-
1 prepositional
adjective preposicionaltr[prepə'zɪʃənəl]1 prepositionalprepositional [.prɛpə'zɪʃənəl] adj: preposicionaladj.• preposicional adj.[ˌprepǝ'zɪʃǝnl]1.ADJ preposicional2.CPDprepositional phrase N — locución f preposicional
-
2 prepositional
adj.preposicional. -
3 but
1. conjunction(used to show a contrast between two or more things: John was there, but Peter was not.) pero
2. preposition(except (for): no-one but me; the next road but one.) exceptobut1 conj1. peroI'd like to come to the party, but I can't me gustaría ir a la fiesta, pero no puedo2. sinothe party's not on Saturday, but on Sunday la fiesta no es el sábado, sino el domingobut2 prep salvo / excepto / menostr[bʌt]1 pero■ it's cold, but dry hace frío, pero no llueve■ I'd like to, but I can't me gustaría, pero no puedo2 (after negative) sino■ not two, but three no dos, sino tres3 (after negative with verb) sino que■ she told him not to wait, but to go home le dijo que no se esperara, sino que se fuera para casa1 (nada) más que, no... sino, solamente, sólo,1 excepto, salvo, menos1 pero\SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALLbut for de no ser por, si no fuera por■ but for him, we would have failed de no ser por él, habríamos fracasadohad I but «+ pp»... si lo + imperf subj...there is nothing for it but to «+ inf» no hay más remedio que + infthe last but one el/la penúltimo,-abut ['bʌt] conj1) that: quethere is no doubt but he is lazy: no cabe duda que sea perezoso2) without: sin que3) nevertheless: pero, no obstante, sin embargoI called her but she didn't answer: la llamé pero no contestó4) yet: perohe was poor but proud: era pobre pero orgullosobut prepexcept: excepto, menoseveryone but Carlos: todos menos Carlosthe last but one: el penúltimoadv.• pero adv.• sino adv.• solamente adv.conj.• ahora conj.• empero conj.• mas conj.• pero conj.• sino conj.n.• objeción s.f.• pero s.m.prep.• excepto prep.
I bʌt, weak form bət1)a) ( however) peroshe was fired, but they were not — la despidieron a ella pero no a ellos
everybody, but everybody knows that — eso no hay nadie que no lo sepa
you're really bugging me but good! — (AmE colloq) qué manera de darme la lata! (fam)
b) ( used for introductory emphasis) perobut what made you say it? — ¿pero por qué lo dijiste?
surely he doesn't believe that? - oh, but he does! — no puede ser que se crea eso - pues sí que se lo cree
c)but then — (as linker) (however, still) pero; ( in that case) pero entonces
but then you never were very ambitious, were you? — pero la verdad es que tú nunca fuiste muy ambicioso ¿no?
I don't want to, but then again I do — no quiero, pero a la vez or al mismo tiempo sí quiero
2)not... but... — no... sino...
it appears that she's not Greek but Albanian — parece que no es griega, sino albanesa
not only did she hit him, but she also... — no sólo le pegó, sino que también...
II
a) ( except)everyone but me — todos menos or excepto or salvo yo
the next street but one — la próxima calle no: la siguiente
there's nothing we can do but wait — no podemos hacer otra cosa sino esperar, lo único que podemos hacer es esperar
b)but for: but for them, we'd have lost everything — de no haber sido or si no hubiera sido por ellos, habríamos perdido todo
III
adverb (frml)
IV bʌtnoun pero m[bʌt]no buts: come here at once! — no hay pero que valga, ven aquí inmediatamente!
1. CONJ1) (contrasting) peroI want to go but I can't afford it — quiero ir, pero no tengo el dinero
but it does move! — ¡pero sí se mueve!
2) (in direct contradiction) sino•
he's not Spanish but Italian — no es español sino italiano•
we never go out but it rains — nunca salimos sin que llueva4) (as linker)•
but then he couldn't have known — por otro lado, no podía saber or haberlo sabidobut then you must be my cousin! — ¡entonces tú debes ser mi primo!
