Lecture Improving Your Confidence as a Speaker

9 Ways of Saying Down in Spanish

9 Ways of Saying Down in Spanish Down is one of those simple, everyday words that can be especially challenging to translate to Spanish. One reason is that it can function as five parts of speech: most commonly an adverb, but also as a preposition, verb, noun and adjective. But even within those categories, theres no consistent way of translating the word. In many cases, the best approach to take in translation is to reword the English and then translate that. For example, if you try translating a sentence such as Im down to only one dollar word-for-word, youll find yourself confused at best. Instead, try using the verb quedar, often used to indicate a remaining quantity. The idea is expressed with Me queda sà ³lo un dà ³lar, which literally means Only one dollar remains for me. Down as the Opposite of Up That said, in many contexts - such as when down means the opposite of up and indicates motion or direction - it is possible to use the adverb abajo, either by itself or in combination with other words, or the related verb bajar, which typically means to go down. This includes most cases where down is functioning as an adverb. Some examples: When I look down I feel dizzy. Cuando miro para abajo me mareo.The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. El accidente lo dejà ³ paralizado desde el cuello para abajo.The Bilbao Market has gone down 22.72 points at midsession. La Bolsa de Bilbao ha bajado 22,72 puntos a media sesià ³n.Its essential that the roots grow downward in order to maximize the absorption of water. Es esencial que las raà ­ces crezcan hacia abajo para que maximizar su absorcià ³n de agua.Gravitational force pulls the satellite downward. La fuerza gravitatoria tira del satà ©lite hacia abajo.We have to get down from the train at the border. Tenemos que bajar del tren en la frontera.Everyone from the governor down is immersed in a web of corruption. Todos desde el gobernador para ajabo estn inmersos in una aurealoa de corrupcià ³n.Another possibility for adventurers is to camp down in the canyon. Otra posibilidad para los aventureros es acampar abajo en el caà ±Ãƒ ³n.The temperature went down fro m 30 degrees to 20 degrees. La temperatura se bajà ³ de 30 grados hasta 20 grados. I prefer to sleep face down. Prefiero dormir boca abajo. Down as an Adjective When down functions as a adjective in English, it often has a specialized meaning that depends on the context. Youll usually be best off recasting the English before translating: The wireless network is down today. La red inalmbrica no funciona hoy. (Literally, the wireless network isnt working today.)She knew he was down with the flu because she called him twice. Sabà ­a que à ©l estaba enfermo de influenza porque ella le llamà ³ dos veces. (Down here is being used as roughly synonymous with sick.)Were down 10 points. Estamos perdiendo por diez puntos. (Literally, were losing by 10 points.)Its a shame that he is always down on himself. Es lstima que à ©l se menosprecie a sà ­ mismo. (The phrase to be down on someone is a colloquial way of indicating that someone devalues someone.)They have me down for 2 p.m. Tengo una cita para 2 de la tarde. (Literally, I have an appointment for 2 p.m.)The down payment normally is a percentage of the price of the house. El pago inicial normalmente es un porcentaje del precio de la casa. Down as a Particle Down is a part of many English phrasal verbs - verbs that are made up of a verb followed by down to form a phrase that has a meaning separate from the verb by itself. To translate, these two-word verbs must be learned separately just as any other vocabulary. Here are a few of many possible examples: My mother isnt going to back down so easily. Mi madre no va a recular tan fcil.The bar was shut down for not meeting safety requirements. El bar fue clausurado por no cumplir las medidas de seguridad.He bowed down before the statue. Se inclinà ³ ante la estatua.The Iowa woman burned down a friends house because she defriended her on Facebook. La mujer de Iowa incendià ³ la casa de una amiga porque la eliminà ³ del Facebook.The government is cracking down on illegal arms sales. El gobierno toma medidas enà ©rgicas contra la venta ilegal de armas.My cousin is unable to  hold down a job. Mi prima no puede durar en un trabajo. (Literally, my cousin is unable to last in a job.)The mayor played down the murders. El alcalde no le dio tanta importancia a los asesinatos. (Literally, the mayor did not give much importance to the murders.) Down as a Noun The down of a bird is typically referred to as el plumà ³n, although a down pillow is referred to as una almohada de plumas. The down of a fruit is known as la pelusa. In football, a down is usually un down. Down as a Verb As a verb, down usually refers to shooting something down from the sky. A good verb to use is derribar. The Soviets downed the plane with a simple attack.  Los sovià ©ticos  derribaron el avià ³n  con un simple ataque.   Down Syndrome The congenital condition is known as el sà ­ndrome de Down, sometimes abbreviated as SD. (Sources: Sample sentences are adapted from a variety of sources written by native Spanish speakers. Among those consulted for this lesson are 20minutos; Twitter conversations; Biologà ­a y Geologà ­, Ciencias pra el uno Contemporneo; Visià ³n Santigueà ±a; Tatoeba; Namancambre Tours; Finanzas Prcticas; Yahoo.mx and TN.com.ar.)