that's+hardly+to+be+wondered+at

1 never.

no me cuentan nunca nada they never tell me anything

casi nunca viene he almost never comes, he hardly ever comes

¿no le has visto nunca? have you never seen her?, haven't you ever seen her?

como nunca like never before

más que nunca more than ever

nunca jamás o más never more o again

¡nunca vi nada parecido! I never saw anything like it!

2 ever.

never, not on your life.

* * *

► adverbio

1 never

2 (en interrogativa) ever

■ ¿has visto nunca cosa igual? have you ever seen anything like it?

\

más que nunca more than ever

nunca jamás never ever

nunca más never again

ser lo nunca visto to be unheard of

* * *

* * *

ADV never

- nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena

* * *

adverbio never

* * *

= never, not at all, ever!, never in a month of Sundays.

Ex. Plans were made to issue a concise version of AACR1, but these plans never came to fruition.

Ex. There's a big difference between returning a book late and not at all.

Ex. Consider for example, a teacher who doesn't change his password (ever!) or can't be bothered to log out, all the firewalls and antivirus programs in the world will not protect a school's network.

Ex. The two stepsisters also wondered who the newcomer was, for never in a month of Sundays, would they ever have guessed that the beautiful girl was really poor Cinderella who talked to the cat!.

----

* ahora más que nunca = now more than ever.

* la ciudad que nunca duerme = the city that never sleeps.

* más que nunca = more than ever before, more than ever.

* más que nunca antes = more... than ever before, more than ever before, more than ever.

* más vale tarde que nunca = better late than never.

* no estar nunca satisfecho = enough + be + not/never + enough.

* no terminar nunca de tener problemas con = have + no end of problems with.

* nunca jamás = never again.

* nunca más = never again.

* nunca + pensar = thought never + enter + Posesivo + head.

* nunca se sabe... = one never knows....

* nunca + Verbo + ni un + Nombre = never + Verbo + one + Nombre.

* nunca visto = all-time, unseen.

* persona que nunca se deshace de nada = hoarder, packrat, magpie.

* por no decir nunca = if ever.

* viejas costumbres nunca desaparecen, las = old ways never die, the.

* * *

adverbio never

* * *

* * *

[ Grammar notes (Spanish) ] never

nunca te he mentido or no te he mentido nunca I have never lied to you

nunca es tarde it's never too late

no viene casi nunca he hardly ever comes

aquello fue algo nunca visto it was absolutely incredible

hoy más que nunca today more than ever (before)

bailó como nunca she danced like never before

nunca más le volvió a escribir she never wrote to him again

* * *

◊ como nunca like never before;

* * *

nunca adv

* * *

adv never;

nunca jamás o

más never again;

más que nunca more than ever

* * *

nunca adv

1) : never, ever

nunca es tarde: it's never too late

no trabaja casi nunca: he hardly ever works

nunca más : never again

nunca jamás : never ever

* * *

nunca adv never / not... ever

Con el verbo en afirmativo se utiliza never

Con el verbo en negativo se utiliza ever

never

( qualche volta) ever

mai più never again

più che mai more than ever

non accetterò mai e poi mai I will never agree, never

chi ha mai detto che... who said that...

come mai? how come?

se mai if ever

meglio tardi che mai better late than never

dove/perché mai? where/why on earth?

* * *

mai avv.