2.ADV (=only) solo, sólo, solamente; (=no more than) no más queIn the past the standard spelling for solo as an adverb was with an accent (sólo). Nowadays the Real Academia Española advises that the accented form is only required where there might otherwise be confusion with the adjective solo.
if I could but speak to him — si solamente or solo pudiese hablar con él
•
you can but try — con intentar no se pierde nada•
all but naked — casi desnudo•
had I but known — de haberlo sabido (yo), si lo hubiera sabido3.PREP (=except) menos, excepto, salvo•
anything but that — cualquier cosa menos eso•
everyone but him — todos menos él•
but for you — si no fuera por ti•
the last but one — el/la penúltimo(-a)•
there is nothing for it but to pay up — no hay más remedio que pagar•
who but she could have said something like that? — ¿quién sino ella podría haber dicho semejante cosa?4.N pero m, objeción f•
no buts about it! — ¡no hay pero que valga!BUT There are three main ways of translating the conjunction but: pero, sino and sino que.come on, no buts, off to bed with you! — ¡vale ya! no hay pero que valga, ¡a la cama!
Contrasting
► To introduce a contrast or a new idea, use pero:
Strange but interesting Extraño pero interesante
I thought he would help me but he refused Creí que me ayudaría, pero se negó ► In informal language, pero can be used at the start of a comment:
But where are you going to put it? Pero ¿dónde lo vas a poner? NOTE: In formal language, s in embargo or no obstante may be preferred:
But, in spite of the likely benefits, he still opposed the idea Sin embargo or No obstante, a pesar de las probables ventajas, todavía se oponía a la idea
Correcting a previous negative
► When but or but rather introduces a noun phrase, prepositional phrase or verb in the infinitive which corrects a previous negative, translate but using sino:
Not wine, but vinegar No vino, sino vinagre
They aren't from Seville, but from Bilbao No son de Sevilla, sino de Bilbao
His trip to London was not to investigate the case but to hush it up Su viaje a Londres no fue para investigar el caso sino para taparlo ► When but or but rather introduces a verb clause (or requires a verb clause in Spanish) which corrects a previous negative, translate using sino que:
He's not asking you to do what he says but (rather) to listen to him No te pide que hagas lo que él dice, sino que le escuches
Not only... but also
► When the but also part of this construction contains ((subject)) + ((verb)), translate using no solo or no sólo or no solamente... sino que también or sino que además:
It will not only cause tension, but it will also damage the economy No solo or No sólo or No solamente provocará tensiones, sino que además or sino que también dañará la economía ► When the but also part does not contain ((subject)) + ((verb)), translate using no solo or no sólo or no solamente... sino también or sino además:
Not only rich but also powerful No solo or No sólo or No solamente rico sino también or sino además poderoso
We don't only want to negotiate but also to take decisions No queremos solo or sóloor solamente negociar, sino también tomar decisiones For further uses and examples, see main entry* * *
I [bʌt], weak form [bət]1)a) ( however) peroshe was fired, but they were not — la despidieron a ella pero no a ellos
everybody, but everybody knows that — eso no hay nadie que no lo sepa
you're really bugging me but good! — (AmE colloq) qué manera de darme la lata! (fam)
b) ( used for introductory emphasis) perobut what made you say it? — ¿pero por qué lo dijiste?
surely he doesn't believe that? - oh, but he does! — no puede ser que se crea eso - pues sí que se lo cree
c)but then — (as linker) (however, still) pero; ( in that case) pero entonces
but then you never were very ambitious, were you? — pero la verdad es que tú nunca fuiste muy ambicioso ¿no?
I don't want to, but then again I do — no quiero, pero a la vez or al mismo tiempo sí quiero
2)not... but... — no... sino...
it appears that she's not Greek but Albanian — parece que no es griega, sino albanesa
not only did she hit him, but she also... — no sólo le pegó, sino que también...
