Doing the Laundry - Discussion

Lesson Introduction

We men are capable of doing the laundry, too, you know! That is, as long as you tell us where you hid the detergent... In this lesson, we'll hear how to ask for things you can't find. We'll also hear how to answer, "I don't know," which is an extremely useful phrase, if not helpful!

Comments (50)

steve says

Why do you say 'yo lavo a ropa', and not just 'lavo a ropa'? Is it because you are responding to 'Quién'? Oh, and, en mi casa, mi esposa lava a ropa.

November 27, 2007 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says En mi casa la "muchacha" lava la ropa. La "muchacha" its a very Mexican way to say cleaning lady. November 28, 2007 from the Web.

darda says

deseo que tenga una machacha, msmata. En mi case, mi madre lava la ropa y a veces yo.

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says I know I am very lucky, but I work hard in order to pay her lol. You can say " Me gustaría tener una muchacha." Which means "I would like to have a cleaning lady." November 28, 2007 from the Web.

Team

jpvillanueva says

Hi steve, In Spanish, the verb's ending tells us the person/number of the subject. So "lavo la ropa" means "I wash clothes (I do laundry)." When you throw in the "yo," it works as an emphasizer. En English, we use emphatic stress the same way. so "yo lavo la ropa" would be: I wash clothes. Strong emphasis on the word "I." Why would we do that? Because in this case, the subject is the focus of the sentence; it's the part of the sentence that answers the question "Who washes clothes?" Notice that in your answer, you also specified the subject "mi esposa." Your verb had all the person/number information, but you wanted to emphasize who it was, so you threw in the subject. In English you'd get "my wife washes clothes." This is tricky sometimes for English speakers to get, because emphatic stress in English often does not show up in the written form. Here, I'm using bold to help you hear the difference. Emphatic stress is an English thing. It might surprise some of you to know that you canNOT bring English emphatic stress to other languages. So you can't just say "***En mi casa lavo la ropa." No no no, bad bad bad. You have to leave your English emphatic stress at home!

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

darda says

msmata, lol I think it's very handy though ;) actually what I was trying to say was "I wish I had a muchacha" =P

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

steve says

JP - In the show you say that bajo can mean 'low'. Can I use it to say I'm feeling low? Also, in the expansion tab it says that 'cocina' can mean 'cuisine' as well as 'kitchen'. Are they pronounced the same? Is there anyway to tell between these meanings besides the context?

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

Team

lilianamata says

Steve: In Spanish you can not say "me siento abajo", " I feel low" but you can say "traigo el ánimo bajo" which means "my mood is low." Also "cocina" you are right you can use it for kitchen and cuisine. "Me gusta la cocina española" "I like Spanish cuisine." They are both pronounced the same.

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

guest says

Lavo yo de mi propria ropa y el chico de la casa - su propria tambíen. Can you place the pronoun after the verb to put the emphasis too? I usually have heard it done with tú, like "Busca el detergente tú!" but I always felt nerdy when I did it with "yo".

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

yardbird says

Soy soltero, y no soy rico, y por eso lavo mis propia ropa. Porque no hay ni máchinas de lavar ni secadoras en el edificio donde yo vivo, tengo que traer mi ropa a la lavandería. ¡Ay, que pena! How would I say (to the laundromat),which is eight blocks away? Qué está ocho cuadros de aquí? Or...? Also, obviously I know how to say "dryer," but I just invented my expression for a washing machine. Cómo se llaman esas machinas? Grácias.

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

yardbird says

P.S. En mi apartamento, el caja de detergente sí se encuentro en la cocina, abajo del (sink). Junto de todas las otras cosas de limpiar. That isn't unusual at all in a dwelling without a separate privat (rather than shared) laundry room. Aquí mismo, I mean. En los E.U. If E.U. stands for Estados Unidenses, then how do Spanish speakers refer to the European Union by initials?thaebn

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

Team

lilianamata says

yardbird "Laundromat" in Spanish is "lavandería" and "washing machine" is "lavadora" dryer is "secadora." Also you should say "la" caja de detergente, está en la cocina debajo o abajo del lavabo." The European Union we call it " La Unión Europea" and the initials are UE. Any more doubts let me know!

