# no más



## teda

I have heard "no más" used like this in  Ecuador:

Being shown a seat after entering a house:  SÍENTASE NO MÁS,
Being shown a seat at a meal: SÍRVASE NO MÁS,
After waiting for some noise to stop during a phone call: DÍGAME NO MÁS
Answering a question about the desire to marry:  QUIERO CASARME CONTIGO NO MÁS.

I interpret the first two as informal politeness, something like "have a seat" and "go ahead, help yourself."  But I'm not sure how to interpret the second two phrases.  Can someone talk about what is being said by "no más / no more" when used this way?


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## pingpong abyss

I think the word 'just' would fit in most cases.

"Just sit down", "just go on and serve yourself", "just tell me"...


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## Forero

teda said:


> I have heard "no más" used like this in  Ecuador:
> 
> Being shown a seat after entering a house:  SÍENTASE NO MÁS,
> Being shown a seat at a meal: SÍRVASE NO MÁS,
> After waiting for some noise to stop during a phone call: DÍGAME NO MÁS
> Answering a question about the desire to marry:  QUIERO CASARME CONTIGO NO MÁS.
> 
> I interpret the first two as informal politeness, something like "have a seat" and "go ahead, help yourself."  But I'm not sure how to interpret the second two phrases.  Can someone talk about what is being said by "no más / no more" when used this way?



I agree with your interpretation on the first two.  The third must also be an informal way to say the same thing as in the first two, something like "go ahead", but said in a way that does not sound like an airplane pilot in a similar situation.

The fourth sentence, however, is very different because it is not an imperative needing to be "softened" but a first-person statement of feeling on an intimate level.  I will have to wait for a native to interpret that one since I would definitely not want to misunderstand it.


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## LaReinita

QUIERO CASARME CONTIGO NO MÁS.==I no longer want to marry you.

I hope this is correct; however, it seems to me that it would be more correct to say:

Quiero casarme contigo ya no.


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## Forero

¡Ojalá no sea esta interpretación la correcta!  I would expect a _no_ preceding _quiero_, pero sigamos esperando un nativo.


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## LaReinita

Forero said:


> ¡Ojalá no sea esta interpretación la correcta! I would expect a _no_ preceding _quiero_, pero sigamos esperaR un nativo.


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## teda

In the conversation when I heard "quiero casarme contigo no mas," it was definitely a positive statement.  It definitely wasn't "Ya no quiero..."  It was in answer to this question after a wedding (but in Spanish), "Does seeing them get married make you want to get married?"


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## TGGold

Si un frase negativo, "no" estaría antes de "quiero", ¿no? 

yo traduciría como 'Just' -> I just want you to marry me.


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## LaReinita

Ok, what the statement lacked was a comma.

Quiero casarte conmigo, no más.

I want you to marry me, nothing more.

Mucho mejor con la coma.

La traducción de TGGold es perfecta.


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## Forero

teda said:


> In the conversation when I heard "quiero casarme contigo no mas," it was definitely a positive statement.  It definitely wasn't "Ya no quiero..."  It was in answer to this question after a wedding (but in Spanish), "Does seeing them get married make you want to get married?"



Ah, something like: "I just want to get married to you."  Me gusta más esta historia que la otra. 

I think the comma helps (... contigo, no más).

Y sigo esperando lo que dirán los nativos si los hay.


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## A S Laplace

TGGold and Pingpong are right, *no más* translates as *just*


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## Forero

¡Hola, A S!

Sólo refieres a la última frase, ¿verdad?  ¿Qué tal las otras?


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## buertu

Yo, en España, este tipo de estructuras no las he oido decir nunca y no tienen sentido.

_Being shown a seat after entering a house: *Siéntese, por favor.*
Being shown a seat at a meal: *Sírvase, por favor.*
After waiting for some noise to stop during a phone call: *Me oyes? *
Answering a question about the desire to marry: *Sí quiero/Sin duda, quiero casarme contigo.*_


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## TGGold

no más parace que significar *just *en todas de las frases.

Just sit down, just speak to me, etc.  The same structure is used in the States in some areas instead of por favor, but it is informal.


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## zumac

SÍENTASE NO MÁS.
SÍRVASE NO MÁS.
DÍGAME NO MÁS.
QUIERO CASARME CONTIGO NO MÁS.

In each of the above sentences, the expression "no más" is strictly used as a crutch expression or "muletilla" as they say in Spanish. If you removed the "no más" from each of the sentences, the meaning would be exactly the same.