II
a) ( except)everyone but me — todos menos or excepto or salvo yo
the next street but one — la próxima calle no: la siguiente
there's nothing we can do but wait — no podemos hacer otra cosa sino esperar, lo único que podemos hacer es esperar
b)but for: but for them, we'd have lost everything — de no haber sido or si no hubiera sido por ellos, habríamos perdido todo
III
adverb (frml)
IV [bʌt]noun pero mno buts: come here at once! — no hay pero que valga, ven aquí inmediatamente!
-
4 preposition
prepə'ziʃən(a word put before a noun or pronoun to show how it is related to another word: through the window; in the garden; written by me.) preposiciónpreposition n preposicióntr[prepə'zɪʃən]1 preposición nombre femeninopreposition [.prɛpə'zɪʃən] n: preposición fn.• preposición s.f.'prepə'zɪʃənnoun preposición f[ˌprepǝ'zɪʃǝn]N (Ling) preposición f* * *['prepə'zɪʃən]noun preposición f -
5 that
1. ðæt plural - those; adjective(used to indicate a person, thing etc spoken of before, not close to the speaker, already known to the speaker and listener etc: Don't take this book - take that one; At that time, I was living in Italy; When are you going to return those books?) ese, esa, esos, esas; aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas
2. pronoun(used to indicate a thing etc, or (in plural or with the verb be) person or people, spoken of before, not close to the speaker, already known to the speaker and listener etc: What is that you've got in your hand?; Who is that?; That is the Prime Minister; Those present at the concert included the composer and his wife.) ese, esa, esos, esas; aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas
3. ðət, ðæt relative pronoun(used to refer to a person, thing etc mentioned in a preceding clause in order to distinguish it from others: Where is the parcel that arrived this morning?; Who is the man (that) you were talking to?)
4. ðət, ðæt conjunction1) ((often omitted) used to report what has been said etc or to introduce other clauses giving facts, reasons, results etc: I know (that) you didn't do it; I was surprised (that) he had gone.) que2) (used to introduce expressions of sorrow, wishes etc: That I should be accused of murder!; Oh, that I were with her now!) y pensar que; ojalá
5.
adverb(so; to such an extent: I didn't realize she was that ill.) tan- that's that
that1 adj ese / aquelwho lives in that house? ¿quién vive en esa casa?did you bring that book? ¿has traído aquel libro?what are those boys doing? ¿qué están haciendo aquellos chicos?that2 adv tanthat3 conj quethat4 pron1. ése / aquél2. esotr[ðæt ʊnstressed ðət]1 ese, esa (remote) aquel, aquella■ how much is that dress? ¿cuánto vale ese vestido?■ what was that noise? ¿qué ha sido ese ruido?■ have you got that record I lent you? ¿tienes aquel disco que te dejé?■ who's that? ¿quién es ése/ésa?■ this is mine, that is yours éste es mío, aquél es tuyo2 (indefinite) eso; (remote) aquello■ what's that? ¿qué es eso?■ where did you get that? ¿dónde has comprado eso?3 (relative) que4 (with preposition) que, el/la que, el/la cual1 que2 ¡ojalá!1 familiar tan, tanto,-a, tantos,-as\SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALLand all that y todo esolike that así, de aquella manerathat is to say es decirthat's life así es la vidathat's more like it ¡ahora!, ¡así me gusta!that's right así esthat's that ya está, se acabówho's that? (on 'phone) ¿quién es?, ¿quién eres?it's not that expensive: no es tan caronot that much: no tantodo you see those children?: ¿ves a aquellos niños?that conj & pron: quehe said that he was afraid: dijo que tenía miedothe book that he wrote: el libro que escribió1) : ése, ésa, esothat's my father: ése es mi padrethose are the ones he likes: ésos son los que le gustanwhat's that?: ¿qué es eso?those are maples and these are elms: aquéllos son arces y éstos son olmosthat came to an end: aquello se acabóadj.• esa adj.• ese adj.adj.dem.• aquel adj.dem.adv.• como adv.• tan adv.conj.• ese conj.• para que conj.• que conj.pron.• aquello pron.• aquél pron.• el cual pron.• ese pron.• eso pron.• que pron.• quien pron.• tanto pron.pron.dem.neut.• aquello pron.dem.neut.