November 28, 2007 from the Web.

yardbird says

thanks. first of all, I know "caja" is feminine. I just mistyped. I also wrote lavandería without the i acute by accident. Sorry. The one thing that did clear something up for me is that, okay, "abajo" is just a directional descriptor that can be used all by itself. I get that. So if you want to use "beneath" to say that something is beneath something else, specifically, it's "debajo," or if you prefer to use "abajo," you have to use the preposition "de," as you would with enfrente de, atrás de,and sof forth. Although, now that I think of it, we say something on top of the table is sobre la mesa, not sobre *de* la mesa. ¿Tengo razón? So I could use some more instruction on this from anyone willing. I mean on what seems like the variability of the use or nonuse of "de." Thanks.

November 29, 2007 from the Web.

Team

jpvillanueva says

yardbird, "Abajo" and "arriba" are adverbs that describe direction; they don't take an object. "Debajo" and "sobre" are prepositions, so they take objects (like "debajo la mesa" or "sobre la mesa"). "Debajo" is often occompanied by "de" ("debajo de la mesa") but "sobre" cannot be accompanied by "de." If there is a systematic way to explain preposition behavior, I don't know it. I think you just have to get used to each item, separately. Native-like use of prepositions is often hard to acquire for second language learners, but it doesn't usually get in the way of communication.

November 29, 2007 from the Web.

yardbird says

J.P. thanks. And don't worry about telling me to relax. I realize I can't understand rules that hardly anyone would be able to articulate systematically. But without even knowing that, I'm naturally curious to see if there are guidelines. And that is what you've furnished me. And I appreciate the guidance. Not looking for some stiff, iron-clad rules! Honest!

November 30, 2007 from the Web.

Team

jpvillanueva says

yardbird, Actually, I find prepositions frustrating because they are not systematic; if I'm telling you to relax, it's only because I'm projecting my own frustration! Many verb guides (Bercherelle, for one) list verbs along with likely prepositions, which is hugely helpful. Sometimes, when I ask a native speaker a question about prepositions, for example, "do you say 'entrar en' or 'entrar a?'" they answer, 'well, it's logical, of course." What they don't know is that when you're learning, language, you're learning the language's logic as well, and it's absolutely NOT logical from our point of view. Prepositions are hard to get just right! I've got my verbs down, but I still ask Lili and Leo preposition questions at the office almost every day! Luckily, they are patient with me! :)

November 30, 2007 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says Of course we are patient JP is the best teacher! December 2, 2007 from the Web.

Team	jpvillanueva says As for msmata, I couldn't ask for a better co-host! December 5, 2007 from the Web.

Team	estibalitz says En mi casa yo lavo la ropa, bueno mejor dicho es la lavadora quien la lava,jajajaja. December 9, 2007 from the Web.

fimperial says

En mi casa, a veces, tengo que lavar la ropa a mano. (in my house, sometimes, i have to wash laundry by hand) What is the best way to express doing something "by hand"?

December 15, 2007 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says fimperial It is correct to say "a mano", this is the best way. December 16, 2007 from the Web.

fimperial says

Gracias Lilliana - ahora puedo preparar desayuno a hacer las tortillas a mano. - now I can prepare breakfast by making the tortillas by hand (in reality I can't make tortillas by hand - how cool would that be.) I've gone 2 days without an online translator to help double check things. Thanks to Lilliana and JP for correcting all my mistakes!

December 16, 2007 from the Web.

