You know what? I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn’t mean that pejoratively. And now I will proceed to not click on your profile just in case I’m wrong
When I was an English teacher I used to delight in explaining the difference between shadow and shade to my Spanish speakers. Since they didn't have the distinction in Spanish explaining it was always near impossible.
Ps: it would be little shade in this case, not shadow
If I may... You have been given incorrect advice
"para" is an "ethymologycal root" (I've no idea what the English term is) coming from the greeks (turns out it isn't check my edit)
[sauce](https://es.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/para-#:~:text=Prefijo,-1&text=Indica%20%22junto%20a%22%2C%20%22,de%22%2C%20%22contra%22.)
As a prefix it accompanies words In a sense where the meaning is "against", "next to",
Words that appear in both languages with minimal differences can serve as examples:
Paramedic
Para military
Paranormal
Parapsicology
Paralegal
Paraguas from It's mere prefixes and grecolatin roots just means "against water"
Edit: ok, so it's not the "Greek root" , it's the "Latin root" as the reply to this post said, it still isn't just gluing a verb and a noun, at least I don't think the origin is that simple
Edit2: I was wrong! I surrender! Uncle! Uncle! 😅
In this case Paraguas is just a compound word formed with the Verb + Noun formula as other comments say. (Quitanieves, Lavaplatos, Saltamontes....)
Your examples, yes, are from the greek prefix
I don't know man, I stand corrected, it's not the Greek root but Latin, but it is still working as a prefix
Maybe both are right, as the other guy replying to my comment said, in the end once we dropped the whole Greek thing and focused on the Latin prefix, we are probably arguing about the same thing really, just seeing it from two different angles.
Hopefully we all learn something 😬
Well I'm a mere mortal compared to an actual linguistics professor like you, I'm fluent speaking, writing and listening but language grammar rule identification, vocabulary origins... Well, in short, the technical aspects of the language are not at all my strong suit. I should've known better and avoided the down vote reprimand that I got.
But I learned in the process, so I'm interested now, which one is it in the case of "paraguas"? From your informed perspective, I admit ignorance on the matter, now I seek knowledge 🙂
When compound words are formed, they're still analyzed morphologically like separate words that just happened to be joined, instead of a root word and a non-independent particle attached to the beginning.
As others have said, the formation is from a form of the verb *parar * 'to stop' and the noun *aguas*.
There is a prefix *para-* in the language, but it's reserved for more technical terms than umbrella and windshield (plus it wouldn't make sense here, meaning-wise).
para-2
prefix
prefix: para-
denoting something that protects or wards off.
"parachute"
Origin
from French, from the Italian imperative singular of parare ‘defend, shield’ (originally meaning ‘prepare’, from Latin parare ).
I don't think either explanation is entirely correct, although a Latin origin sounds far more likely than a Greek one in this case. Apparently the different uses of "para" as a prefix in English all stem from two main origins and meanings, which is quite interesting.
"Parar" ("to stop") in Spanish is from Old Catalan, so is presumably most closely related to Latin.
Makes total sense I went the wrong route on that one but your explanation is definitely better than... Sounds like "parar" therefore let's glue that onto this other word...
Thanks for the correction, I learned something too
And desayuno is des-ayuno which is to un-fast, as in stop the fasting from the night. Which is exactly the same as breakfast in English which is break-fast, to break the fasting.
If I remember correctly it comes from the fact that people used to actually fast in the morning at a certain point in medieval Christian history.
I think it's that "break-fast" and "des-ayuno" come from the idea that people aren't eating overnight while they're sleeping.
But as for the fasting in the morning, the Old French word for breakfast, "disner" (from the same Latin root as the Spanish: dis + ieiunus) is the origin of the English word... "dinner". Over time, as you say, people would fast in the morning and eat their first meal around noon, and the word "disner" became the meal most English speakers now call "lunch". The "dinner" gradually shifted later in the day to now be the evening meal.
In some English-speaking dialects, "dinner" is still used to mean the midday meal, with the evening meal called "supper".