I ðæt1) (pl those) ( demonstrative) ése, ésa; (neuter) esothose — ésos, ésas; (to refer to something more distant, to the remote past) aquél, aquélla; (neuter) aquello
those — aquéllos, aquéllas [According to the Real Academia Española the accent can be omitted when there is no ambiguity]
what's that? — ¿qué es eso?
who's that over there? — quién es ése/ésa?
those are $20 and those over there $21.50 — ésos cuestan 20 dólares y aquéllos de allá 21,50
who's that, please? — ( on telephone) ¿con quién hablo, por favor?
that's impossible/wonderful! — es imposible/maravilloso!
is that so? — no me digas!, ¿ah, sí?
don't talk like that! — no hables así!, no digas eso!
eat it up now, that's a good girl! — vamos, cómetelo todo así me gusta!
come on, it's not as bad as all that — vamos, que no es para tanto
2) (in phrases)at that they all burst out laughing — al oír (or ver etc) eso, todos se echaron a reír
he has enormous power and wealth, but is still unhappy for all that — tiene mucho poder y muchas riquezas, pero aún así es infeliz
that is: we're all going, all the adults, that is vamos todos, es decir, todos los adultos; you're welcome to come along, that is, if you'd like to encantados de que vengas, siempre que quieras venir, claro; that's it!: that's it for today eso es todo por hoy; is that it? - no, there's another bag to come ¿ya está? - no, todavía falta otra bolsa; now lift your left arm: that's it! ahora levanta el brazo izquierdo eso es! or ahí está!; that's it: I've had enough! se acabó! ya no aguanto más!; that's that: you're not going and that's that! — no vas y no hay más que hablar or y se acabó
3) ðət, strong form ðæt ( relative) queit wasn't Helen (that) you saw — no fue a Helen a quien viste, no fue a Helen que viste (AmL)
II ðætthose — esos, esas; (to refer to something more distant, to the remote past) aquel, aquella
those — aquellos, aquellas
do you know that boy/girl? — ¿conoces a ese chico/esa chica?
I prefer that one — prefiero ése/ésa
III ðət, strong form ðætconjunction queshe said (that)... — dijo que...
it's not that I mind what he does but... — no es que me importe lo que hace, pero...
they died that others might live — (liter) murieron para que otros pudieran vivir
IV ðætadverb tanten thirty? that late already? — ¿las diez y media? ¿ya es tan tarde?
(strong form) [ðæt] (weak form) [ˌdǝt] (pl those) Those is treated as a separate entry.I'm not that interested, really — la verdad es que no me interesa tanto
1. DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVE1) [+ objects/people]You can generally use ese etc when pointing to something near the person you are speaking to. Use aquel etc for something which is distant from both of you: (nearer) ese m, esa f ; (more remote) aquel m, aquella fthat car is much better value than that sports model at the end — ese coche está mejor de precio que aquel modelo deportivo que hay al final
that wretched dog! — ¡ese maldito perro!
In the past the standard spelling for [ese/esa] and [aquel/aquella] used as pronouns (as when they are used to translate [that one]) was with an accent ([ése/ésa] and [aquél/aquélla]). Nowadays the [Real Academia Española] advises that the accented forms are only required where there might otherwise be confusion with the adjectives [este/esta] and [aquel/aquella].what about that cheque? — ¿y el cheque ese?
there's little to choose between this model and that one — no hay mucho que elegir entre este modelo y aquel
2) [+ event, year, month]
Aquel is used to refer to a time in the distant past. Use if you mention a concrete date, month, year {etc">ese:do you remember that holiday we had in Holland? — ¿te acuerdas de aquellas vacaciones que pasamos en Holanda?
