"That" in phrases and idioms
In phrases and idioms, the translation of "that" is often unpredictable. There are probably too many such phrases to be memorized; it is probably better to try to think of what the phrase means and translate accordingly.For example, take a phrase such as "That's it!" It would make no sense to try translating that word for word (although sometimes "¡Eso es!" will do just fine). Instead, think of what the phrase means, which will vary with the context. If you intend for the phrase to mean something like "Eureka!" that works in Spanish too: "¡Eureka!" If you intend to say something like "I'm fed up!" you might try "¡Estoy harto!" If you mean that something has come to an end, perhaps "¡Es el fin!" will get your meaning across.
Here are some examples of how you might translate phrases using "that." This list is far from complete, and the translations used aren't necessarily the only valid possibilities:
- And that's that!: ¡Y eso es todo!
- At that: He is a writer, and a good one at that. Es escritor, y además de los buenos.
- Despite that: They charged for Ubuntu despite that it is free. Cobraron Ubuntu a pesar de que es gratis.
- How to you like that?: ¿Qué te parece?
- In order that, so that: We need your help in order that the campaign be successful. Necesitamos su ayuda a fin de que la campaña tenga éxito. Evil exists so that people can appreciate what is good. El mal existe para que las personas puedan apreciar lo que es bueno.
- Like that: Why do politicians talk like that? ¿Por qué hablan así los políticos?
- That I know of: Nobody has cloned me that I know of. Que yo sepa nadie me ha clonado.
- That is to say: Excel 2007 doesn't know how to multiply. That is to say, it makes mistakes. Excel 2007 no sabe multiplicar. Es decir, se equivoca.