This type of crutch expression reminds me of the word "already" which was heavily used by Jewish people in New York years ago, and was adopted by other New Yorkers. Let's explore the same sentences.
SIT DOWN, ALREADY.
SERVE YOURSELF, ALREADY.
TELL ME, ALREADY.
I WANT TO MARRY YOU, ALREADY.

"No más" doesn't mean "already", but it serves the same purpose.

Do you agree with me, already?

Saludos.


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## Forero

zumac said:


> This type of crutch expression reminds me of the word "already" which was heavily used by Jewish people in New York years ago, and was adopted by other New Yorkers. Let's explore the same sentences.
> SIT DOWN, ALREADY.
> SERVE YOURSELF, ALREADY.
> TELL ME, ALREADY.
> I WANT TO MARRY YOU, ALREADY.
> 
> "No más" doesn't mean "already", but it serves the same purpose.
> 
> Do you agree with me, already?
> 
> Saludos.



I am not from New York, but I thought this "already" was more of an impatient sort of intensifier.  "Arright, arready" means something like "¡Ándale!" or "¡Vaya!" or "Enough's enough", but I've always wondered what it is in Yiddish.


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## LaReinita

This is off topic but isn't that "already" like that cartoon cat that ended everything in "even?"


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## Forero

LaReinita said:


> This is off topic but isn't that "already" like that cartoon cat that ended everything in "even?"



"Heavens to Murgatroid!", Snagglepuss, ee-vuhn!  One of my favorite characters, but one I haven't seen since I caught a glance at a color TV and was shocked that my old friend was pink, rosy even.

I remember he would make a statement, and then for dramatic effect restate something in different words and add a drawn-out "even".  I am having trouble remembering back that far, but something like "Heavens to Betsy!  A cass-tle, with turrets, towers even!"  And "ghost-es, phantoms ee-vuhn."

I see the similarity with "no más" more than with "already", but it doesn't seem quite synonymous to me.

I would still like to have a more complete answer from a native, if even just a restatement of something that's already been said.  _Muletilla_ is a new concept for me, y *me pregunto si no más tiene diferentes matices en las 4 frases originales*.


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## LaReinita

Forero said:


> "Heavens to Murgatroid!", Snagglepuss, ee-vuhn! One of my favorite characters, but one I haven't seen since I caught a glance at a color TV and was shocked that my old friend was pink, rosy even.
> 
> 
> HAHAHHA . .. I couldn't remember his name!!  Thanks Forero!!!
> .


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## teda

I think--I want to think--that saying "Quiero casarme contigo*,* no más," to me meant that she remains sure about it:  "I still want nothing else but to marry you."  Aún sin duda.

Adding "no más" to "sirvase" and "sientese" sounds to me to be adding informality without diminishing the politeness, like a middle ground between "sientese" and "sientate."

Maybe "no más" is just a temporary habit flowing through town, like when you realize you're hearing people saying "dude" all the time.  "Dude, have a seat."  "Dude, help yourself."  "Dude, marry me."


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## qLa

LaReinita said:


> QUIERO CASARME CONTIGO NO MÁS.==I no longer want to marry you.
> 
> I hope this is correct; however, it seems to me that it would be more correct to say:
> 
> Quiero casarme contigo ya no.


Well, _I no longer want to marry you_ would be: "ya no quiero casarme contigo" ("ya no" at the beggining) or (if you want to use the same words from the original sentence) "No quiero más casarme contigo".

"Quiero casarme contigo no más" means "I just want to marry you".


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## Forero

qLa said:


> Well, _I no longer want to marry you_ would be: "ya no quiero casarme contigo" ("ya no" at the beggining) or (if you want to use the same words from the original sentence) "No quiero más casarme contigo".
> 
> "Quiero casarme contigo no más" means "I just want to marry you".



Me alegro de que tenga ese sentido.  Ya, ¿qué acepción o matiz añade el "no más" a las otras 3 frases?


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## parhuzam

When it is used in the original posting.....   no mas is  a familiar expression .... new world slang for   "already...."   some meaning in the affirmative ..ie,  "of course"

There are pitfalls when translating word for word... it is not in the negative..


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## Forero

parhuzam said:


> When it is used in the original posting.....   no mas is  a familiar expression .... new world slang for   "already...."   some meaning in the affirmative ..ie,  "of course"
> 
> There are pitfalls when translating word for word... it is not in the negative..



This "rings a bell" with what I first imagined "no más" to mean:

Sit down, of course.
Serve yourself, of course.
Tell me, of course.
I want to marry you, of course.

Not idiomatic English, but a meaning that fits, except possibly with _dígame_ in the context given: "Dis donc.  Can you hear me now?" 

Well, I think _ya_ ("already", "now", etc.) almost fits after _dígame_ but may not have the right neutrality.  "No más" is a logical neutral alternative.