1 (nel significato di non mai) never; (in presenza di altra negazione e nel significato di talvolta) ever: non bevo mai alcolici, I never drink alcohol; non telefona mai a quest'ora, he never phones at this time; non ho mai visto un film così divertente, I've never seen such an enjoyable film; non dimenticherò mai l'espressione del suo viso, I'll never forget the expression on her face; non sono mai stato a Mosca, I've never been to Moscow; non me ne avevi mai parlato, you'd never told me about it; non sarebbe mai capace di fingere, he would never be capable of pretending; non si sarebbero mai sognati di farlo, they would never have dreamt of doing it; non si ripeterà mai un'occasione simile, there will never be a chance like this again; nessuno l'ha mai visto né sentito, no one has ever seen or heard of him; senza averci mai pensato, without ever thinking about it; niente avrebbe mai potuto turbarlo a tal punto, nothing could ever have disturbed him so much // mai più, never again: non accadrà mai più, it will never happen again; adesso o mai più, (it's) now or never // mai più!, mai e poi mai!, never! (o not on your life!) // quasi mai, hardly ever (o almost never): non viene quasi mai, he hardly ever comes // non sia mai detto che..., never let it be said that... // non si sa mai, you never can tell // mai dire mai, never say never

2 (in frasi interrogative o ipotetiche) ever: ''Sei mai stato in Giappone?'' ''No, mai'', ''Have you ever been to Japan?'' ''No, never''; avete mai sentito parlare di lui?, have you ever heard talk of him?; potrai mai perdonarmi?, will you ever be able to forgive me?; non so se sia mai stato all'estero, I don't know whether he's ever been abroad (or not); ti sei mai chiesto il perché di un simile gesto?, have you ever wondered why he did that? // dove mai?, where on earth?; wherever?: mi domando dove mai può essersi cacciato, I wonder where on earth he can have got to // quando mai?, whenever?: quando mai hai sentito questo?, whenever did you hear that? // chi mai?, who on earth?; whoever?: chi mai poteva essere?, whoever could it have been? // che (cosa) mai...?, what on earth...? whatever...?: che mai hai combinato?, what on earth have you been up to?; non so proprio che cosa mai vi siate messi in testa, I don't know what on earth got into your heads; che mai stai cercando di dirmi?, whatever are you trying to tell me? // come mai?, why?; how come?; whyever?: come mai non va l'ascensore?, how come the lift isn't working?; come mai non ci avete pensato prima?, whyever didn't you think of it before? // se mai, caso mai, if (o if ever o in case): se mai dovessi incontrarla..., if ever you should meet her...; se avessi mai pensato..., if I had ever thought...; caso mai tornasse, mandalo da me, if he happens to come back, send him to me; prendete l'ombrello, caso mai piovesse, take an umbrella in case it rains

3 (in frasi comparative) ever: più che mai, more than ever: sono più che mai convinto di aver agito bene, I'm more than ever convinced I did the right thing; sono più felice che mai, I'm happier than I've ever been (o I've never been so happy); sono stati più gentili che mai, they were ever so kind; nonostante le cure, deperiva più che mai, in spite of the treatment he got weaker and weaker // meno che mai, less than ever // peggio che mai, worse than ever // è quanto mai testardo, è (un) testardo che mai (o quant'altri mai), he's terribly stubborn // ho una sete che mai, I'm terribly thirsty // meglio tardi che mai!, (prov.) better late than never!

4 (in frasi ellittiche o con uso enfatico): io ho scritto tante volte, loro mai, I've written many times, but they never have; lui lo farebbe, io mai, he'd do it, but I never would; tutto, ma questo mai, anything but this; mai un momento di pace, never a moment's peace; mai che dicesse la verità!, I wish he'd tell the truth for once!

* * *

1) (in nessun momento) never

2) (qualche volta)

3) (come rafforzativo)

4) (in espressioni comparative)

••

* * *

mai

/mai/

Mai si traduce in inglese con never oppure ever. Never concentra in sé il valore negativo della frase, e quindi esclude l'uso di altri negativi (diversamente dal mai italiano): non ho mai visto nessuno mangiare così! = I never saw anybody eating like that! Never precede il verbo quando questo è in forma semplice (tranne to be) e segue il primo ausiliare quando il verbo è composto: non mangia mai abbastanza = she never eats enough; non è mai stanca = she is never tired; non l'ho mai incontrato = I've never met him. Ever si usa in quattro casi: al posto di never, quando si deve o si vuole mantenere un'altra forma negativa nella frase (non farlo mai più! = don't you ever do that again!); quando mai ha valore positivo e significa qualche volta (sei mai stato a Londra? = have you ever been to London?); dopo un comparativo ( più magro che mai = thinner than ever); infine, nel linguaggio parlato, ever segue e rafforza never (non glielo dirò mai! = I'll never ever tell him!).

