In English, many things are named after a particular country – but have you ever wondered what those things are called in those countries?
nombre
1
(physical object)cosa femeninowhat's that thing? — ¿qué es eso?- a thing of great beauty — un objeto de gran belleza
- I can't open the window, the thing's jammed! — no puedo abrir la ventana, está atrancada
- the damn thing refuses to start — el maldito no quiere arrancar
- I love your dress — what, this old thing? — me encanta tu vestido — ¿este trapo viejo?
- she's got one of those bottle-warmer things — tiene uno de esos chismes para calentar biberones
- there was salad and paté and things — había ensalada, paté y ese tipo de cosa
- Quite simply, the thing won't work without the base scanning the skies for missiles.
- I put this thing on and looked in the mirror and it was like I had turned into a cartoon.
- We went out to find some dinner and of course the only thing open was the chippie.
- I did that thing that lots of blokes do when presented with a thing that has instructions.
- If you look at photos from way back, when you were a kid, the fashions date the thing.
- My suitcase contains many things but one thing you can be sure of is that I've probably not got enough pants.
- Yefu took only a few necessary things with him, including a cup, a mobile phone, and bedding.
- The pink thing beside her is her G-string which she took out and decided not to wear back.
- All in the name of testing new materials for things like planes and spacecraft.
- Didn't I say last night I would go to Croydon to spend a small fortune on things for my living room.
- If this thing goes out again, it'll cost as much to repair it as it will to replace it.
- He just wasn't into material things, but he did like to drink and get laid.
- If you had all the money you could wish for, name three things you would purchase.
- Get an idea of prices by going to lots of shops that carry the kind of thing that interests you.
- Margalo looked them up and down for the thing she had required both of them to bring.
- Lia wished the thing he had given her would just vibrate; a feeling of unease rested in the pit of her stomach.
- Everyone is opting for the thing that sells the easiest and requires the least amount of work.
- Helen has the material things many would envy, but she is desperately trying to break free.
2
(situation, act)cosa femeninoa very funny thing happened — pasó algo muy cómico / una cosa muy cómica- one thing that bothers me is … — algo que me molesta es …
- it's not a thing to be proud of — no es como para estar orgulloso
- there is one thing you could do — hay algo / una cosa que podrías hacer
- how could you say/do such a thing? — ¿cómo pudiste decir/hacer una cosa así?
- the things you say! — ¡qué cosas dices!
- the obvious thing to do would be to … — lo lógico sería …
- the only thing to do is … — lo único que se puede hacer es …
- we do things differently here — aquí hacemos las cosas de otra manera
- some things are best forgotten — hay cosas que es mejor olvidar
- there's no such thing — no hay tal cosa
- or some such thing — o algo parecido
- you know the sort of thing — tú sabes a qué me refiero
- I'm too old for this kind of thing — yo soy muy viejo para estos trotes
- the same thing happened to me — a mí me pasó lo mismo
- all good things (must) come to an end — lo bueno se acaba pronto / dura poco
- he said the first thing that came into his head — dijo lo primero que se le ocurrió
- the very last thing I expected — lo que menos me imaginaba
- the last thing we want is for him to interfere — lo último que nos faltaría sería que se metiera él
- one thing at a time — una cosa a la vez
- it is one thing to identify the problem, quite another to solve it — una cosa es identificar el problema y otra muy distinta resolverlo
- if it's not one thing, it's the other — si no es una cosa, es otra
- that's the last thing we want — eso sería lo peor que podría pasar
- every single thing I do — absolutamente todo lo que hago
- he runs to the doctor with every little thing — corre al médico por cualquier cosa
- he hadn't done a thing — no había hecho absolutamente nada
- to expect great things of sb/sth — esperar mucho de algn/algo
- You can see the genuine affection there and it's not a showbiz couple thing.
- The only thing enterprises could do was mass produce, regardless of market feedback.
- The British Championships are now half way through and so far have been quite a close run thing.
- On the way back the worst thing possible that could happen in a car happened.
- Say what you will, but I believe the majority of people would do the same thing in our situation.
- The most important thing management can do is to stay in touch with the people who do the real work in the company.
- At the awards ceremony, the pair said they would do the same thing again if the situation arose.
- But there was almost a reluctance to do sculpture, because it was such a family thing.
- The use of any part of any creature for this type of thing is quite unacceptable.
- There is one girl in my class who constantly says funny things which I wish I could remember later.
- One minute a team is going great, then a couple of putts go in or stay out and the whole thing switches round the other way.
- Yes, he had to go and in going he did the last honourable thing open to him.
- Subman, who has a few years on me, went on and did the family thing, put on a few kilos, and gave up surfing.
- If there is one thing referee Michael Jones doesn't do, it's play to the crowd.
- This sort of thing happened quite often when Nathaniel was given a shock.
- They are convinced they did the right thing in reporting the activities of the two youths.
- Get out of the armchair, do things you enjoy and things you think will make a difference.
