Le echo de menos (Questions About Your Target Languages) Language Learning Forum

Le echo de menos
Tags: Spanish
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Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages

tuffy
Triglot
Senior Member
Netherlands
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Speaks: Dutch*, English, German
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Message 1 of 3

20 November 2005 at 3:34pm | IP Logged

"Le echo de menos" means "I miss you", correct?
If so, what do the words individually mean?
I don't understand the "echo" in this context.
Echo means "throw" and menos means "less".
So "throw you less"?? :-o

Tuffy
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patuco
Diglot
Moderator
Gibraltar
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Speaks: Spanish, English*
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Message 2 of 3

20 November 2005 at 5:16pm | IP Logged

tuffy wrote:

"Le echo de menos" means "I miss you", correct?

If you're being polite, yes. Otherwise it's "te echo de menos".

"Throw you less" would be "te echo menos" so it appears as if the "de" changes the meaning. I don't know why since my grammar is limited.

In any case, it's just a phrase which is used. I don't think that there's a direct translation.
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Andy E
Triglot
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United Kingdom
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Speaks: English*, Spanish, French

Message 3 of 3

21 November 2005 at 9:02am | IP Logged

I decided to check the definition of echar on the RAE site....

....and discovered that the use of echar in this particular phrase has a different etymology (even though in usage/inflection it appears the same).

The standard echar is derived from the latin verb iactare.

However in..

echar de menos, o echar menos a alguien o algo.

It comes from the Portuguese verb achar - the RAE definition is below:

1. (Del port. achar menos, hallar menos). frs. Advertir, notar su falta.
2. frs. Tener sentimiento y pena por su falta.

Andy.

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