Thanks for pointing out the non-negativity of "no más", parhuzam.


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## qLa

About politeness. In the cases mentioned in the first post, I think it's polite but informal at the same time. Let me try to explain this. People who uses "no más" in a polite way are people from middle class and below. They would say "siéntese no más", "dígame no más", "pídame no más", "llámeme no más", being kind to you. But I'd say it sounds pretty much like poor people talking. Plus, I picture those sentences being said by a housekeeper, a laundry worker, a waiter or someone in a related job, but I don't think you'll be hearing someone working in a fancy place saying "no más" to its customers. It just doesn't seem appropriate. So, I'd say it's polite in a context involving low-income people (therefore, very usual in countries like mine xD) or if you use it with people at your same level.


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## Forero

qLa said:


> People who uses "no más" in a polite way are people from middle class and below. ...But I'd say it sounds pretty much like poor people talking. Plus, I picture those sentences being said by a housekeeper, a laundry worker, a waiter or someone in a related job, but I don't think you'll be hearing someone working in a fancy place saying "no más" to its customers. It just doesn't seem appropriate. So, I'd say it's polite in a context involving low-income people (therefore, very usual in countries like mine xD) or if you use it with people at your same level.


 
1. Is there another expression with the same meaning that you would consider more polite?

2. Would people at any level use _no más_ with others at the same level?

3. Would you expect the usage is the same in Ecuador?


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## parhuzam

qLa said:


> About politeness. In the cases mentioned in the first post, I think it's polite but informal at the same time. Let me try to explain this. People who uses "no más" in a polite way are people from middle class and below. They would say "siéntese no más", "dígame no más", "pídame no más", "llámeme no más", being kind to you. But I'd say it sounds pretty much like poor people talking. Plus, I picture those sentences being said by a housekeeper, a laundry worker, a waiter or someone in a related job, but I don't think you'll be hearing someone working in a fancy place saying "no más" to its customers. It just doesn't seem appropriate. So, I'd say it's polite in a context involving low-income people (therefore, very usual in countries like mine xD) or if you use it with people at your same level.



You fall in the void when you consider it a "class expression"... language is not so rigid.... it is a familiar... slang usage if you must .......it will fall into disuse when another expression comes along..... like "dude" or "man" in the US... names used as "familiar and casual" and not as representation of one's job or profession.


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## parhuzam

Forero said:


> 1.  Is there another expression with the same meaning that you would consider more polite?
> 
> 2.  Would people at any level use _no más_ with others at the same level?
> 
> 3.  Would expect the usage is the same in Ecuador?




__________

1. The standard... " por favor"..... would suffice

2. Familiarity is the key word.... it does not imply disrespect.

3. "No mas" was used in Mexico City in the 50's.....  language is alive and
    it changes through time.


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## Forero

"Quiero casarme contigo, por favor" ¿significa lo mismo?


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## Mimuki

I'm a spanish native from spain and we dont use that "no más", but we can understand it, as one person said the meaning of the sentence doesnt change if we remove it.
In most cases "no mas" can be translated to "just" but i see the forth sentence is quite different.
"Quiero casarme contigo no más" means "i want to marry nobody except you" or "I do want to marry you". Its a way to enphasize it.
In the third sentence: 
Digame no más= Tell me, go ahead, im listening.
But in the other can be translated to "just"


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## parhuzam

Mimuki said:


> I'm a spanish native from spain and we dont use that "no más", but we can understand it, as one person said the meaning of the sentence doesnt change if we remove it.
> In most cases "no mas" can be translated to "just" but i see the forth sentence is quite different.
> "Quiero casarme contigo no más" means "i want to marry nobody except you" or "I do want to marry you". Its a way to enphasize it.
> In the third sentence:
> Digame no más= Tell me, go ahead, im listening.
> But in the other can be translated to "just"



I agree... one shoe does not fit all.... one phrase can't cover all situations.
In English.... just, already, of course, no less (as in the casarme phrase.)
Depends on the context......


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## Mirlo

LaReinita said:


> Ok, what the statement lacked was a comma.
> 
> Quiero casarte conmigo, no más.
> 
> I want you to marry me, nothing more.
> 
> Mucho mejor con la coma.
> 
> La traducción de TGGold es perfecta.


 
I agree, no más in this case is a "shorty" for "nada más"
*"Nada mas por no más(nomás)"* means without reasons/for no reason at all.

saludos,


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## aguacate

Often times I have seen this expression written "nomás", without any spaces.  I think it makes more sense this way.  It's almost as if the native speakers process the phrase in their brain as if it were one word anyway.