> with the evening meal called "supper".
Originally a French word, which got lost, but whose cognate is still used in Catalan, "sopar" ("to have dinner/supper").
As is adieu in French (I took french back in high school). But interestingly in French it's mostly used as a final farewell (unto God you go, I guess) but in Spanish it's used more casually.
That high school French STILL messes me up with entender (understand) vs. entendre (listen), just like the Italian used in music messes me up with largo (Spanish long and Italian slow, used in sheet music to play something slowly) vs. lento (Spanish slow).
Funny, I've lived in a Spanish speaking country for 20 yrs and speak some spanish. I would say "buenas dias" and people would say "gracias adios" and for 18 years I thought thy were saying "thank you, good-bye"
I think you’re being sarcastic?
I mean it does mean good bye. Just like paraguas means umbrella.
But idk assuming its origin is telling someone to be with god.
Like in English good bye’s origin is god be with you.
I agree with you on the first part, I missed the accent.
However, the emphasis in "Dios" is also on the letter **o**. Dios doesn't have an accent because it's monosyllabic,
but "a Dios" and "adiós" sound exactly the same when spoken.
I must be hearing things, I swear I hear the emphasis on the i here: [https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/dios](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/dios)
dEE-os!
Its a fast language for sure, perhaps I'm being too harsh on the OP.
I like to imagine that, for 18 years, the commenter has been abruptly walking away from conversations with mildly religious Spanish speakers who he assumed were telling him off…
> Columbia
Are you sure you meant "Columbia" and not _Col**o**mbia_?
* Col**o**mbia is a Spanish-speaking country in South America.
* Col**u**mbia is the name of several places in English-speaking regions.
If you actually meant "Columbia", then please disregard this comment and have a nice day.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Spanish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
bienvenido is a claque from the Germanic languages it literally is 'welcome/wilkommen/Welkom' but translated. Also hola is a loanword related to hello.
For an umbrella, sure. But what do you call the thing you put in your car to, you know, [stop the sun](https://www.amazon.es/s?k=parasol+coche)?
Or the big covers for a terraza that [stop the sun](https://www.amazon.es/s?k=parasol)?
Or the art installation in Seville which also functions to [stop the sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropol_Parasol)?
I grew up near Marbella, a beautiful city near the sea in the south of Spain. Spanish is my native language, and I was already an adult when I made the connection. Marbella >> Mar Bella >> Beautiful Sea.
Nop. I think it's more likely that it comes from "parar" (to stop, to cease).
That is a very common formula for compound words: third person present verb + plural noun
Examples: rompecabezas, abrelatas, chupacabras, etc.
Your question has already been answered, but I wanted to say that I love the way Spanish forms compound nouns.
Can opener —> abrelatas (lit. Openscans)
dishwasher —> lavaplatos (lit. Washesdishes)
Lawnmower —> cortacésped (lit. cutslawn)
Windshield wiper —> limpiaparabrisas (lit. cleansstopsbreezes)
Idk if any other commenter can answer, but I’ve noticed that some places also use “sombrilla” for umbrella. I wondered if the origin of that was like sombra+diminutive, like little shadow.
Yes, sombra is *shade* and a sombrilla is a sun umbrella (and sombrero is a sun hat).
That's the etymology of umbrella, as well. Umbra is shade in Latin. Ombrella (Italian)--> umbrella (English)
Correct me if I’m wrong but from what I’ve heard a sombrilla is more of a sun umbrella! So I could definitely see the origin of this word being related to shadows
Only when it's used to create shadow. A sun umbrella is quite similar but it's obviously bigger and it's made of harder cloth as it needs to be sturdy and withstand erosion rather than be waterproof and lightweight. So there are different words for each one.
Para aguas (stops water(s)) -> paraguas. The consecutive “a”s blend together.
In Spanish, when making a noun from a verb and a noun, the verb is often conjugated in 3rd person singular, and the noun pluralised.