avverbio

 1 (in nessun momento) never; non scrive mai he never writes; non scrive mai? doesn't he ever write? mai più! never again! non farlo mai più! don't (you) ever do that again! mai e poi mai! never ever! ora o mai più it's now or never

 2 (qualche volta) hai mai visto una cosa del genere? have you ever seen something like that?

 3 (come rafforzativo) dove mai sarà andato? wherever did he go? perché mai l'hai fatto? why ever did you do that? chi l'avrebbe mai detto! who ever would have guessed? who would have thought it!

 4 (in espressioni comparative) più bella che mai more beautiful than ever; più, meno che mai more, less than ever before; è felice come (non) mai she has never been happier

IDIOMS

meglio tardi che mai better late than never; non si sa mai! you never know! you never can tell!

to be very surprised (at sth.): X диву давался - X was amazed (astonished)

• ДИВУ ДАВАТЬСЯ/ДАТЬСЯ coll

[VP; subj: human; more often impfv past; fixed WO]

=====

⇒ to be very surprised (at sth.):

- X диву давался≈ X was amazed (astonished);

- X wondered (marveled);

- [in limited contexts] it was just (simply) amazing;

- it was hard to believe.

     ♦ Пройдёт время, и люди будут диву даваться, как можно было за такое судить (Зиновьев 1). "As time goes by people will start being amazed that anyone could have been tried on charges like that" (1a).

     ♦ Обернулась Рябая Хромая Старуха, глянула - диву далась, стоит перед ней олениха, матка маралья (Айтматов 1). The pockmarked Lame Old Woman turned, looked, and wondered: before her stood a deer, a mother deer (1a).

     ♦ Она? Она! - сразу узнал, никогда не видавши в жизни! Он - диву давался, что так легко её нашел... (Солженицын 1). She? Yes, it was she! He recognized her at once, though he had never seen her in his life. He marveled that he had found her so easily (1a).

     ♦ [Рябцов:] Зачем руки связали?.. Не хочу я этого! Развязывай! [Другой рабочий (Квачу):] Господин жандарм! Можно? Парень смирный... Мы диву даёмся... как это он? (Горький 1). [R.:] What did you tie my hands for?...I won't have it! Untie them! [Another Worker (to Kvatch):] May we, sir? The fellow is quiet enough. It's hard to believe he could have been the one... (lc).

     ♦ Вохровцы... между собой диву давались: чего это бежать, когда сроку-то оставалось всего ничего... (Гинзбург 2). [context transl]... Amongthemselves they [the guards] couldn't figure out why anyone should want to try to escape when he had hardly any time left to serve... (2a).

• ДИВУ ДАВАТЬСЯ/ДАТЬСЯ coll

[VP; subj: human; more often impfv past; fixed WO]

=====

⇒ to be very surprised (at sth.):

- X диву давался≈ X was amazed (astonished);

- X wondered (marveled);

- [in limited contexts] it was just (simply) amazing;

- it was hard to believe.

     ♦ Пройдёт время, и люди будут диву даваться, как можно было за такое судить (Зиновьев 1). "As time goes by people will start being amazed that anyone could have been tried on charges like that" (1a).

     ♦ Обернулась Рябая Хромая Старуха, глянула - диву далась, стоит перед ней олениха, матка маралья (Айтматов 1). The pockmarked Lame Old Woman turned, looked, and wondered: before her stood a deer, a mother deer (1a).

     ♦ Она? Она! - сразу узнал, никогда не видавши в жизни! Он - диву давался, что так легко её нашел... (Солженицын 1). She? Yes, it was she! He recognized her at once, though he had never seen her in his life. He marveled that he had found her so easily (1a).

