Sunday, 20 April 2014

Who Could Not Cope?

Introduction

This post showcases/ highlights a typical use of the verb dar*.







SCENARIO

Imagine you are talking to a relative, a friend or a work colleague. You have recently eaten at a restaurant which was:
  • Very busy, even chaotic
Whilst relating your experiences, you intimate that the staff were run off their feet and often could not cope.

At some point, the other person says: "who could not cope?"

In Spanish, the other person could say:
¿Quién no daba abasto?



OUR TIP

Answering this question should be straightforward. Indicating or naming a person(s) might well be sufficient. However, the question includes an expression (no dar abasto) which you could use to make your answer more informative.


Here are some examples of how you could use that expression:
  • Los camareros no daban abasto (the waiters could not cope);
  • Algunos camareros no daban abasto (some waiters could not cope);
  • Uno de los camareros no daba abasto (one of the waiters could not cope);
  • El jefe de cocina no daba abasto (the chef could not cope);
  • El chef no daba abasto (the chef could not cope);
  • El maître no daba abasto (the head waiter could not cope);


Now you should practise answering the question:
¿Quién no daba abasto?

*See uses of verb dar below

*Verb Dar - Typical Uses/ Expressions


Dar alcance a To catch up with someone/ something
Dar apuro To cause embarrassment/ to make one feel embarrassed
Dar asco To cause nausea/ to make one feel nauseated
Dar calabazas To reject/ to give the brush off
Dar caña To hurry/ to harry/ to speed up
Dar celos To cause jealousy/ to make one feel jealous
Dar clase de To teach a subject
Dar corte To cause embarrassment/ to make one feel embarrassed
Dar cosa To cause fear/ unease/ discomfort
Dar de alta To discharge/ To give the all clear (medical)
Dar de baja To give leave (medical)
Dar de sí To be elastic/ stretchable
Dar envidia To cause envy/ make one feel envy
Dar ganas de To feel like doing something
Dar lástima To be in a sorry state/ to move someone to feel pity
Dar miedo To cause fear/ to make one feel frightened
Dar pena To cause pity/ sadness
Dar rabia To anger/ to make one mad
Dar vergüenza To cause embarrassment/ to make one feel embarrassed
Darse cita To meet/ to come together
Darse prisa To hurry up
No dar abasto To be overloaded/ To be unable to cope


Spanish lessons online
Skype/ Google+ Hangout/ Facetime
Great lessons
© Copyright 2014 Love-Spanish.com. by Jose M González. All Rights Reserved.

No comments: