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  1. #1
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    Default playing at (something)

    How would you say using Latin American idiom "he only played at being an engineer"?

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    Default playing being = jugar a ser o jugar a que es

    That phrase in Spanish would be:
    (Él) sólo jugaba a ser ingeniero
    o
    (Él) sólo jugaba a que era ingeniero.

    Él can be elided (and it is highly recomended to do it) if the person has previously been mentioned in the cotext.

    I didn't get what you meant by "idiom". Is this an idiom in English??

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    Default Re: playing at (something)

    Idiom means dialect. In this case, the way a Chilean might express the thought contrasted to the way a Mexican might express it.

    Thanks greatly for your prompt reply.

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    Default Re: playing at (something)

    I it refers to an adult person who acted as a person who knew a lot of enginery, "se las tiraba de ingeniero"
    If It speaks about a child the former answers are correct

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    Default Re: playing at (something)

    To express that idea in Argentina we say:
    Se la da de ingeniero. (present, 3rd person singular)
    Se la daba de ingeniero. (past tense, 3rd person singular)

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