     ♦ [Рябцов:] Зачем руки связали?.. Не хочу я этого! Развязывай! [Другой рабочий (Квачу):] Господин жандарм! Можно? Парень смирный... Мы диву даёмся... как это он? (Горький 1). [R.:] What did you tie my hands for?...I won't have it! Untie them! [Another Worker (to Kvatch):] May we, sir? The fellow is quiet enough. It's hard to believe he could have been the one... (lc).

     ♦ Вохровцы... между собой диву давались: чего это бежать, когда сроку-то оставалось всего ничего... (Гинзбург 2). [context transl]... Amongthemselves they [the guards] couldn't figure out why anyone should want to try to escape when he had hardly any time left to serve... (2a).

or -AT or -T, a negative suffix to verbs, peculiar to Iceland and a part, at least, of Norway. Occurs frequently in old Icelandic poetry and laws, so as almost to form a complete negative voice. In the 1st pers. a personal pronoun k (g) = ek is inserted before the negative suffix, in the 2nd pers. a t or tt. As a rule the pron. as thus repeated; má-k-at-ek, non possum; sé-k-at-ek, non video; hef-k-at-ek, non habeo; skal-k-at-ek; vil-k-at-ek, nolo; mon-k-at-ek, non ero, etc.: 2nd pers. skal-t-at-tu; mon-t-at-tu; gaf-t-at-tu, non dabas: and after a long vowel a tt, mátt-at-tu, sátt-at-tu; so almost invariably in all monosyllabic verbal forms; but not so in bisyllabic ones, máttir-a-þú, non poteras: yet in some instances in the 1st pers. a pronominal g is inserted, e. g. bjargi-g-a-k, verbally servem ego non ego; höggvi-g-a-k, non cædam; stöðvi-g-a-k, quin sistam; vildi-g-a-k, nolui; hafði-g-a-k, non babui; mátti-g-a-k, non potui; görði-g-a-k, non feci: if the verb has gg as final radical consonants, they change into kk, e. g. þikk-at-ek = þigg-k-at-ek, nolo accipere. In the 3rd pers. a and at or t are used indifferently, t being particularly suffixed to bisyllabic verbal flexions ending in a vowel, in order to avoid an hiatus,—skal-at or skal-a, non erit; but skolo-t, non sunto: forms with an hiatus, however, occur,—bíti-a, non mordat; renni-a, ne currat; skríði-a, id.; leti-a, ne retardet; væri-a, ne esset; urðu-a, non erant; but bíti-t, renni-t, skríði-t, urðu-t are more current forms: v. Lex. Poët. The negative suffix is almost peculiar to indic., conj., and imperat. moods; the neg. infin. hardly occurs. Nothing analogous to this form is to be found in any South-Teutonic idiom; neither do there remain any traces of its having been used in Sweden or Denmark. A single exception is the Runic verse on a stone monument in Öland, an old Danish province, now Swedish, where however the inscriptions may proceed from a Norse or Icel. hand. The Runic inscriptions run thus, sa’r aigi flo, who did not fly, old Icel. ‘flo-at,’ Baut. 1169. Neither does it occur in any Norse prose monuments (laws): but its use may yet be inferred from its occurrence in Norse poets of the 10th century, e. g. the poets Eyvind and Thiodolf; some of which instances, however, may be due to their being transmitted through Icel. oral tradition. In Bragi Gamli (9th century) it occurs twice or thrice; in the Haustlöng four times, in Ynglingatal four times, in Hákonarmál once (all Norse poems of the 10th century). In Icel. the suffixed negation was in full force through the whole of the 10th century. A slight difference in idioms, however, may be observed: Völuspá, e. g., prefers the negation by né (using vas-at only once, verse 3). In the old Hávamal the suffix abounds (being used thirty-five times), see the verses 6, 10, 11, 18, 26, 29, 30, 34, 37–39, 49, 51, 52, 68, 74, 88, 113–115, 126–128, 130, 134, 136, 147, 149, 151, 153, 159. In Skírnismál, Harbarðsljóð, Lokasenna—all these poems probably composed by the same author, and not before the 10th century—about thirty times, viz. Hbl. 3, 4, 8, 14, 26, 35, 56; Skm. 5, 18, 22; Ls. 15, 16, 18, 25, 28, 30, 36, 42, 47, 49, 56, 60, 62. Egil (born circa 900, died circa 990) abounds in the use of the suffixed neg. (he most commonly avails himself of -at, -gi, or né): so, too, does Hallfred (born circa 968, died 1008), Einar Skálaglam in Vellekla (circa 940–995), and Thorarin in the Máhlíðingavísur (composed in the year 981); and in the few epigrams relating to the introduction of Christianity in Icel. (995–1000) there occur mon-k-að-ek, tek-k-at-ek, vil-k-at-ek, hlífði-t, mon-a, es-a; cp. the Kristni S. and Njala. From this time, however, its use becomes more rare. Sighvat (born circa 995, died 1040) still makes a frequent but not exclusive use of it. Subsequent poets use it now and then as an epic form, until it disappeared almost entirely in poetry at the middle or end of the 13th century. In the Sólarljóð there is not a single instance. The verses of some of our Sagas are probably later than the Sagas themselves; the greatest part of the Völsungakviður are scarcely older than the 11th century. In all these -at and conj. eigi are used indifferently. In prose the laws continued to employ the old forms long after they were abolished in common prose. The suffixed verbal negation was used,

