Saturday 19 May 2012

Verde


Today's WOTD is: "verde" = green

In Spanish, "verde" is a describing word/ adjective of Latin origin which means green. In Spanish, besides describing something as being green in colour, “verde” may also be used to describe:
  • Fruit which is unripe/ still not suitable for eating;
  • Firewood which is unseasoned/ still not ready for the fire;
  • People who are unexperienced/ still needing to learn/ be trained;
  • Things which are not quite the finished article;

In Spanish, the word “verde” can also be a masculine noun which means the colour green and greenery (grass/ folliage/ etc.). The plural form of the noun, “los verdes*” is often used to refer to people belonging to ecologist political parties or people with ecologist ideologies, (the greens).

*NB The plural form, “los verdes” is not normally used in Spanish to refer to vegetables.

Some commonly used expressions containing the word "verde" are:
  • Chile verde (green chilli – very strong variety);
  • Cinturón verde (green belt);
  • Fruta verde (unripe fruit);
  • Los verdes (the Greens – ecologists political party);
  • Leña verde (unseasoned firewood);
  • Luz verde (green light);
  • Poner verde a alguien (to call him/ her every name under the sun);
  • Salsa verde (parsley sauce);
  • Tapete verde (card table);
  • Té verde (green tea);
  • Verde azulado (bluey/ bluish-green);
  • Verde botella (bottle-green);
  • Verde claro (light-green);
  • Verde esmeralda (emerald-green, emerald colour);
  • Verde oliva (olive-green);
  • Verde oscuro (dark-green);
  • Verde perico (bright-green);
  • Viejo verde (dirty old man);
  • Un vestido* (de color) verde (a green dress);

NB The expression is also valid for other garments, e.g.: “camisa”/ shirt.

Some examples of the use of the word "verde" are:
  • El chile verde es picante pero sabroso (green chillies are hot but tasty);
  • Están destruyendo el cinturón verde (they are destroying the green belt);
  • Las manzanas todavía están verdes (the apples are still unripe);
  • Los verdes se muestran optimistas de cara a las elecciones (the Greens are very optimistic about the elections);
  • Gente joven y leña verde todo es humo (old Galician saying comparing young people with unseasoned firewood – both generate lots of 'smoke' but little more);
  • Dieron luz verde a ese proyecto (that project was given the green light);
  • A Pedro lo pusieron verde (they called Pedro everyname under the sun);
  • El bacalao en salsa verde está riquísimo (cod in parsley sauce is very tasty);
  • La baraja sobre el tapete verde espera el comienzo de la partida (the pack of cards on the card table is awaiting the commencement of a game of cards);
  • El té verde no me gusta mucho (I don't care very much for green tea);
  • Ese vestido de color verde azulado es muy bonito (that bluey/ bluish-green colour dress is very nice);
  • Ana tiene los ojos de color verde-claro (Ana has light-green eyes);
  • Ese vestido de color verde botella es muy bonito (that bottle-green colour dress is very nice);
  • Ese vestido de color verde esmeralda es muy bonito (that emerald-green colour dress is very nice);
  • Ese vestido de color verde oliva es muy bonito (that olive-green colour dress is very nice);
  • Ese vestido de color verde oscuro es muy bonito (that dark-green colour dress is very nice);
  • Ese vestido de color verde perico es muy bonito (that light-green colour dress is very nice);
  • No creo que haya tanto viejo verde (I don't believe there are that many dirty old men around);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "verde" in the YouTube clip: Jose Feliciano - Camino Verde 

For more on the word "verde", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Verde

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “verde” in the link to hear the word pronounced.

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