Team

jpvillanueva says

fimperial, Congratulations on making it to two days. I haven't been correcting your mistakes, my friend, I've been answering your questions! Speaking as a language educator, now, I want to tell you and everyone that using the target language to communicate is a thousand times more beneficial to your language learning than getting your mistakes corrected all the time. And believe me, I'd much rather have conversations about your breakfast tortillas than about everybody's mistakes. That's not to say I don't correct people's mistakes. If you take a look through the threads, and see where I respond to people in Spanish, you'll see I'm actually using a technique: correcting grammar in the context of the conversation. So, just as a demonstration, I would respond to your last comment like this: ¡Mmm! ¡Me encantan las tortillas hechas a mano! Aquí no hay tortillas hechas a mano :( Suelo preparar huevos revueltos para el desayuno. So it looks like I'm just responding enthusiastically to your question, but really, if you look at my response, you can see how to say "handmade tortillas," "prepare (something) for breakfast." You might be curious about "Me encantan" or "Suelo" but I will let you ask me... because that's the technique, it's all gotta stay in the context of a conversation. My students... sigh... when I was a high school teacher, the fact that I was correcting them usually flew right over their heads. They thought I was just responding enthusiastically. So I had to adapt a strategy: when they didn't pick up on it, I repeated everything I said, with a slightly annoyed tone of voice, emphasizing the parts of my response that would help them correct themselves. If they didn't correct themselves, I had to act really annoyed (even if I wasn't) because that's the appropriate way to respond to people who ignore you. I think they had an expectation error correction had to be explicit and in English. It took them a while to pick up on it. I know a lot of people crave explicit correction ("just correct me, please please correct me!") but there's a lot of evidence out there that says unsolicited explicit correction doesn't affect target language performance. Also, most people, including me, find it annoying.

December 16, 2007 from the Web.

Team	jpvillanueva says Anyway, back to laundry! Yo no lavo la ropa. Hay una señora que viene todos los sábados que me lava la ropa. Soy muy perezoso. December 16, 2007 from the Web.

fimperial says

JP - otra vez, tu sabiduría me llena de humildad.. cuando el estudente esta listo, el profesor vendrà.. (once again, I am humbled by your wisdom.. when the student is ready a teacher will come.) Me gusta! Your technique rings true and reminds me of a story - I don't swim on a regular basis but somehow I got signed up to do a mini-mini triathlon. Petrified, I sought out any help I could find. My sister-in law is a swim coach so I kept asking her tons of questions about stroke, kick, breathing, etc. Finally she stopped me, looked me in the eyes and said, "just SWIM!". It was the advice I needed to release my doubts and get my body/mind into a relaxed state where it could be molded by the experience of putting myself out there. Hay un restaurant en San Antonio, Tejas se llama Taco Cabana donde haben las tortillas hechas a mano. La comida es barato pero muy sabroso. (There's a restaurant in San Antonio, Texas called Taco Cabana where they have hand made tortillas. The food is cheap but very delicious.) In the next post I'll tie it back into laundry, I promise! Thanks again JP.

December 16, 2007 from the Web.

ewong says

re buscalo search for it, you said "lo" means it. does it mean detergente is masculine? if the subject was feminine say, la ropa, would it change to buscala?

January 27, 2008 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says Ewong That is correct. It is "lo" because it is "EL detergente." January 29, 2008 from the Web.

ewong says

this is very clear to me now. muchas gracias liliana!

January 29, 2008 from the Web.

paulohenriques says

Yo y mi esposa lavamos nuestras ropas en nuestra lavadora. Cuando son ropas de la cama utilizamos además de la lavadora, la secadora. Hoy en dia tambiém hay las ropas de nuestra hija.

February 4, 2008 from the Web.

fritze says

JP, You made mention of a person that my not understand No Se! is there another phrase that would be more common in Spain?

February 19, 2008 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says fritze In Spain or anywhere else that speak Spanish you can use the following if you do not understand or if you want to say "i don't know" which is "no se". "no se" (don't know) "no tengo idea" (I have no idea) "no entiendo" (I don't understand) February 19, 2008 from the Web.

fritze says

wonderful, thanks so much!

February 22, 2008 from the Web.

npshirley says

Porque es solo mí en mi casa, yo llavo la ropa. Pues, tengo dos perras pero ellas no llevan ropa! Because it is only me in my house I wash the clothes, Well, I have 2 dogs but they don´t wear clothes!