- Born of all the distress of that situation came the one thing that I was truly unprepared for.
- The older son thing requires its own space, so the telling will be separate, if it happens.
- I'm doing the premiere party thing tonight, so will have something to say about it tomorrow.
- I don't enjoy shopping but wandering a mall with Wendy and Mark can be a fun thing.
- Blowing the whistle on any illegal or unethical activities is the right thing to do.
- The frigid old crone who taught us made copulation seem like the most boring thing possible.
- She was afraid because this modeling thing was a new situation so removed from her reality.
- It has always been a family thing—we used to drive out in a bike and side-car when our two sons were small.
- He said it was very difficult not being able to work and doing the same thing day after day.
- You should thus try to convince your husband that such a thing is not socially acceptable.
- In the early days, punk was a Northern thing, and more specifically, a Manchester thing.
3
(affair, matter)asunto masculinowe must sort this thing out — tenemos que arreglar esto / este asunto- I'm fed up with the whole thing — estoy harto del asunto
- getting married is a big thing — casarse es cosa seria / un asunto serio
- it's a stress-related thing — es un problema relacionado con el estrés
- it was a purely physical thing — fue pura atracción física
- Challenge your beliefs about the bad things that might happen if you show your emotions.
- The good thing about gallows humour is no matter how bad things get you can always find some wag ready to crack a joke.
- The other alternative is to sit on the sidelines and wish that things were different.
- Not for one instant, no matter how tough things got, would I have quit a fight.
- I remember we complained to one another at the time and thought how we wish things could change.
- Many people no longer believe in our capacity to control events and change things for the better.
- That is to say, he used it as an example of how bad things can get if we don't act soon enough.
- You hear a lot of longtime residents lament that they wish things were the way they used to be.
- It seems like the lesson here is to let things slide, no matter how painful things get.
- We worked hard and we fought hard, and I wish that things had turned out a little differently.
- But it's hard to tell this close to the event exactly how things are going to change.
- The child also perceives that things are going well living with his grandmother.
- Even now, two years on, Smith struggles to describe exactly why things went so wrong.
- I told Jacques to press this with all his might and not back down, no matter how dire things looked.
- We can try and come up with ways of making things better, no matter how tough that may be.
- The kiss of love is the kiss of life and no matter how badly things have been going, it's the kiss that heals.
- There are times when I wish things were different, if only because the people deserve better.
- No matter how bad things get, you must never think that God does not exist.
- I now realise that all is not lost, no matter how bad things get, all is never lost.
- It was doubtful, she knew, but nevertheless, she wished things had not ended the way they did.
4the thing
4.1(that which, what)
lo quethe thing that worries/bothers me is … — lo que me preocupa/fastidia es …- the thing I liked best — lo que más me gustó
4.2(what is needed)
this necklace is just the thing for Helen — este collar es ideal para Helen- will this screwdriver do? — the very thing! — ¿servirá este destornillador? — ¡justo lo que hace falta!
- I've got just the thing for you — tengo exactamente lo que necesitas / lo que te hace falta
4.3(crucial point, factor)
enjoying yourself is the thing — de lo que se trata es de divertirse- the thing is to be there early — lo importante es llegar temprano
- the thing is, I've forgotten where I put it — resulta que / el caso es que / lo que pasa es que me he olvidado de dónde lo puse
4.4(the fashion)
big hats are the thing nowadays — los sombreros grandes son el último grito
5things plural
5.1(belongings, equipment)
cosas femeninohe washed the breakfast things — lavó las cosas del desayuno- we packed our things and left — hicimos las maletas y nos fuimos
- you'd better take those wet things off — es mejor que te quites esa ropa mojada
- bring your swimming things — traigan traje de baño y toalla, etcétera
5.2(the situation, matters)
cosas femeninoif things don't improve — si la cosa no mejora coloquial- I need time to think things over — necesito tiempo para pensarlo
- the way things are going — tal (y) como van las cosas
- by the look of things — según parece
- how are things at home? — ¿qué tal andan las cosas en casa?
- how's things? — ¿qué tal?
- how are things with you? — ¿y tú qué tal andas?
5.3(matters)
a taste for all things Greek — un gusto por todo lo griego
6
(person, creature)he didn't know what to do, poor thing! — el pobre no sabía qué hacer- you poor thing! — ¡pobrecito!
- not like that, you silly thing! — ¡así no, tonto!
- you lucky thing! — ¡qué suerte tienes!
- what a lovely little thing she is! — ¡qué cosita más preciosa!
- why, you cheeky thing! — ¡mira que eres descarado!
- bright young things — chicos y chicas de sociedad
7coloquial
(preference, ideal)opera isn't really my thing — en realidad la ópera no es lo mío- the latest thing in hats — lo último en sombreros
8
(in expressions of time)next thing, you'll be telling me that … — luego me dirás que …- the next thing I knew, it was midnight — cuando quise acordar, era medianoche
Further reading

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