How to Use the Casual French Term Sympa

How to Use the Casual French Term Sympa Most people in France use the casual adjective sympa  (pronounced sam  pa) to mean nice when theyre describing a person or thing that they like. Its a very versatile word and can be used to express general affection for places, objects, and ideas or concepts in addition to people you know. French speakers also use sympa to mean pleasant, friendly, and good. Expressions and Usage There are any number of ways you can use sympa in everyday conversation. For instance: super sympa very niceavoir lair sympa to look kindElle est trà ¨s sympa. Shes a really nice person.Cest un type sympa. Hes a nice guy.   Cest un type  vraiment sympa. Hes a really nice guy.Il nest vraiment pas sympa.  Ã‚  Hes not very nice at all.type sympa, mec  sympa,  chic type, mec bien (very colloquial) nice guyMerci, cest sympa. Thanks, I appreciate it.   Ãƒâ€¡a va  Ãƒ ªtre  sympa. Thatll be nice.   Ton copain est super sympa ! Your boyfriend is really nice!Elle nest vraiment pas sympa. Shes not very nice at all.sympa, amusant,  drà ´le,  marant funAllez, sois sympa. Go on, be a sport.un coin sympa pour pique-niquer a nice spot for a picnicCeci est une touche trà ¨s  sympa.   This is a really  nice  touch.Ce nest pas trà ¨s  sympa  mais, aprà ¨s tout, on devait trouver une solution. Thats not very nice, but, after all, we had to find a solution.C’à ©tait aussi trà ¨s  sympa  de rencontrer plein d’autres co llà ¨gues de diffà ©rents pays. It was also very nice to see a lot of my colleagues from different countries. Peter,  sympa  mais avec grande gueule... Peter is a nice guy but he has a big mouth.Gà ©niale ! C’à ©tait  sympa  et enrichissant la fois. It was great! Fun and enriching at the same time.

Pronunciation-Based Changes in the Spanish Words for And and Or

Pronunciation-Based Changes in the Spanish Words for And and Or Two of the most common conjunctions in Spanish - y (meaning and) and o (meaning or) - can change spelling and pronunciation based on the word that follows. In that way, they are much like the a of English changing to an before a vowel sound. And, like the a-to-an change, the transformation is based on how the following word is pronounced rather than how it is spelled. When Do Y and O Change? Both the y and o changes help keep the conjunction from blending into the following word. (The blending of two words into what sounds like one is called elision when it involves the dropping or omission of sounds, and it is common in both English and Spanish.) Here are the changes that are made: Y becomes e when it precedes a word that begins with the i sound. Typically, y becomes e when it precedes most words that begin with i- or hi-.O becomes u when it precedes a word that begins with the o sound. Thus o becomes u when it precedes words words starting with o- or ho-. Because the changes are based on pronunciation rather than spelling, y does not change before words, such as hierba, that begin with the ia, ie, io, or iu sound, regardless of spelling. Those two-letter combinations are known as diphthongs; the initial sounds are very similar to the Spanish y sound when y comes before a vowel. Sample Sentences Showing Use of Y and O Reciben tratamiento cruel e inhumano. (They are receiving cruel and inhumane treatment. The y changes to e because the inhumano begins with the i sound.) Nuestro conocimiento nos enseà ±a dos cosas claras: posibilidades e imposibilidades. (Our knowledge teaches us two clear things: possibilities and impossibilities. The e is used because imposibilidades begins with the i sound.) Fabricamos barras e hilos de cobre. (We manufacture copper bars and wires. The e is used because hilos begins with the i sound even though the first letter is h.)   Est enteramente construido de nieve y hielo. (It is built completely of snow and ice. The y does not change because hielo begins with the ie diphthong.) Hay un equilibrio osmà ³tico y ià ³nico. (There is an osmotic and ionic equilibrium. The y is used because ià ³nico begins with the io diphthong.) Hay muchas diferencias entre catolicismo e hinduismo. (There are many differences between Catholicism and Hinduism. The y changes to e because hinduismo begins with the i sound even though its first letter is h.) Vendemos productos de limpieza e higiene. (We sell cleaning and hygiene products. Higiene begins with the i sound.) Usamos punto y coma para separar las frases u oraciones que constituyen una enumeracià ³n. (We use a semicolon to separate phrases or sentences that make up a list.) No recuerdo si fue ayer u hoy. (I dont remember if it was yesterday or today. Unlike with the changes involving y to e, the o changes even though oy is a diphthong.)  ¿Quà © operador de telà ©fonos ofrece las tarifas ms baratas para viajar a frica u Oriente Medio? (Which phone operator offers the lowest costs for traveling to Africa or the Middle East? The rule of changing o to u applies even if the word following is a proper noun.) La Can Make Similar Change The desire to keep the sounds of important words from being lost due to elision is also behind the changing of la to el in some circumstances with feminine sounds. Although there are exceptions, el is used instead of la before singular feminine nouns where the first syllable of the noun is stressed. Thus the eagle is el guila even though guila is feminine. The change doesnt occur with plural nouns or where the stress isnt on the first syllable. In standard written Spanish, una becomes un (meaning one, a, or and) under the same circumstances. Thus, an eagle is un guila. These changes and those involving y and o are the only situations where Spanish changes words depend on sounds that follow. Key Takeaways The Spanish conjugation y (meaning and) changes to e when the word that follows begins with the i sound.The Spanish conjugation o (meaning or) changes to u when the word that follows begins with the o sound.These changes are triggered by pronunciation only, not how a word is spelled.