α. in the delivering of the oath in the Icel. Courts, esp. the Fifth Court, instituted about the year 1004; and it seems to have been used through the whole of the Icel. Commonwealth (till the year 1272). The oath of the Fifth (High) Court, as preserved in the Grágás, runs in the 1st pers., hefka ek fé borit í dóm þenna til liðs mér um sök þessa, ok ek monka bjóða, hefka ek fundit, ok monka ek finna, hvárki til laga né ólaga, p. 79; and again p. 81, only different as to ek hefka, ek monka (new Ed.): 3rd pers., hefirat hann fé; borit í dóm þenna ok monat hann bjóða, ok hefirat hann fundit, ok monat hann tinna, 80, 81; cp. also 82, and Nj. l. c. ch. 145, where it is interesting to observe that the author confounds the ist and 3rd persons, a sign of decay in grammatical form.

β. the Speaker (lögsögumaðr), in publicly reciting and explaining the law, and speaking in the name of the law, from the Hill of Laws (lögberg), frequently employed the old form, esp. in the legal words of command es and skal (yet seldom in plur.): erat in the dictatorial phrases, erat skyldr (skylt), non esto obligatus; erat landeigandi skyldr, Grág. (Kb.) i. 17; erat hinn skyldr, 21; yngri maðr era skyldr at fasta, 35; enda erat honum þá skylt at …, 48; erat þat sakar spell, 127; era hinn þá skyldr at lýsa, 154; erat hann framar skyldr sakráða, 216; ok erat hann skyldr at ábyrgjask þat fé, 238; ok erat hann skyldr, id.; ok erat sakar aðili ella skyldr, ii. 74; erat hinn skyldr við at taka, 142; erat manni skylt at taka búfé, 143; enda erat heimting til fjár þess, 169; era hann þá skyldr at taka við í öðru fé nema hann vili, 209; ok erat þeim skylt at tíunda fé sitt, 211; ok erat hann skyldr at gjalda tíund af því, 212; erat kirkjudrottinn þá skyldr, 228; ef hann erat landeigandi, i. 136. Skalat: skalat maðr eiga fó óborit, i. 23; skalat homum þat verða optar en um siun, 55; skalat maðr ryðja við sjálfan sik, 62; skalat hann þat svá dvelja, 68; skalat hann til véfangs ganga, 71; skalat aðilja í stefnuvætti hafa, 127; ok skala hann gjalda fyrir þat, 135; ok skalat hann með sök fara, 171; enda skalat hann fleirum baugum bœta, 199; skalat hann skilja félagit, 240; skalat hann meiri skuld eiga en, ii. 4; skalat þeim meðan á brott skipta, 5; skalat hann lögvillr verða, svá, 34; skalat hon at heldr varðveita þat fé, 59; í skalat enn sami maðr þar lengr vera, 71; ok skala honum bæta þat, 79; skalat fyl telja, 89; skalat hann banna fiskför, 123; skalat hann lóga fé því á engi veg, 158; skalat drepa þá menn, 167; skalat svá skipta manneldi, 173; skalat maðr reiðast við fjórðungi vísu, 183. Plur.: skolut menn andvitni bera ok hér á þingi, i. 68; skolut mál hans standast, 71; skolut þeir færi til vefangs