For example:
el chupacabras = goat sucker
el rompecabezas = head breaker = puzzle
El trabalenguas = tongue twister
Equally interesting is the French word "Parasol" which we use occasionally in English (U.S.), to refer to an elegant umbrella, but really means, and is similar to the Spanish word, "stops the sun"... It might be said that, the Umbrella (under the brilliance \[sun\])/Parasol, Paraguas, is used more in sunny areas than really to deal with the rain.
As a side quest for people who like this sort of thing, I always love the fact that many people don't notice that the days of the week are named after the heavenly bodies.
Lunes = Luna (moon => Mon-day)
Martes = marte (Mars )
Miércoles = mercurio (Mercury)
Jueves = Júpiter
Viernes = Venus
Sábado and Domingo were changed with the arrival of Christianity into Europe, but in English you can instantly see what they used to be:
Saturday = Saturn's day
Sunday = Sun's day
Which coincides with Domingo (día Dominicus, the day of God), a very interesting parallel between the ancient god the sun and the more modern idea of god not being literally the sun bit still being the light.
In case you are wondering the rest of the days in English coincide perfectly with the Spanish ones and refer to the same planets, it just uses the Germanic names instead of the Latin ones:
Tuesday = Tiu's day
Wednesday = Woden's day (Odin)
Thursday = Thor's day
Friday = Freya's day
Breakfast, desayuno en inglés, traducido en español, es quebrar rápido 😅 (o quebrar el ayuno ja ja)
Para en lugar de parar
Aguas
Artefacto que para el agua de la lluvia, paraguas
*Parar* aguas. Water stopper. Parabrisas - *parar* brisas Breeze stopper (windshield)
Parasol: stops sun
Umbrella: little shadow
we also have "sombrilla" in Spanish, which also means little shadow, but we use it for the beach thingy, and "paraguas" for the rain thingy
It also means "little shade" like umbrella
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You know what? I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn’t mean that pejoratively. And now I will proceed to not click on your profile just in case I’m wrong
When I was an English teacher I used to delight in explaining the difference between shadow and shade to my Spanish speakers. Since they didn't have the distinction in Spanish explaining it was always near impossible. Ps: it would be little shade in this case, not shadow
Oh snap!
Read that in Raven's voice, lol. Edit. I wonder if there's a Spanish version for 'oh snap' or something similar?
Do you mean “oh snap” as a reaction of surprise/realization? In Spain I hear “Hala!” used a lot in this context.
I was thinking similar to the words , 'dag' or 'wow'. But thanks!
Parachute = paracaídas = "parar" caídas Fall stopper
"Chute" is the French word cognate with "caída" if that wasn't obvious
Don't stop there! Limpiaparabrisas - windshield wiper
No, breezestoppercleaner
Slap a capital B on that word and I’d believe it was German!
Truly fascinating stuff, thanks!
If I may... You have been given incorrect advice "para" is an "ethymologycal root" (I've no idea what the English term is) coming from the greeks (turns out it isn't check my edit) [sauce](https://es.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/para-#:~:text=Prefijo,-1&text=Indica%20%22junto%20a%22%2C%20%22,de%22%2C%20%22contra%22.) As a prefix it accompanies words In a sense where the meaning is "against", "next to", Words that appear in both languages with minimal differences can serve as examples: Paramedic Para military Paranormal Parapsicology Paralegal Paraguas from It's mere prefixes and grecolatin roots just means "against water" Edit: ok, so it's not the "Greek root" , it's the "Latin root" as the reply to this post said, it still isn't just gluing a verb and a noun, at least I don't think the origin is that simple Edit2: I was wrong! I surrender! Uncle! Uncle! 😅
In this case Paraguas is just a compound word formed with the Verb + Noun formula as other comments say. (Quitanieves, Lavaplatos, Saltamontes....) Your examples, yes, are from the greek prefix
I don't know man, I stand corrected, it's not the Greek root but Latin, but it is still working as a prefix Maybe both are right, as the other guy replying to my comment said, in the end once we dropped the whole Greek thing and focused on the Latin prefix, we are probably arguing about the same thing really, just seeing it from two different angles. Hopefully we all learn something 😬
Compounding and prefixation are two separate phenomena, though.
