni... uniendo las tres partes. Entiendo que la duda no es el significado en sí sino la forma de unirlas.
Carmen Schultz Feb 13, 2009:
I thought each question had to be made up of one part- this is a muti-part question, thus typically something like this would be broken out into 3 questions.

Proposed translations

2 hrs
Selected

Not going to the movies...Not going out to eat...Not going to parties with friends

As it is poetry maybe we should try to keep the first letter the word ef each line the same, as in Spanish, just a thought, here are just a few options, the specific one would depend on the previous text:

Not going to the movies...Not going out to eat...Not going to parties with friends

No going to the movies...No going out to eat...No going to parties with friends

Neither going to the movies...Neither going out to eat...Neither going to parties with friends

Never going to the movies...Never going out to eat...Never going to parties with friends


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Note added at 2 hrs (2009-02-13 08:41:06 GMT)
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sorry should say "try to keep the first word of each line"

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Note added at 11 hrs (2009-02-13 17:36:50 GMT)
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Pues ahora que ya sabemos todo lo dejar'ia as'i Ni ir al cine...

Not going to the movies...
Not going out to eat...
Not partying with friends...
Not dance clubs...

There is nothing I enjoy more than spending time alone with you!
I love being with you!
Note from asker:
Muchas gracias por su ayuda.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+3
40 mins

Not going to the movies, or eating out, or going to parties with friends...

Neither... nor se usa cuando hay solamente dos opciones
Peer comment(s):
agree Alice Bootman : This definitely works.
6 hrs
Thanks, ALice
agree kironne : I like it.
10 hrs
Thanks, kironne
agree Marzia Nicole Bucca
1 day 3 hrs
Thanks, Marzia.
Something went wrong...
3 mins

Yes, they are correct


Neither .. nor.

Suerte.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2009-02-13 12:50:21 GMT)
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http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neither
Usage notes
• Neither is used to mean none of two or more. Although some suggest that using the word neither with more than two items is incorrect, it has been commonly used to refer to more than two subjects since the 17th century. The more modern usage does prefer none with more than two things.
• There is considerable variation in regards to the number of the verb employed with this construction.
• Neither you, Simon, nor the fifty thousand, nor the Romans, nor the Jews, nor Judas, nor the twelve ,nor the priests, nor the scribes, nor doomed Jerusalem itself understand what power is, understand what glory is, understand at all." --[| Jesus Christ Superstar]

Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neither"
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010821
Neither...nor is usually used when referring to two subjects, but reference to more than two is acceptable: "Neither cat nor dog nor goat is allowed in the pet store. Neither of those three animals are allowed in the pet store."





Something went wrong...
7 hrs

Neither going to the movies...nor eating out...nor partying with friends

¿no te suena un poco mejor así?
Something went wrong...
+3
3 hrs

There'll be no going to the cinema...no going out for meals...no partying with friends

Don't know if this will fit into your context, but this feels most natural for me.

My English is GB, hence my first version of "going to the cinema", but of course "going to the movies" is fine.

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Note added at 13 hrs (2009-02-13 19:30:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Well, the additional information posted by wildflower rather puts the kybosh on my suggestion, doesn't it?! Ah well. Unfortunately, no time right now to try this now much more challenging translation!
Peer comment(s):
agree Alice Bootman : This also works - it depends on the context.
3 hrs
Thanks Alice. Yes, the context will dictate
agree Noelia Ruiz Pérez
6 hrs
Gracias Noelia.
agree Marzia Nicole Bucca
1 day 24 mins
Gracias Marzia
Something went wrong...
14 hrs

Not going to the cinema? Not Eating out? Not (even) Partying with Friends? No?

... There is nothing I enjoy more than your company.

My view is that, in this context, it doesn't really translate satisfactorily, and you have to "turn it on its head" quirkily.

If you take the "Ni ... Ni ... Ni .." as a purely grammatical question, some of the answers already given are correct (e.g. Neither .. nor ... nor)
Something went wrong...
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