ganga en, 75, etc. etc. Other instances are rare: tekrat þar fé er eigi er til (a proverb), i. 9; ok um telrat þat til sakbóta, ok of telrat þá til sakbóta ( it does not count), 178; ef hann villat ( will not) lýsa sár sitt, 51; ok ræðrat hann öðrum mönnum á hendr þann úmaga, 248; ræðrat sá sínum ómögum á hendr, ii. 18; verðrat honum at sakarspelli and verðrat honum þat at s., i. 63; verðrat honum þat at sakarvörn, 149; kömrat hann öðru við, ii. 141; þarfat hann bíða til þess, i. 70; ok skilrat hann frá aðra aura, ii. 141, i. 136. Reflexive form: kömskat hann til heimtingar um þat fé, he loses the claim to the money, ii. 180, etc. All these instances are taken from the Kb. (Ed. 1853). Remarkable is also the ambiguity in the oath of Glum (see Sir Edm. Head, Viga-Glum, pp. 102, 103, note, I. c.), who, instead of the plain common formal oath—vask-at-ek þar, vák-at-ek þar, rauðk-at-ek þar odd ok egg—said, vask at þar, vák at þar, rauðk at þar. He inverted the sense by dropping the intermediate pronominal ek between the verb and þar, and pronouncing ‒ ‒́ instead of ‒́ ⏑. It further occurs in some few proverbs: varat af vöru, sleikði um þvöru, Fs. 159; veldrat sá er varir, Nj. 61 (now commonly ekki veldr sá er v., so in Grett.); erat héra at borgnara þótt hœna beri skjöld, Fms. vii. 116; era hlums vant kvað refr, dró hörpu á ísi, 19: also in some phrases, referred to as verba ipsissima from the heathen age—erat vinum líft Ingimundar, Fs. 39; erat sjá draumr minni, Ld. 128. Thorodd employs it twice or thrice: því at ek sékk-a þess meiri þörf, because í do not see any more reason for this, Skálda 167; kannka ek til þess meiri ráð en lítil, I do not know, id.; mona ( will not) mín móna ( my mammy) við mik göra verst hjóna, 163. In sacred translations of the 12th century it occurs now and then. In the Homilies and Dialogues of Gregory the Great: monatþu í því flóði verða, thou shalt not; esa þat undarligt þótt, it is not to be wondered at; hann máttia sofna, he could not sleep; moncaþ ek banna, I shall not mind, Greg. 51, 53; vasal kall heyrt á strætum, was not, Post. 645. 84; nú mona fríðir menn hér koma, Niðrst. 623. 7. In later writers as an archaism; a few times in the Al. (MS. A. M. 519), 3, 5, 6, 44, 108; and about as many times in the MS. Eirspennill (A. M. 47, fol.) [Etymon uncertain; that at is the right form may be inferred from the assimilation in at-tu, and the anastrophe in t, though the reason for the frequent dropping of the t is still unexplained. The coincidence with the Scottish dinna, canna is quite accidental.]

cf. turn up one's toes; tumble (turn) up one's heels; drop (pop) off the hooks; hop the stick (the twig); kick the bucket; push up the daisies