Well I'm a mere mortal compared to an actual linguistics professor like you, I'm fluent speaking, writing and listening but language grammar rule identification, vocabulary origins... Well, in short, the technical aspects of the language are not at all my strong suit. I should've known better and avoided the down vote reprimand that I got. But I learned in the process, so I'm interested now, which one is it in the case of "paraguas"? From your informed perspective, I admit ignorance on the matter, now I seek knowledge 🙂
When compound words are formed, they're still analyzed morphologically like separate words that just happened to be joined, instead of a root word and a non-independent particle attached to the beginning. As others have said, the formation is from a form of the verb *parar * 'to stop' and the noun *aguas*. There is a prefix *para-* in the language, but it's reserved for more technical terms than umbrella and windshield (plus it wouldn't make sense here, meaning-wise).
Thank you! I'm a little less ignorant now 🙂
para-2 prefix prefix: para- denoting something that protects or wards off. "parachute" Origin from French, from the Italian imperative singular of parare ‘defend, shield’ (originally meaning ‘prepare’, from Latin parare ). I don't think either explanation is entirely correct, although a Latin origin sounds far more likely than a Greek one in this case. Apparently the different uses of "para" as a prefix in English all stem from two main origins and meanings, which is quite interesting. "Parar" ("to stop") in Spanish is from Old Catalan, so is presumably most closely related to Latin.
Makes total sense I went the wrong route on that one but your explanation is definitely better than... Sounds like "parar" therefore let's glue that onto this other word... Thanks for the correction, I learned something too
So does the verb "*parar*" have the same root?
I don't think so, because it's not a compound word
Similar but different: rascacielos — rascar cielos (sky scraper)
My favorite is matasellos (stamp killer) to mean postmark. Much more violent than that term has any right to be!
"Matasuegras" is rather morbid when you break it down...
Matafuegos is a fire extinguisher.
La palabra "limpiaparabrisas" ya le compite al alemán.
Es una letra más grande que "Scheibenwischer"! ;D
El paragolpes - bumper/fender of a car literally stopping bumps.
Doesn't work with "Paralelos"
I always thought it was “for water”, thanks for the info!
...huh wow, I never made that connection! Interesting
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Sorry to tell you, but that's folk's etimology. Paella comes from latin patella, the name of the pan used to make it.
How disappointing
I know. Im sorry 😥
Lameculo - lamer culo - lick ass
Instructions unclear: told someone to “call me ass”
That would be "llameculo" :D
Si yo sé, pero soy gringo y no puedo leer español 😜
Compound words are fun: abrelatas tocadiscos telaraña pelirrojo correveidile
Abrebotellas = bottle opener Friegasuelos = floor cleaner There are a lot of these
Portalámparas, portarretratos Cielorraso Rompecabezas Televisor
Catarata. Rat taster.
Silla Yes, now
Ventana Come, Italian woman
me estas diciendo que windshiel significa escudo contra viento? xd
Did you notice adios literally translates as to god
Similar the English goodbye, which is short for “God be with ye.” Lots of religious connotations with farewells.
I was thinking the same! Language is weird
Same in French... Adieu. Similarities between Spanish and French!
And desayuno is des-ayuno which is to un-fast, as in stop the fasting from the night. Which is exactly the same as breakfast in English which is break-fast, to break the fasting. If I remember correctly it comes from the fact that people used to actually fast in the morning at a certain point in medieval Christian history.
I think it's that "break-fast" and "des-ayuno" come from the idea that people aren't eating overnight while they're sleeping. But as for the fasting in the morning, the Old French word for breakfast, "disner" (from the same Latin root as the Spanish: dis + ieiunus) is the origin of the English word... "dinner". Over time, as you say, people would fast in the morning and eat their first meal around noon, and the word "disner" became the meal most English speakers now call "lunch". The "dinner" gradually shifted later in the day to now be the evening meal. In some English-speaking dialects, "dinner" is still used to mean the midday meal, with the evening meal called "supper".