1992? I can't remember where we holidayed that year — ¿1992? no recuerdo dónde pasamos las vacaciones ese año
May? we can't come that month because we'll be moving house — ¿en mayo? no podemos venir ese mes porque nos estaremos mudando de casa
2.DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNThe pronoun that ( one) is translated by ese and aquel (masc), esa and aquella (fem) and eso and aquello (neuter). You can generally use ese etc when pointing to something near the person you are speaking to. Use aquel etc for something which is distant from both of you. Note that in the past the standard spelling for the masculine and feminine pronouns was with an accent (ése/ésa and aquél/aquélla). Nowadays the Real Academia Española advises that the accented forms are only required where there might otherwise be confusion with the adjectives ese/esa and aquel/aquella. Neuter pronouns never carry an accent. (nearer) ese m, esa f, ése m, ésa f, eso (neuter) ; (more remote) aquel(la) m / f, aquél(la) m / f, aquello (neuter)who's that? — ¿quién es ese?
what is that? — ¿qué es eso?, ¿eso qué es?
is that you, Paul? — ¿eres tú, Paul?
£5? it must have cost more than that — ¿5 libras? debe haber costado más (que eso)
that's true — eso es verdad, es cierto (esp LAm)
that's odd! — ¡qué raro!, ¡qué cosa más rara!
1988? that was the year you graduated, wasn't it? — ¿1988? ese fue el año en que acabaste la carrera, ¿no es así?
"will he come?" - "that he will!" — † -¿vendrá? -¡ya lo creo!
•
after that — después de eso•
bees and wasps and all that — abejas, avispas y cosas asíis that all? — ¿eso es todo?, ¿nada más?
•
and it was broken at that — y además estaba rotoI realized he meant to speak to me and at that I panicked — me di cuenta de que quería hablar conmigo y entonces me entró el pánico
•
what do you mean by that? — ¿qué quieres decir con eso?•
if it comes to that — en tal caso, si llegamos a eso•
it will cost 20 dollars, if that — costará 20 dólares, si es que llega•
that is — (=ie) es decir...•
that's it, we've finished — ya está, hemos terminadothat's it! she can find her own gardener! — ¡se acabó! ¡que se busque un jardinero por su cuenta!
•
that of — el/la de•
that is to say — es decir...•
why worry about that which may never happen? — frm ¿por qué preocuparse por aquello que or por lo que puede que nunca vaya a pasar?•
with that — con eso3. RELATIVE PRONOUNUnlike that, the Spanish relative cannot be omitted.1) quethe girl that he met on holiday and later married — la chica que conoció durante las vacaciones y con la que después se casó
If the that clause ends in a preposition, you can either translate that as que (usually preceded by the definite article) or as article + cual/cuales. Use the second option particularly in formal language or after long prepositions or prepositional phrases:fool that I am! — ¡tonto que soy!
the box that I put it in — la caja donde lo puse, la caja en la que or en la cual lo puse
4. ADVERB1) (=so) tanit's about that big — (with gesture) es más o menos así de grande
•
cheer up! it isn't that bad — ¡ánimo! ¡no es para tanto!•
that many frogs — tantas ranas•
that much money — tanto dinero2) * (=so very) tanit was that cold! — ¡hacía tanto frío!
5. CONJUNCTIONUnlike that, que cannot be omitted.1) after verb quehe said that... — dijo que...
he said that he was going to London and would be back in the evening — dijo que se iba a Londres y (que) volvería por la tarde
2) after nounTranslate as de que in phrases like the idea/belief/hope that:
•
any hope that they might have survived was fading — toda esperanza de que hubiesen sobrevivido se estaba desvaneciendo•
the idea that we can profit from their labour — la idea de que podemos aprovecharnos de su trabajo•
..., not that I want to, of course —..., no es que yo quiera, por supuestoIf the that clause is the subject of another verb it is usual to translate that as el que rather than que especially if it starts the sentence:•
oh that we could! — ¡ojalá pudiéramos!, ¡ojalá!In these cases the verb which follows will be in the subjunctive:that he did not know surprised me — (el) que no lo supiera me extrañó, me extrañó (el) que no lo supiera
wouldthat he should behave like this is incredible — (el) que se comporte así es increíble, es increíble que se comporte así
4) (=in order that) para que + subjunthose who fought and died that we might live — los que lucharon y murieron para que nosotros pudiésemos vivir
5)• in that — en el sentido de que
it's an attractive investment in that it is tax-free — es una inversión atractiva en el sentido de que está exenta de impuestos
* * *
I [ðæt]1) (pl those) ( demonstrative) ése, ésa; (neuter) esothose — ésos, ésas; (to refer to something more distant, to the remote past) aquél, aquélla; (neuter) aquello
those — aquéllos, aquéllas [According to the Real Academia Española the accent can be omitted when there is no ambiguity]
what's that? — ¿qué es eso?
