Ciaglia definition help please!

[Zany_in_CO]

Croix is a feminine word in French...

Good to know. Merci. This is what gets me... you would think La Croix ("The Cross") would be a masculine verb. It's actually kind of insulting to women when you think about it.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Yeah - but then think of 'agua' (water) in Spanish which actually ends in an 'a'. This is an anomaly, because most feminine nouns in Spanish end in 'a', but in this case the noun is not feminine. So we say 'el agua' and not 'la agua'. Every language has exceptions to the general rule - and I would say English is probably the worst for these exceptions.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I would say English is probably the worst for these exceptions.

Except for the fact that we don't have gender specific nouns. Sheesh.

 

[nframe]

Except for the fact that we don't have gender specific nouns. Sheesh.

That's why English seems an easy language to learn at first. German has three genders: masculine, feminine and neutral. The problem with English is pronunciation. Why do you say "the wind is blowing" and "to wind a clock" (same spelling, different promunciation)? There are hundreds of cases like this and there is no rule. It's just usage. That's what makes English difficult to learn. But I am going off the original subject here...

 

[MomInWA]

Yeah - but then think of 'agua' (water) in Spanish which actually ends in an 'a'. This is an anomaly, because most feminine nouns in Spanish end in 'a', but in this case the noun is not feminine. So we say 'el agua' and not 'la agua'. Every language has exceptions to the general rule - and I would say English is probably the worst for these exceptions.

I started learning Spanish (Duolingo app). I’m confused about some words and there’s no way to ask the app! Appreciate your explanation here.

 

[MomInWA]

That's why English seems an easy language to learn at first. German has three genders: masculine, feminine and neutral. The problem with English is pronunciation. Why do you say "the wind is blowing" and "to wind a clock" (same spelling, different promunciation)? There are hundreds of cases like this and there is no rule. It's just usage. That's what makes English difficult to learn. But I am going off the original subject here...

English is really a derivative language. Words are Latin based, but there are so many words borrowed or stolen from other languages that make their way into regular use. That’s why the rules are unpredictable.

ETA. Over many centuries, spelling and usage evolve, making English even more difficult. I used to follow a blog about historical words that are no longer in regular use. The English language is fascinating!