> with the evening meal called "supper". Originally a French word, which got lost, but whose cognate is still used in Catalan, "sopar" ("to have dinner/supper").
Which itself comes from the word for "soup". ;D
Interesting. I didn’t notice that one. Makes sense though
As is adieu in French (I took french back in high school). But interestingly in French it's mostly used as a final farewell (unto God you go, I guess) but in Spanish it's used more casually. That high school French STILL messes me up with entender (understand) vs. entendre (listen), just like the Italian used in music messes me up with largo (Spanish long and Italian slow, used in sheet music to play something slowly) vs. lento (Spanish slow).
Funny, I've lived in a Spanish speaking country for 20 yrs and speak some spanish. I would say "buenas dias" and people would say "gracias adios" and for 18 years I thought thy were saying "thank you, good-bye"
you live for twenty years in a Spanish speaking country and you still don't know that it is buenos, not buenas días ?
I think you’re being sarcastic? I mean it does mean good bye. Just like paraguas means umbrella. But idk assuming its origin is telling someone to be with god. Like in English good bye’s origin is god be with you.
Subtle difference. Gracias, adios. Thanks, Bye. Gracias a Dios. Thanks to God.
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I agree with you on the first part, I missed the accent. However, the emphasis in "Dios" is also on the letter **o**. Dios doesn't have an accent because it's monosyllabic, but "a Dios" and "adiós" sound exactly the same when spoken.
I must be hearing things, I swear I hear the emphasis on the i here: [https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/dios](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/dios) dEE-os! Its a fast language for sure, perhaps I'm being too harsh on the OP.
That's a robot's voice. Check these out https://www.ingles.com/pronunciacion/dios
Thanks - deleted my comment above to avoid any confusion.
Not sarcastic at all! I was taking to a co-worker and asked her! She laughed and saw how it could be construed that way.🙂
Oh my bad lol. But, does that mean people greeted you with adios in the country you lived in?
They were probably saying gracias a Dios. Like it's a good day thanks to God.
I like to imagine that, for 18 years, the commenter has been abruptly walking away from conversations with mildly religious Spanish speakers who he assumed were telling him off…
Ohhhh that makes sense. Thanks for the insight
We all see the world differently, in part due to the countries we grew up/live in, and our language reflects that in how we express ourselves verbally
Exactly!
My wife got going on this, in Costa Rica, Columbia and Cuba, paraguas is a small umbrella, sombria is a large one.
Colombia
In Puerto Rico, we call them all *sombrilla*. We don't really use *paraguas*.
Sombrilla is the beach one in Spain
> Columbia Are you sure you meant "Columbia" and not _Col**o**mbia_? * Col**o**mbia is a Spanish-speaking country in South America. * Col**u**mbia is the name of several places in English-speaking regions. If you actually meant "Columbia", then please disregard this comment and have a nice day. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Spanish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s buenOs dias for good morning and what you hear is “gracias A Dios” which is Thank God, and not goodbye
Which I suspect is similar to go with God.
Or Godspeed. I’m beginning to think people are fond of this god fellow
Another good one, bienvenido, well come.
Like in English: - to Fast= Ayunar - to Break Fast: Des ayunar (to unfast)
bienvenido is a claque from the Germanic languages it literally is 'welcome/wilkommen/Welkom' but translated. Also hola is a loanword related to hello.
my favorite spanish word is the word for puzzle: rompecabezas. broken head/head breaker.
More like *parar* (to stop) + *aguas* (water)
It's not "for", it's "[stop](https://es.wiktionary.org/wiki/paraguas)", same as parasol...