who's that over there? — quién es ése/ésa?
those are $20 and those over there $21.50 — ésos cuestan 20 dólares y aquéllos de allá 21,50
who's that, please? — ( on telephone) ¿con quién hablo, por favor?
that's impossible/wonderful! — es imposible/maravilloso!
is that so? — no me digas!, ¿ah, sí?
don't talk like that! — no hables así!, no digas eso!
eat it up now, that's a good girl! — vamos, cómetelo todo así me gusta!
come on, it's not as bad as all that — vamos, que no es para tanto
2) (in phrases)at that they all burst out laughing — al oír (or ver etc) eso, todos se echaron a reír
he has enormous power and wealth, but is still unhappy for all that — tiene mucho poder y muchas riquezas, pero aún así es infeliz
that is: we're all going, all the adults, that is vamos todos, es decir, todos los adultos; you're welcome to come along, that is, if you'd like to encantados de que vengas, siempre que quieras venir, claro; that's it!: that's it for today eso es todo por hoy; is that it? - no, there's another bag to come ¿ya está? - no, todavía falta otra bolsa; now lift your left arm: that's it! ahora levanta el brazo izquierdo eso es! or ahí está!; that's it: I've had enough! se acabó! ya no aguanto más!; that's that: you're not going and that's that! — no vas y no hay más que hablar or y se acabó
3) [ðət], strong form [ðæt] ( relative) queit wasn't Helen (that) you saw — no fue a Helen a quien viste, no fue a Helen que viste (AmL)
II [ðæt]those — esos, esas; (to refer to something more distant, to the remote past) aquel, aquella
those — aquellos, aquellas
do you know that boy/girl? — ¿conoces a ese chico/esa chica?
I prefer that one — prefiero ése/ésa
III [ðət], strong form [ðæt]conjunction queshe said (that)... — dijo que...
it's not that I mind what he does but... — no es que me importe lo que hace, pero...
they died that others might live — (liter) murieron para que otros pudieran vivir
IV [ðæt]adverb tanten thirty? that late already? — ¿las diez y media? ¿ya es tan tarde?
I'm not that interested, really — la verdad es que no me interesa tanto
-
6 which
wi
1. adjective, pronoun(used in questions etc when asking someone to point out, state etc one or more persons, things etc from a particular known group: Which (colour) do you like best?; Which route will you travel by?; At which station should I change trains?; Which of the two girls do you like better?; Tell me which books you would like; Let me know which train you'll be arriving on; I can't decide which to choose.) cuál
2. relative pronoun((used to refer to a thing or things mentioned previously to distinguish it or them from others: able to be replaced by that except after a preposition: able to be omitted except after a preposition or when the subject of a clause) (the) one(s) that: This is the book which/that was on the table; This is the book (which/that) you wanted; A scalpel is a type of knife which/that is used by surgeons; The chair (which/that) you are sitting on is broken; The documents for which they were searching have been recovered.) que
3. relative adjective, relative pronoun(used, after a comma, to introduce a further comment on something: My new car, which I paid several thousand pounds for, is not running well; He said he could speak Russian, which was untrue; My father may have to go into hospital, in which case he won't be going on holiday.)- which is which? - which is which
which1 adj cuál / quéwhich one is yours? ¿cuál es el tuyo?which2 pron1. cuál / quéwhich of the houses is yours? ¿cuál de las casas es la tuya?2. quetr[wɪʧ]1 (direct questions) qué, cuál, cuáles■ which size? ¿qué tamaño/talla?■ which colour do you prefer? ¿qué color prefieres?■ which newspaper do you read? ¿qué periódico lees?■ which one do you like best? ¿cuál te gusta más?2 (indirect questions) qué1 (questions) cuál, cuáles■ which do you want? ¿cuál quieres?■ which is your car? ¿cuál es tu coche?■ which is mine? ¿cuál es el mío?2 (indirect questions) cuál3 (defining relative) que; (with preposition) que, el/la que, el/la cual, los/las que, los/las cuales4 (non-defining relative) el/la cual, los/las cuales■ two glasses, one of which was dirty dos copas, una de las cuales estaba sucia5 (referring to a clause) lo que, lo cual■ he lost, which was sad perdió, lo cual era triste\SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALLin which case en cuyo casowhich ['hwɪʧ] adj: qué, cuálwhich tie do you prefer?: ¿cuál corbata prefieres?which ones?: ¿cuáles?tell me which house is yours: dime qué casa es la tuyawhich pron1) : cuálwhich is the right answer?: ¿cuál es la respuesta correcta?2) : que, el (la) cualthe cup which broke: la taza que se quebróthe house, which is made of brick: la casa, la cual es de ladrillopron.• qué pron.adj.• cuál adj.• el cual adj.• que adj.pron.• cual pron.• cuál pron.• que pron.
