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Hola. No estoy seguro de cómo traducir "you will do no good for yourself" en el texto siguiente: "When you begin to attend the Royal Family he will remember he used to consult you, and send a polite note to that effect at once. But you may take my word for it," I proceeded; "you will do no good for yourself unlesss you go into general society."
¿Puede ser "no te irán bien las cosas"?
Gracias.
Hola Antonio!, me parece bien tu elección "no te irán bien las cosas" también puede ser "no lo lograrás" o incluso "te irá mal".
Espero haber ayudado!
alfredo...how would you say "you would be better off if..." Are you familiar with this phrase "to be better off"? Is there a similar phrase in Spanish?
I'm thinking something like: "you would be better off going into general society"
Vicente: I'd say "desde el vamos te irá mejor" or "de entrada te irá mejor..."; but, from my perspective, it conveys a different meaning.
I agree with alfredo. Something like "no te servirá de nada" or "no será bueno para ti" may work well.
Yes Gentle, I agree that it has a somewhat different meaning but I've always wondered what would be the Spanish equivalent of "to be better off..."Quote:
Originally Posted by gentle
However, "you will do no good for yourself" is an unusual phrase with which to advise that working in general society would be better than working for the Royal Family. Something like "it would/will not serve you well" as Alfredo and Stefania suggest..."no te servirá..."
It's NOT an easy one to translate.:rolleyes:
I think "desde el vamos..." or "de entrada..." will serve the purpose for "to be better off." Just give it a shot! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by vicente
So how would I say ..."I'd be better off if I stay at home tonight and not go out." ... using both "desde el vamos" and "de entrada"?
Oops...that's a different context! I bet that would be more like: "Voy a estar mejor si me quedo esta noche en casa y no salgo" or "Voy a estar mejor quedándome esta noche en casa en lugar de salir de parranda"...:). Of course, we are using a colloquial tone, therefore I think you are entitled to be more "creative" and less "literal."Quote:
Originally Posted by vicente
That's kinda what I'm asking. "to be better off..." is a very common expression in the US that has it's own subtle meaning, usually indicating that one thing is more sensible than another, even if it isn't the most desirable.
"My wife is so lazy I'd be better off if I hired a maid to do the housework".
"Her father wants her to work in the family business but she'd be better off if she went into the general workforce."
"He wants to climb Mt. Everest but if he wants to kill himself he'd be better off by just jumping off a tall building closer to home."
Is there a similar expression in Spanish?
I admit it's a collocation I use quite often, but trust me I never realized I was using it in those many different contexts! :)
I'd rather say there is not one but many ways of conveying that meaning in Spanish. Apart from what I already suggested, for a sentence like "He wants to climb Mt. Everest but if he wants to kill himself he'd be better off by just jumping off a tall building closer to home." I'd say: "Quiere escalar el Monte Everest; pero, si quisiera matarse (or "buscar una forma de matarse"), más le valdría intentar tirándose de un edificio bien alto cerca de su hogar/casa/cercano a donde vive."
As you see, there are many different ways to say it. I always remember Hemingway's love and admiration for the Spanish language (learnt in Spain during the Civil War) and based on its "flowery" grammar and vocabulary.
And when I think of it, there are many ways to say it in English, as well. "...he could just..;" "...maybe he should (ought to)..."; "...better if he...", etc.
I guess, for me, "to be better off" conveys the subtle sarcasm and/or irony that I want to convey at times. Like, "I'd be better off dead rather than telling my wife what I did last night."
I bet you are in Texas, but...have you been to Vegas? :DQuote:
Originally Posted by vicente