How To Say Both in Spanish

How To Say Both in Spanish There are various ways of expressing the idea of both in Spanish. Translating Both Meaning Too Most of the time, both simply means two and functions as an adjective or pronoun. In such cases, you can translate both as either ambos (ambas in the feminine) or los dos (las dos in the feminine). The two terms are almost interchangeable; ambos is somewhat more formal. Here are some examples: Los dos se abrazaron. (Both hugged each other.)Las dos cartas escritas desde Calabria reflejan la misma bondad. (Both letters written from Calabria reflect the same kindness.)A los dos nos duele la cabeza si tenemos hambre. (Both of us have a headache if were hungry.)Los dos là ­deres de Al Qaeda ms buscados en Irak murieron durante una operacià ³n militar. (Both of the most-wanted leaders of Al-Qaida in Iraq died during a military operation.)Ambos creyeron poder demostrar la existencia de Dios. (Both believed they could demonstrate the existence of God.)Me gustarà ­a mucho leer ambos libros. (I would very much like to read both books.)Ambas dijeron que no volvern nunca ms al Perà º tras esta amarga experiencia. (Both said they would never return to Peru after this bitter experience.)Ambas opciones son buenas, y a veces no prefiero ninguno. (Both options are good, and sometimes I dont prefer either one.) Note that in each of the above examples, ambos or los dos also could have been translated as two or the two. Translating the Emphatic Both There are many cases where both isnt the equivalent of two, usually when it is used for emphasis. Theres no one set way to express the concept; you need to look at the sentence to determine the context and develop a translation in that way. Here are some examples; note that the translations given arent the only ones possible: El aprendizaje es una asociacà ­Ãƒ ³n en el cual tanto el maestro como el estudiante juegan un papel dinmico.  (Learning is a partnership in which both the teacher and the student play a dynamic role.  Here, both adds emphasis, indicating that the teacher, as well as the student, play a role.)Queremos comprar una casa grande y adems barata. (We want to buy a house that is both big and cheap. The use of both suggests that the two qualities normally dont go together and thus adds emphasis. Here, adems, which usually means also, fulfills a similar function.)Pablo y Raà ºl tienen sendos hematomas que estn siendo tratados. (Pablo and Raà ºl both have bruises that are being treated. Both is used here to clarify that each of the victims, not just one of them, is bruised. Sendos is an always-plural adjective often translated as respective or his or her own and is used here to provide a similar meaning. Sendos or sendas can also refer to more than two.)Hubo errores de uno y otro lado e n el conflicto. (There were errors on both sides of the conflict. Both is used to emphasize the existence of a contrast, which uno y otro also does.) No es posible perder peso y comer lo que te gusta al mismo tiempo. (It isnt possible to both lose weight and eat everything you want. Both here suggest that two actions are being done simultaneously. Al mismo tiempo means at the same time.) Translating Common Phrases With Both At least English phrases or idioms with both have Spanish equivalents. Both sides, when referring to opposing sides of an argument or position, can be translated idiomatically with las dos campanas, which means literally both bells. Siempre oigo las dos campanas antes de hacer un juicio. (I always listen to both sides before making a judgment.)Creo que nuestros servidores pà ºblicos no escuchan las dos campanas. (I believe our public servants arent listening to both sides.) The best of both worlds can be translated literally as lo mejor de dos mundos or loosely as lo mejor de cada casa (literally, the best of each house). Este vehà ­culo ofrece lo mejor de dos mundos, la deportividad de un coupà © y la espaciosidad de un SUV. (This vehicle offers the best of both worlds, the sportiness of a coupe and the space of an SUV.)Brasil es in paà ­s multicultural que tiene lo mejor de cada casa. (Brazil is a multicultural country that has the best of both worlds.