I hwɪtʃ, wɪtʃ1)a) (in questions) (sing) cuál; (pl) cuáleswhich of you wrote this? — ¿cuál or quién de ustedes escribió esto?
b) ( in indirect use) cuáldo you know which she chose? — ¿sabes cuál eligió?
2) ( as relative)the newspaper in which the article appeared — el diario en el que or en el cual apareció el artículo
he said it was an accident, which I know is not true — dijo que había sido un accidente, lo cual sé que no es cierto
II
1)a) ( in questions) (sing) qué, cuál; (pl) qué, cuálesin which European city is it? — ¿en qué or cuál ciudad europea está?
b) ( in indirect questions) (sing) qué, cuál; (pl) qué, cuálesask her which chapters we have to read — pregúntale qué or cuales capítulos hay que leer
2) ( as relative)[wɪtʃ]we arrived at two, by which time they had gone — llegamos a las dos y para entonces ya se habían ido
1. PRONOUN1) (in direct and indirect questions, reported speech)
Which/which one/ which ones in direct and indirect questions and after expressions of (un)certainty and doubt (e.g. no sé) usually translate as cuál/cuáles: cuálwhich do you want? — (offering one) ¿cuál quieres?; (offering two or more) ¿cuáles quieres?
which of you did it? — ¿cuál de vosotros lo hizo?
which of you is Kathleen? — ¿cuál de vosotras es Kathleen?
2) (relative)In relative clauses where which defines the noun it refers to, you can usually translate it as que. Note that in this type of sentence which can be substituted by that in English: quethe letter which came this morning was from my niece — la carta que llegó esta mañana era de mi sobrina
If [which] is the object of a preposition, you can either translate it as [que] (usually preceded by the definite article) or as article + [cual]/[cuales]. Use the second option particularly in formal language or after long prepositions or prepositional phrases:do you remember the house which we saw last week? — ¿te acuerdas de la casa que vimos la semana pasada?
your letter, which I received this morning, cheered me up — tu carta, que or more frm la cual he recibido esta mañana, me ha levantado el ánimo
the bull which I'm talking about — el toro del que or more frm del cual estoy hablando
the meeting which we attended — la reunión a la que or more frm a la cual asistimos
the hotel at which we stayed — el hotel en el que or more frm en el cual nos hospedamos
the cities to which we are going — las ciudades a las que or more frm a las cuales vamos
If instead of defining the noun the [which] clause merely adds additional information, you can translate [which] using either [que] or article + [cual]/[cuales]:he explained the means by which we could achieve our objective — explicó los medios a través de los cuales podíamos alcanzar nuestro objetivo
When which refers to the whole of a preceding sentence or idea, translate as lo que or lo cual:the oak dining-table, which was a present from my father, seats 10 people comfortably — la mesa de roble, que or la cual fue un regalo de mi padre, admite cómodamente diez comensales
it rained hard which upset her — llovió mucho, lo que or lo cual le disgustó
After a preposition only [lo cual] can be used:they left early, which my wife did not like at all — se marcharon pronto, lo cual or lo que no agradó nada a mi mujer
•
after which we went to bed — después de lo cual nos acostamos•
from which we deduce that... — de lo cual deducimos que...2. ADJECTIVE1) (in direct and indirect questions, reported speech)When which is used as an interrogative adjective, translate using qué + noun when the possibilities are very open or cuál/cuáles de + article + plural noun when the possibilities are limited: quéwhich house do you live in? — ¿en qué casa vives?