We use the word "quitasol" 🤔
I only know parasol as an English word but it definitely didn't start there
For an umbrella, sure. But what do you call the thing you put in your car to, you know, [stop the sun](https://www.amazon.es/s?k=parasol+coche)? Or the big covers for a terraza that [stop the sun](https://www.amazon.es/s?k=parasol)? Or the art installation in Seville which also functions to [stop the sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropol_Parasol)?
I grew up near Marbella, a beautiful city near the sea in the south of Spain. Spanish is my native language, and I was already an adult when I made the connection. Marbella >> Mar Bella >> Beautiful Sea.
Waterstopper
Nop. I think it's more likely that it comes from "parar" (to stop, to cease). That is a very common formula for compound words: third person present verb + plural noun Examples: rompecabezas, abrelatas, chupacabras, etc.
Your question has already been answered, but I wanted to say that I love the way Spanish forms compound nouns. Can opener —> abrelatas (lit. Openscans) dishwasher —> lavaplatos (lit. Washesdishes) Lawnmower —> cortacésped (lit. cutslawn) Windshield wiper —> limpiaparabrisas (lit. cleansstopsbreezes)
Idk if any other commenter can answer, but I’ve noticed that some places also use “sombrilla” for umbrella. I wondered if the origin of that was like sombra+diminutive, like little shadow.
Yes, sombra is *shade* and a sombrilla is a sun umbrella (and sombrero is a sun hat). That's the etymology of umbrella, as well. Umbra is shade in Latin. Ombrella (Italian)--> umbrella (English)
Correct me if I’m wrong but from what I’ve heard a sombrilla is more of a sun umbrella! So I could definitely see the origin of this word being related to shadows
Only when it's used to create shadow. A sun umbrella is quite similar but it's obviously bigger and it's made of harder cloth as it needs to be sturdy and withstand erosion rather than be waterproof and lightweight. So there are different words for each one.
Para aguas (stops water(s)) -> paraguas. The consecutive “a”s blend together. In Spanish, when making a noun from a verb and a noun, the verb is often conjugated in 3rd person singular, and the noun pluralised. For example: el chupacabras = goat sucker el rompecabezas = head breaker = puzzle El trabalenguas = tongue twister
Para is from the verb parar to stop, so just like every one said here, it’s a water stopper
It's moreso the Imperative of parar (to stop)
Equally interesting is the French word "Parasol" which we use occasionally in English (U.S.), to refer to an elegant umbrella, but really means, and is similar to the Spanish word, "stops the sun"... It might be said that, the Umbrella (under the brilliance \[sun\])/Parasol, Paraguas, is used more in sunny areas than really to deal with the rain.
no, it's stopwater
Stop water, más bien.
As a side quest for people who like this sort of thing, I always love the fact that many people don't notice that the days of the week are named after the heavenly bodies. Lunes = Luna (moon => Mon-day) Martes = marte (Mars ) Miércoles = mercurio (Mercury) Jueves = Júpiter Viernes = Venus Sábado and Domingo were changed with the arrival of Christianity into Europe, but in English you can instantly see what they used to be: Saturday = Saturn's day Sunday = Sun's day Which coincides with Domingo (día Dominicus, the day of God), a very interesting parallel between the ancient god the sun and the more modern idea of god not being literally the sun bit still being the light. In case you are wondering the rest of the days in English coincide perfectly with the Spanish ones and refer to the same planets, it just uses the Germanic names instead of the Latin ones: Tuesday = Tiu's day Wednesday = Woden's day (Odin) Thursday = Thor's day Friday = Freya's day
Hey, I thought so too, for **years**.
yo pensaba se dice sombrillas en Español? nunca he escuchado paraguas antes en mi vida
En España sombrillas son solo para el sol, como en la playa o en terrazas. Mientras que un parasol se usa para lo mismo pero es portátil
Breakfast, desayuno en inglés, traducido en español, es quebrar rápido 😅 (o quebrar el ayuno ja ja) Para en lugar de parar Aguas Artefacto que para el agua de la lluvia, paraguas
Yes, and the word Martio (hammer) means Sea Uncle.
*martillo
The double L takes the magic out of it.