"A mil"

A friend keeps using the phrase "a mil" in emails to me. He's Peruvian, if that makes a difference. Oh, and he never uses accent marks and misspells things all the times, which make translating a challenge, lol. But he seems to write this consistently the same... It seems like he's saying he's busy in context, but all the translators and dictionaries I've look through only have it as meaning the literal "a thousand", and that doesn't make sense in context:

"Lo siento he estado a mil."
"A mil con el trabajo."
"Yo estoy a mil, sin conexcion de internet, y ayer me quede sin baetria en el celular..."

Thanks for any help! :)

I am not familiar with this phrase either but I'm pretty sure you are right in your interpretation that he means busy or overloaded much like we would say "a ton".

Yeah, the sense of "estoy a mil" is that the person is really busy and that is why he/she didn't have time to write to you. I have also come across "a full" with the same meaning.

Hi!! Scottj is right. "Estar a full" or "estar a mil" mean exactly the same and they're vey commonly used in informal writing or speaking.

Saludiños,

Bel :)

My guess is that "estoy a mil" is a shortened version of "estoy a 1000km por hora", which in terms of speed would mean that you're so busy that you just can't stop doing things fast, one right after another.

Yes, it means you are soooooooooooo busy, so very busy that you cant`take care of anything else or perform any other duty you have been assigned to.
Like I am running at a speed of 1000 km/h, I can`t stop, I can`t lose any time, I have so many things to do now.

Hope it helps.

I agree with the 1000km interpretation, but I wonder where the "a full" expression comes from...

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Originally Posted by ScottJ

I agree with the 1000km interpretation, but I wonder where the "a full" expression comes from...

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It`s about the same.

"Full" is the English word meaning complete and taken as such into this expression in Spanish to mean you are full of stuff to do, your To Do ist is full, complete.

So, instead of Estoy a mil (running at 1000 km/h), they say estoy a "full", so busy... my schedule does not have any empty or blank entry, I am exhausted, sorry I can`t take care of that, etc, you choose according to the context.

This expression I understand is used mostly among teens and young adults.

I suppose that makes the most sense...I was just curious as to whether there was a different story of origin.

Could "a full" come from "at full capacity" or "at full speed" and turned into spanish slang?

Sounds reasonable to me =P

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Originally Posted by Ezequiel

Could "a full" come from "at full capacity" or "at full speed" and turned into spanish slang?

Sounds reasonable to me =P

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Yes, exactly.

That reminds me of when they want to thank you for something and they say "gracias a mil" or "gracias un millon" or "un millon de gracias" (thanks a million times or thanks a thousand times):)

Hi!

This that I'm going to add here may not be of much help, but in Portuguese we have a "saying" which is pretty close from the Spanish one. We don't use "mil" but "cem" (hundred):

"A cem, cento e vinte" (to do something in a rush/in a hurry)

I hate the sound of "a full" , sounds like Spanglish to me.

Ok, thanks so much for all your help! Good to know I was reading it right by context, but even better to hear the origin. And always helpful to hear another way of saying the same thing (ie: "a full"). So, thank you! :)

In Italy we use to say the same when we want to describe :
"A lot of.."
"Very fast"
"Without rest"

Is right what you say about the 1000 km/h: expecially when we talk about work, we use to say (for example)
"Hey, how's the work going"
"It's going at 1000"

But now means everything that's too much or really faster.

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Originally Posted by GraceReborn

A friend keeps using the phrase "a mil" in emails to me. He's Peruvian, if that makes a difference. Oh, and he never uses accent marks and misspells things all the times, which make translating a challenge, lol. But he seems to write this consistently the same... It seems like he's saying he's busy in context, but all the translators and dictionaries I've look through only have it as meaning the literal "a thousand", and that doesn't make sense in context:

"Lo siento he estado a mil."
"A mil con el trabajo."
"Yo estoy a mil, sin conexcion de internet, y ayer me quede sin baetria en el celular..."

Thanks for any help! :)

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Dear ones:

When I saw the title of this thread I thought you would discuss Portuguese. This expression "estou a mil" or "ando a mil" is very Brazilian Portuguese!

And it means the same as in Spanish and English.

Saludinhos

Eliana

From what I've been reading, it looks like most of commentaries match the same result: busy. Someone who is busy, someone who is fully engaged in a sort of multitasking-related life.
In my turf( Honduras), we associate this expression with a person who is either running, leaving a place, driving a car, and so on. But the thing is that this person performs this action by "speeding up", "stepping on it" .. It has nothing to do with "being busy"

seeker50.

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Originally Posted by tapatepe

That reminds me of when they want to thank you for something and they say "gracias a mil" or "gracias un millon" or "un millon de gracias" (thanks a million times or thanks a thousand times):)

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Quizá hayas querido poner "gracias mil" pues "gracias a mil" significa que te dan las gracias a toda velocidad.

Comentario en general:

a mil = a toda velocidad
(mil o mil por hora -sin unidades, pues se sobreentiende velocidad-)

a full = a plena capacidad, a máxima capacidad

ambas se confunden con:

a toda máquina = a todo vapor = el máximo de potencia que el sistema permite para lograr la máxima velocidad

El hotel está a full (esta completo)
Estoy trabajando a full (estoy trabajando a máxima capacidad)
Hubo 34° y la playa estaba a full (figuradamente, no había un metro cuadrado de arena o agua baja donde no hubiera una persona)
Estoy a mil (no me detengo un solo momento y hago todo siguiendo un mismo impulso acelerado -simbólico, no físico-)
Pasó la señal a mil (claramente no aminoró la velocidad ante el semáforo)
Los ladrones huyeron a mil (se largaron tan rápido como pudieron)