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## Mirlo

aguacate said:


> Often times I have seen this expression written "nomás", without any spaces. I think it makes more sense this way. It's almost as if the native speakers process the phrase in their brain as if it were one word anyway.


 
Yeah! I have seen it like that, also.


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## Rogercito

LaReinita said:


> QUIERO CASARME CONTIGO NO MÁS.==I no longer want to marry you.
> 
> I hope this is correct; however, it seems to me that it would be more correct to say:
> 
> Quiero casarme contigo ya no.



Hola,
no, esa interpretación no es correcta. Si fuera negativo, hubiera dicho "Ya no quiero casarme contigo".

Con respecto a el sentido original, quiso decir "I only want to marry you", es decir, "Lo único que quiero es casarme contigo", o "Sólo quiero casarme contigo". 

Sin embargo, en Argentina hubieramos dicho preferentemente de la forma en que yo lo puse, ya que la forma original (Quiero casarme contigo, nomás) tiene un sentido un poco despreciativo hacia la otra persona. Pero depende del contexto.


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## lapachis8

Hi,
As far as I know "nomás" , at least in México is an apocope of "nada más", meaning *solamente.*
Nomás hicimos un viaje.

No más as such in Spanish is a bad translation of the expression "no more".

No más.... per se does not really mean anything. No más (¿qué?) is an expresion that has no meaning in itself, but it´s been adopted from English.
cheers


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## Luigiyankee

"No mas" es efectivamente una muletilla utilizada en paises de Centro América y Sur America. En España no se utiliza. Nunca.

Efectivamente no añade ningún matiz a la frase a la que acompaña. Es una forma de hablar. Una costumbre. Sería equiparable a "ándele" o "híjole" por usar expresiones típicamente mexicanas.

Y desde luego "quiero casarte contigo no mas" no significa que ya no quiera casarme contigo. Si no todo lo contrario. Que si quiero. Pero entiendo que lleve a confusion.

Slds. Luigi.


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## lapachis8

This person from Ecuador is actually saying
"I only want to marry you"
cheers


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## PequeñoMauro

teda said:


> I have heard "no más" used like this in  Ecuador:
> 
> Being shown a seat after entering a house:  SÍENTASE NO MÁS,
> Being shown a seat at a meal: SÍRVASE NO MÁS,
> After waiting for some noise to stop during a phone call: DÍGAME NO MÁS
> Answering a question about the desire to marry:  QUIERO CASARME CONTIGO NO MÁS.
> 
> I interpret the first two as informal politeness, something like "have a seat" and "go ahead, help yourself."  But I'm not sure how to interpret the second two phrases.  Can someone talk about what is being said by "no más / no more" when used this way?



Las palabras no más or nomás (the same, but I prefer using the second), it's very common in Perú as well.
I'm going to explain this in spanish.
Las dos primeras opciones son para que la persona se sienta comoda.
La tercera doy un ejemplo:
"tengo algo que contarte, pero me da verguenza" - "no te preocupes, dime nomás"
La última me suena medio rara, no es muy común decir:"quiero casarme contigo nomás" pero quiere decir "solo me casare contigo" (something like that) but I think it sounds strange.


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## lapachis8

Hola
Es curioso querer usar calcos del inglés como "no más", con el sentido de "no more"
En español podemos decir la misma idea con "ya no", pero parece que en Argentina les gusta mucho ese calco.
Aunque la idea del post la explica el post de pequeñomauro.
saludos


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## Rogercito

En Argentina no se utiliza el "no más" para indicar "ya no". Lo que si se utiliza es el "nomás", que sería una forma de gentileza, o incluso una simple expresión, que significa algo así como "solamente" o "no se haga problema", dependiendo del contexto y la forma en que se lo utilice.


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## nzattitude

I like it! Sort of means no more than that. Perhaps the translation is: 

I want nothing more than to marry you. 

But it would be nice to hear from an equadorean, no mas.


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## qLa

parhuzam said:


> You fall in the void when you consider it a "class expression"... language is not so rigid.... it is a familiar... slang usage if you must .......it will fall into disuse when another expression comes along..... like "dude" or "man" in the US... names used as "familiar and casual" and not as representation of one's job or profession.


 
I was talking about "no más" implying politeness, wich I thought was what you guys were discussing. I'm not talking about "no más" when it can be translated as "just". In that case, I agree with you: familiar and casual usage. 

Regarding Forero's questions:
1."Por favor" works, but it doesn't mean "por favor" equals "no más". It's like parhuzam said, depends on the context.

