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NOUN ELLIPSIS
NOUN ELLIPSIS
1. Spanish: "No me queda otra."
• "Otra" = short for otra opción, otra posibilidad, etc.
• This is noun ellipsis, where the noun is implied and understood from context.
2. English: "That's a first."
• "First" = shorthand for first time, first occurrence, etc.
• Again, this is noun ellipsis.
1. “That’s a first.”
→ first time (always — never first attempt, first place, etc.)
2. “I’ve had seconds.”
→ second helpings (of food)
3. “Care for another?”
→ another drink (in context of social or bar setting — always drink)
4. “He wants out.”
→ out = out of the relationship / contract / deal — usually a social or legal arrangement (Similarly: “She needs in.” = She wants in on the deal/group — though rarer.)
5. “That’s a wrap.”
→ a wrap = end of filming/production — a shoot is implied and never stated
6. “She’s a natural.”
→ natural talent or natural performer — depends on context but always refers to innate ability
7. “He’s a regular.”
→ regular customer — strongly implied in bars, cafés, etc.
8. “She’s a keeper.”
→ keeper = someone worth staying with in a relationship (almost always romantic)
9. “This one’s a classic.”
→ classic = classic film, joke, story — usually the medium is implied by context
10. “Don’t be a stranger.”
→ stranger = someone who stays away or fails to keep in touch — not literal unknown person
11. “It’s a no-brainer.”
→ no-brainer decision — always a decision
12. “That’s a given.”
→ a given assumption or truth — often in debates or logical reasoning
13. “It’s a maybe.”
→ maybe = a tentative response — the noun answer/response is omitted
14. “I’ll take a rain check.”
→ rain check = rescheduling invitation — never needs to be explained in context
1. “No me queda otra.”
→ otra opción / alternativa — fixed and idiomatic
2. “Es la primera.”
→ primera vez — as in “¿Es la primera?” in contexts like sex, public speaking, etc.
3. “Me tomé una.”
→ una copa / cerveza / bebida — in social settings
4. “¿Te sirvo otra?”
→ otra copa / cerveza — same as above, understood in context
5. “Es un clásico.”
→ clásico = película / libro / partido — medium is strongly implied
6. “Es un detalle.”
→ detalle bonito / regalo pequeño — used when giving a small gift or thoughtful gesture
7. “Es una pasada.”
→ una experiencia increíble / algo impresionante — common slang, noun rarely stated
8. “Es un encanto.”
→ encanto de persona — always about personality
9. “Te debo una.”
→ una favor — favor is never said, but always implied
10. “Fue sin querer.”
→ sin quererlo / sin intención — the full phrase is never needed
Cataphora: When a pronoun like it refers forward to something not yet mentioned (though this is less likely in your examples).
“Although she was tired, Maria finished the race.” → “she” refers forward to Maria.
“If you need it, the book is on the table.” → “it” refers forward to the book.
“This is what I want: a peaceful life in the countryside.” → “This” refers forward to a peaceful life...
Deixis: Referring expressions like this, that, here, or it, which depend on context for interpretation.
“Put it over there.” → “there” depends on the speaker’s context.
“I’ll do it tomorrow.” → “I”, “it”, “tomorrow” are all deictic.
“You can have this.” → “this” refers to something present near the speaker.
DUMMY IT
PRONOMINAL IT
Yes — now we’re in the realm of expressions with "dummy it" or "pronominal it", where "it" stands in for something unstated, often never explicitly defined — not even in surrounding sentences. These expressions are often idiomatic, fixed, and context-dependent, where "it" refers to:
• an implied action
• a prior offense
• a social rule or expectation
• or even a totally abstract idea like “what needs to be done”
Let’s go through English and Spanish examples.
Phrase
Implied Meaning of “It”
“Cut it out!”
whatever you're doing that’s annoying or disruptive
“Knock it off!”
same as above, often harsher
“I’ll make it up to you.”
make up for what I did / the harm caused
“That’s it.”
the solution / the end / the key idea (depends)
“You’ve done it now.”
caused serious trouble / gone too far
“You said it!”
I agree completely
“Don’t blow it.”
the opportunity / the chance
“Let’s face it.”
the truth / the situation we don’t want to admit
“Get over it.”
the problem / insult / disappointment
“I get it.”
the concept / the joke / the idea
“Take it easy.”
life / stress / the situation in general
“Give it a shot.”
the task / the challenge
“He lost it.”
his temper / control / mind
“He doesn’t have it.”
charisma / the required skill (often in sports, arts)
“You can’t rush it.”
a natural process / outcome
🔹 SPANISH: Phrases with Unresolved or Idiomatic “Lo” / “Eso” / “Ello”
In Spanish, the equivalents often involve “lo”, “eso”, or sometimes “ello” — used abstractly or idiomatically.
🔸 Examples
Spanish Phrase
Implied Meaning of "Lo"/"Eso"/"Ello"
“¡Déjalo ya!”
whatever you're doing – stop it
“¡Ya basta con eso!”
that behavior / annoyance
“No lo vuelvas a hacer.”
that unspecified bad thing
“Lo siento.”
I’m sorry for what happened (undefined offense)
“Lo haré.”
the task / promise / thing you expect me to do
“¡Ya lo tienes!”
the solution / result / victory
“La cagaste, y lo sabes.”
you messed something up – unstated but understood
“Ya verás cómo lo arreglo.”
the damage / the problem
“No lo soporto.”
it = the situation / person / behavior – implied
“No lo aguanto más.”
similar – unbearable thing
“Lo vamos a lograr.”
the goal, project, or dream
“No te lo voy a perdonar.”
it = the wrong/offense done
take one for the team
to "tie one on" (get drunk?)
en estas nos vemos = we find ourselves in this situation again, here we are again
X is where it's at
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