which day are they coming? — ¿qué día vienen?
which picture do you prefer? — ¿qué cuadro prefieres?, ¿cuál de los cuadros prefieres?
which option do you prefer? — ¿cuál de las alternativas prefieres?
which way did she go? — ¿por dónde se fue?
•
which one? — ¿cuál?2) (relative)look which way you will... — mires por donde mires...
he used "peradventure", which word is now archaic — frm dijo "peradventure", palabra que ha quedado ahora anticuada
•
he didn't get here till 10, by which time Jane had already left — no llegó hasta las 10 y para entonces Jane ya se había ido* * *
I [hwɪtʃ, wɪtʃ]1)a) (in questions) (sing) cuál; (pl) cuáleswhich of you wrote this? — ¿cuál or quién de ustedes escribió esto?
b) ( in indirect use) cuáldo you know which she chose? — ¿sabes cuál eligió?
2) ( as relative)the newspaper in which the article appeared — el diario en el que or en el cual apareció el artículo
he said it was an accident, which I know is not true — dijo que había sido un accidente, lo cual sé que no es cierto
II
1)a) ( in questions) (sing) qué, cuál; (pl) qué, cuálesin which European city is it? — ¿en qué or cuál ciudad europea está?
b) ( in indirect questions) (sing) qué, cuál; (pl) qué, cuálesask her which chapters we have to read — pregúntale qué or cuales capítulos hay que leer
2) ( as relative)we arrived at two, by which time they had gone — llegamos a las dos y para entonces ya se habían ido
См. также в других словарях:
Prepositional — Prep o*si tion*al, a. [Cf. F. pr[ e]positionnel.] Of or pertaining to a preposition; of the nature of a preposition. Early. {Prep o*si tion*al*ly}, adv. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
prepositional — index preparatory Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
prepositional — 1. adjective a) Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a preposition. b) Of the prepositional case. 2. noun The prepositional case … Wiktionary
prepositional — adj. Prepositional is used with these nouns: ↑phrase … Collocations dictionary
prepositional — preposition ► NOUN Grammar ▪ a word governing a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element, as in ‘she arrived after dinner’ and ‘what did you do it for?’. DERIVATIVES prepositional adjective … English terms dictionary
prepositional — adjective of or relating to or formed with a preposition (Freq. 3) prepositional phrase • Pertains to noun: ↑preposition • Topics: ↑linguistics … Useful english dictionary
Prepositional case — is a grammatical case that marks the object of a preposition. This term can be used in languages where nouns have a declensional form that appears exclusively in combination with certain prepositions. For example, in Russian and Polish, the case… … Wikipedia
Prepositional marketing — is a term used in marketing describing the various prepositions (at, to, with) used to describe the nature and orientation of specific marketing conditions in regards to the type of approach initiated by marketers when establishing channels of… … Wikipedia
prepositional phrase — n technical a phrase beginning with a preposition, such as in bed or at war … Dictionary of contemporary English
prepositional phrase — n. a phrase consisting of a preposition and the noun or noun substitute that is its object … English World dictionary
Prepositional pronoun — A prepositional pronoun is a special form of a personal pronoun that is used as the object of a preposition. English does not have distinct prepositional forms of pronouns. The same set of objective pronouns are used after verbs and prepositions… … Wikipedia