2. It does't imply disrespect, implies familiarity, so if you're talking to someone like your boss or your client in an important meeting they may think you're treating them like equals or with too much familiarity, and (again) depending on the context, there will be some people who won't like it. I don't include myself there, but it happens. That's why I mentioned "class", sorry if it's not the right word, but people with lower incomes are usually warmer and welcome familiarity more than people with higher incomes who don't like to be treated like equals by people they consider lower. It's a really complicated and sad issue, I think.

So if you want to be polite and you're talking to your family or people close to you, saying "no más" is right, and reallllllllly common. But don't expect everyone in a higher rank will consider it as politeness without thinking of you as someone who treats people with too much familiarity. 

3. Ecuador and Peru are a lot alike. But we should wait for some Ecuadorian brother's opinion.

Now, leaving politeness behind, "no más" usually means "just" or "only". But don't forget that (once again) it depends on the context. 
Like Mimuki said it can emphathize, meaning "only that and nothing else but that". Like:

_Quiero comer hamburguesas no más_ (I only want to eat hamburgers and nothing else but hamburgers)

You can translate it as "just" when by "no más" you mean "simplemente" or "solamente" (but "solamente" en el sentido de "tan solo" y no de "exclusivamente"). Like:
_Ven no más._ (Just come.)
_Vete no más._ (Just go.)
_Sé feliz no más._ (Just be happy.)

By the way, (I didn't know this) according to RAE's on-line dictionary it is "nomás": http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=nomás

Hope I can help.


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## Nenistis

I agree with Zumac that  *"no más"* are just  catch-words or pet-words.  Those are words or phrases that one repeats out of habit, without a real meaning. 

 Like in English some people repeat "you know, ....tatata... you know"  or in Argentina ...tata.ta.. "viste"..  or in Bolivia.... tatatata. ...."pues".....

Different regarding the phrase *"Quiero casarme contigo no más"*  if really really somebody said it.   It means  *" I want to get marry only with you".   *
But, I am bit resistant that it is said so freely as with other phrases, "sientése no más", "pase  no más", etc.


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## lapachis8

Hi,
"no más " does not mean anything, "ya no" does.
Nomás is the expression of the post, meaning "solamente" (nada más = nomás)
cheers


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## mariana1975

ZUMAC is right, I'm from Ecuador and we use to talk like that, it's something you add at the end, and it's used just in some Latinamerican countries. Some times it doesn't mean anything, it is something you add without think. Other times you are saying "do the action (to seat, to talk, to rest, to speak) without troubles, without any other polite action, withaut limits between you and the action, I'm allowing you that" is politeness.


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## teda

Maybe instead of asking what "no mas" means, I should have asked how I should have felt when it was added.  Beyond what we think the words mean, what is important is why the speaker chose the words, that is, how the speaker wants the listener to feel.

When I was told "Sientese no mas," I felt respected, welcomed, and _comfortable _in the person's home.  I felt the same when I was told "Sirvase no mas."
Frankly I didn't understand why I was told "digame no mas" instead of just "digame."
When I heard "Quiero casarme contigo, no mas," I felt good.  I felt loved.  (Wouldn't you?)

Without "no mas," "Sirvase" and "Sientese" both sound too formal.  Adding "por favor" softens the formality, but "no mas" removes the formality and adds warmth.  For me.

"Quiero casarme contigo" doesn't even work in the context of having been prometidos for a few years.  Hearing "no mas" years later feels reassuring.


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## zumac

teda said:


> Maybe instead of asking what "no mas" means, I should have asked how I should have felt when it was added. Beyond what we think the words mean, what is important is why the speaker chose the words, that is, how the speaker wants the listener to feel.
> 
> When I was told "Sientese no mas," I felt respected, welcomed, and _comfortable _in the person's home. I felt the same when I was told "Sirvase no mas."
> Frankly I didn't understand why I was told "digame no mas" instead of just "digame."
> When I heard "Quiero casarme contigo, no mas," I felt good. I felt loved. (Wouldn't you?)
> 
> Without "no mas," "Sirvase" and "Sientese" both sound too formal. Adding "por favor" softens the formality, but "no mas" removes the formality and adds warmth. For me.
> 
> "Quiero casarme contigo" doesn't even work in the context of having been prometidos for a few years. Hearing "no mas" years later feels reassuring.


 
Brilliant analysis, Teda.

Yes, although adding "no más" on the end doesn't add to the actual meaning of a given expression, but it does, like you say, "remove the formality and add warmth", and "what is important is why the speaker chose the words, that is, how the speaker wants the listener to feel."

Thanks and saludos.


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## DiBaca

Una pregunta sobre el tema: 

No debería escribirse "no'más" ya que el "no" sería como la abreviación de "nada", ¿cierto?


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