English vs Spanish: Sendos


There are more words in English than in Spanish and in many ways English is also more versatile than several of the other languages currently in use around the world including Spanish, meaning for example that there are things that can only be said and understood under the parameters of that language and not another. Nevertheless, as there are expressions that are exclusive of English there are certainly words that only exist in each language and Spanish is no exception.
One such case is the word SENDOS that has no equivalent in English. Here is an example of its use:
Seis guerreros salieron del castillo llevando sendas espadas.
If translated into English the sentence would probably read as follows:
Six warriors came out of the castle and each one was wielding a sword. 
The word SENDOS (masculine) or SENDAS (feminine) is an adjective that when used indicates that the noun it modifies exists in equal number as another mentioned before in the same sentence. In the sentence we mention six warriors which means that there are also six swords. How do we know this? Thanks to the presence of the adjective SENDOS  which by the way is only used in plural (adjectives in Spanish have number and genre).
Curiously such a useful term is being slowly forgotten or misinterpreted as it is indicated by the image that accompanies this article. Apparently there are those who believe SENDOS is the same as LARGE and interpret the term that way, but that is only plain ignorance. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are LAS TRES MARÍAS called in English?

Image
(Left to right:  Alnitak ,  Alnilam  and  Mintaka )  The TRES MARIAS is this group of three bright stars that are apparently at the same distance from one another though in reality none is at the same distance. They are called like that in most of Latin America and apparently they are called the THREE KINGS (the Magi) in the Philippine Islands. The TRES MARIAS after whom those stars are named are Mary, mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene and Mary, the wife of Clopas (probably a relative of Jesus's). To find them in the sky means you are also looking at the constellation of Orion (the Warrior), to be more precise, its belt because that is precisely what the TRES MARIAS are called in English: Orion's Belt.
Read more

The Maps of Ship-Trap Island

Image
Once I had my high school students read The Most Dangerous Game, a short story by Richard Connell. Rainsford, the main character, is a professional hunter traveling by ship to his next hunting area, accidentally ends up in an island called Ship- Trap island. When he goes into the island he finds there are two men living in a palace in the island. One of them is a Cossack general and the other, his brutish servant.  The Cossack is called general Zaroff who is also  a game hunter but has become bored of hunting regular game and now uses the island's unique position to capture sailors from shipwrecks. He lets them go first and next after some time he hunts them down. Rainford's arrival who is worldwide famous presents Zaroff with a rare opportunity to find excitement in hunting again by hunting another hunter. Little does Zaroff know that Rainsford is The Most Dangerous Game in the World and hunting him will not be easy at all. My students enjoyed themselves at reading
Read more

How do you say NACIMIENTO NAVIDEÑO in English?

Image
"Oh no! Not another power blackout!"             NACIMIENTO NAVIDEÑO or PESEBRE NAVIDEÑO is a tradition which consists in recreating the moment of Jesus Christ's birth with small figures representing Joseph, Mary, the shepherds and the Wise Kings. Baby Jesus is set on December 25th of course, while the other figures are placed before, usually at the beginning of December.       The translation is NATIVITY SCENE, though some people only say CHRISTMAS SCENE. This last term is a bit broad -- even an image of Santa Claus riding his sleigh falls under that description. Saying CHRISTMAS NATIVITY SCENE would be perhaps more appropriate.                                                                                        Merry Christmas!     
Read more