March 7, 2008 from the Web.

ejm3k5 says

isnt detergent is femine noun. so shouldnt the direct object attached to the verb buscar be la instead of lo

March 10, 2008 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says ejm3k5 Detergent is masculine so its "el detergente". March 10, 2008 from the Web.

ekatpet says

Yo llavo la ropa en mi lavadora. Mi esposo no sabe como enchafarla.

April 18, 2008 from the Web.

vikia says

En mi casa, las ropas se lavan arriba. No tenemos que llevar las ropas abajo que se lavarán.

In my house, the clothes are washed upstairs. We don't have to carry the clothes downstairs to be washed.

September 29, 2008 from the Web.

marwanmarwan says

hola

June 12, 2009 from the Web.

cobre says

Hola, marwanmarwan,

¡Bienvenidos a SpanishPod!

¿Donde vive?

June 12, 2009 from the Web.

Team	jpvillanueva says corrections to PDF June 15, 2009 from the Web.

evandar says

Yo lavo la ropa en mi casa. Mi gato no entiende cuando lo digo que debe lavar su ropa, desafortunadamente.

Ok, that last sentence (aside from being a really silly one, and gods know where it came from!), I really don't know if even makes complete sense. I'm trying to say "my cat doesn't understand when I tell him he should wash his clothes, unfortunately" ^^

Unlike JP, I like being corrected after I've honestly tried, and am looking for help. :)

A propósito, mi detergente está en mi baño, junto con mi lavadora.

September 24, 2009 from the Web.

donperigo says

Evandar

Obviamente no te entiende, tu gato, porque él no tiene ningun ropa para lavar. Tampoco te entiendo yo. ¿Quiere que tu gato lave tu ropa?

Just thought I'd put that out there, see if the cat licks it up ;-)

September 24, 2009 from the Web.

evandar says

Hahaha. Of course I would like him to wash my clothes, I should've written that instead, as it would've made (a little) more sense. Cats are great creatures, they just don't help around the house too much. :D

Una pregunta para cualquiera:

This Expansion question confuses me a little:

¿Sabes conectarte a Internet?
Do you know how to go online? 1 (Do you know how to go online?)

Why is there no cómo in there? Is it normal to omit the word when using saber?

September 24, 2009 from the Web.

donperigo says

presonally i would probably have used como but im still learning. i think its one of those verbs with built in prepositions like pedir ..to ask for

here saber is effectively "to know how to"

September 24, 2009 from the Web.

stevestr says

evendar

You are correct that "saber" means "to know" but it can also mean "to know how" for example

"El no sabe nadar" "He does not know how to swim"

September 24, 2009 from the Web.

anna8 says

Yes, Evandar, as Stevestr and I have learned, and as you will discover, prepositions are killers:-) That's why I try to learn things in context. For example, in English we say:

I am looking for work. (you have to use the preposition 'for')

But in Spanish we have to say:

Estoy buscando trabajo. (you omit the preposition because the idea is included in the meaning of buscar, to look for)

On the other hand, I can say:

I married him, gentle reader. (No preposition)

But in Spanish I have to say:

Me casé con él, querido lector. (You must include the 'con')

BTW Evandar, your English is amazing!

September 24, 2009 from the Web.

evandar says

Thanks for the explanations, all three of you, it's appreciated. :) I didn't know that saber could also mean to know how. But I did know about buscar, hehe. I love how you guys keep improving my Spanish.

And thank you very much, anna8, for your compliment. Generally, Norwegians are good at English. We start learning it when we're about seven-eight, and thanks to the all-pervading English-language television shows (and these days, the internet as well!), we never forget it. ^^

September 26, 2009 from the Web.

marcobestgen says

En mi casa, yo lavo las ropas, con la ayuda de Miele, la maquina :-)

November 2, 2009 from the Web.

arcaelogist_2000 says


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Hosts:	Liliana, JP
ID:	0013
Difficulty:	Newbie
Published:	November 28, 2007
Topics:	cleaning, clothes
Functions:	looking for things

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Newbie - Doing the Laundry

Lesson Introduction

Comments (50)

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