Computer: masculine or feminine? - English Spanish Translator Org: Translation Forum � Translators Forums

sarab · 07-14-2008, 12:44 PM

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in
Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as
either masculine or feminine.

"House,'' for instance, is feminine: ''la casa.''

''Pencil,'' however, is masculine: "el lapiz.''
A student asked, ''What gender is 'computer'?''

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the
class into two groups, male and female, and asked them
to decide for themselves whether 'computer'' should be
a masculine or a feminine noun.
Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.
The men's group decided that ''computer'' should
definitely be of the feminine gender (''la computadora'') because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with
other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term
memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find
yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

The women's group, however, concluded that computers
should be masculine (''el computador'') because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but
half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little
longer, you could have gotten a better model.

Dragona · 07-14-2008, 02:13 PM

Good one!!!

SandraT · 07-15-2008, 10:40 AM

hahaha! very good Sarab! thanks for sharing!

reminder · 07-16-2008, 09:56 AM

Excellent! I received this joke in a Power Point in Spanish!

The reasons to choose the gender of the noun are undeniably true!! Is "computer" bisexual? Jaja.

justinb · 07-16-2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarab

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term
memory for possible later retrieval; and

haha oh wow, thats my favorite line.

Ezequiel · 07-22-2008, 01:34 PM

haha great one, definitely true, each and every line :P

Ali · 08-12-2008, 01:42 PM

hahahah!!!! veryyy good!!

RodrigoDG · 08-31-2008, 07:44 PM

i like this part: "They are supposed to help you solve problems, but
half the time they ARE the problem"

Veronica · 09-19-2008, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarab

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little
longer, you could have gotten a better model.

Definitely my favorite!!!

RodrigoDG · 11-17-2008, 03:04 PM

i'm agree with Vero.

07-14-2008, 12:44 PM	#1
sarab Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Buenos Aires Posts: 306 Rep Power: 290	Computer: masculine or feminine? A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. "House,'' for instance, is feminine: ''la casa.'' ''Pencil,'' however, is masculine: "el lapiz.'' A student asked, ''What gender is 'computer'?'' Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether 'computer'' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation. The men's group decided that ''computer'' should definitely be of the feminine gender (''la computadora'') because: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic; 2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else; 3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and 4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it. The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine (''el computador'') because: 1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on; 2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves; 3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and 4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

07-14-2008, 02:13 PM	#2
Dragona Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: MD Posts: 212 Rep Power: 244	Good one!!! __________________ Dragona "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" Gandhi

07-15-2008, 10:40 AM	#3
SandraT Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Havana,Cuba Posts: 1,200 Rep Power: 1686	hahaha! very good Sarab! thanks for sharing! __________________ _____________________________ [Have a nice day!!! ♥ Sandra T ♥

07-16-2008, 09:56 AM	#4
reminder Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 387 Rep Power: 468	Computer Excellent! I received this joke in a Power Point in Spanish! The reasons to choose the gender of the noun are undeniably true!! Is "computer" bisexual? Jaja.

08-12-2008, 01:42 PM	#7
Ali Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 397 Rep Power: 514	Re: Computer: masculine or feminine? hahahah!!!! veryyy good!!

07-22-2008, 01:34 PM	#6
Ezequiel Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Posts: 392 Rep Power: 279	haha great one, definitely true, each and every line :P

08-31-2008, 07:44 PM	#8
RodrigoDG Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 523 Rep Power: 314	Re: Computer: masculine or feminine? i like this part: "They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem"

11-17-2008, 03:04 PM	#10
RodrigoDG Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 523 Rep Power: 314	Re: Computer: masculine or feminine? i'm agree with Vero.

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