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Re:Slang in other languages
Hi Steve,
You make an excellent point. Since your topic is slang and expressions, I went over to the bulletin board for that topic and posted a reply to you there. That will make it easier for others interested in this topic to find it.
Thanks for bringing up this important issue!
Mark Springer
Sacramento, CA
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Language pair: English; All
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Mark S.
February 18, 2005
# Msgs: 1
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Why "was born" instead of "did born?"
Dear Angela,
I don't know how much you know about English grammar, or about grammar in general, so forgive me if I say this too simply--but don't hesitate to ask if I need to do a better job of explaining any of this.
The verb, "born" is a past participle in English; that is to say, it's the special form of the verb, "to bear" that is used in passive voice (is born) and in perfect tenses (had born, has born, etc).
You may know that the verb "to bear" in English means to carry, such as a burden. Often we say the mother bears a child. It seems like this should be a way of saying that she's pregnant, but we always use it to say that she had the child. The baby has come out into the world. If we turn that phrase into the passive voice, we would say, "the child was born by the mother."
Of course, if you ask me where I'm from or how old I am, I don't need to say, "my mother bore me in 1963" or "I was born by my mother in Los Angeles, California. We're both from the same planet, so I trust you to know that the person who bore me was my mother. So we just leave that part out and say "I was born."
Your question is very interesting, because it makes clear to me something I may never have thought about: Why is it that in English we have no action verb to describe a baby's action of leaving the womb to enter the world. In my second language of Spanish, for example, they'd say "Nací en Los Angeles." Very much like, I presume, you might say in Dutch.
Thank you for a very interesting question. Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with. I hope you find my comments useful.
Warmest wishes,
Mark Springer
Sacramento, CA, USA
Normal member
Speaking: English, Spanish
Studying: Spanish, Portuguese
Studied: German, Turkish, Mandarin Chinese
Played with: Russian, Hebrew, Latin, Tagalog, French, Sign language.
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Language pair: English; All
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Mark S.
February 13, 2005
# Msgs: 1
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Re:I can help you with Armenian language.
Hi Nune, how are you doing? It's nice to see another Armenian person in here. Well I also signed up lately and for a month there seemed to be no Armenian soul other than me. Well I live in Armenia, and if you need help in terms of English then I could help you evne though I am not a native speaker. Anyway keep in touch, hajogh..
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Language pair: English; Armenian
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Jasmine
February 11, 2005
# Msgs: 2
Latest: February 11, 2005
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nune n.
February 10, 2005
# Msgs: 2
Latest: February 11, 2005
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Armenian language
Hello.
I am 36.
I am a teacher.
I know Russian and a little English.
I want to improve my English. I can help you to learn Armenian.
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Language pair: Armenian; English
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nune n.
February 10, 2005
# Msgs: 2
Latest: March 23, 2005
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Re:Hello, I'd like you to contact me!
hello Anna. I want to learn to speak German from the very beginning. i know very little aside from a few words. I have helped others learn English (assuming you still want help). Anyway, please let me know if you would be interested in helping me or if you know someone who would be. Thank you.
Frank
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Language pair: German; English
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Frank G.
February 1, 2005
# Msgs: 1
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alberto r.
January 23, 2005
# Msgs: 2
Latest: January 23, 2005
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I am Lao, and I try to speak English very well, can you help me?
Dear anybody,
Laos is developing country, if you have good idea how to help Lao human can speak english well, especially teenagers, please give your idea and help me to improve my english I would really help our problem about speaking English.
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Language pair: Lao; English
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phap d.
January 20, 2005
# Msgs: 1
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Mandy BBarnes
Hello ....Bonjoir... Well that's about all I know,But I would love to learn More French If you have spare time drop me an e-mail and I will try to learn more French than I allready Know.
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Language pair: English; French
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mandy b.
January 12, 2005
# Msgs: 1
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Re:Re:To ALL those who would love to learn ENGLISH/ BENGALI in exchange for RUSSIAN/SPANISH.....WELCOME!!!
TO: Dear GABRIEL ARELLANO
Thanks for your response dt.04Dec2004.
Yes,I'm living now in Calcutta(now called KOLKATA),INDIA. I was born a Bengalee.Please see my profile for details
Kindly see my HANGMAN GAMES in Bengali.
I'm keen to learn spanish and improve my Russian.
NOS MANTENMOS EN CONTACTO(=AmrA jogAjog rAkhbo)in Bengali
Happy NEW YEAR!!
NIRMAL KUNDU /Jan,2005
(note: pronounce 'A' as in father)
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Language pair: English; Spanish
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Nirmal K.
January 6, 2005
# Msgs: 1
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