# Tener muchas mañas (las personas grandes)



## argentina84

"Mañas" are habits that you get as you grow older...and that you don't want to change..they are not bad habits..but other people laught at you because these habits are not shared by them...What's the English for this word?


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## Cubanboy

Esto es lo que encontré:

maña (f) n.      skill, knack; habit.


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## SmallJosie

Maña might be like "He/She has a real knack for ... whatever".

Wouldn't it be: MANIA?


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## charisma_classic

I have heard people say, "He's stuck in his old ways." In this sense, the "old ways" are manners of living/doing things that are not shared by the speaker.  There is nothing wrong with them, but they are often looked down upon.

I can't think of a word to describe those habits, though.


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## nykta

if you're looking for a word that specifically makes people think of odd habits that are unique to individual people, "idiosyncrasies" might work for you. it doesn't work in all the same contexts as maña, but perhaps it conveys the particular meaning you want.


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## LaReinita

Quirk:

2. *odd mannerism: *a peculiar habit, mannerism, or aspect of somebody's character


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## pejeman

argentina84 said:


> "Mañas" are habits that you get as you grow older...and that you don't want to change..they are not bad habits..but other people laught at you because these habits are not shared by them...What's the English for this word?


 
Como yo entiendo tu pregunta, más que mañas serían "manías", en tanto que tricks serían mañas. Como las de Tricky Dicky Nixon.

Saludos.


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## helenduffy

In the sense you mean, I think you said it well: old habits! Also:

quirks
eccentricities
he has his ways
... his little ways
... his funny little ways
... his own way of doing things


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## abeltio

LaReinita said:


> Quirk:
> 
> 2. *odd mannerism: *a peculiar habit, mannerism, or aspect of somebody's character


 
La puso antes LaReinita... quirk es la palabrita que mejor define mañas.


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## gotitadeleche

Estoy de acuerdo con helenduffy y LaReinita.


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## argentina84

Thank you very much to you all!!!


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## zumac

"Quirk" is good, but it implies something odd.

Somebody mentioned "knack", which is also a strong contender for "maña".
Example: "Más vale maña que fuerza", which implies having a knack.

Both "quirk" and "knack", as well as some other suggestions, can apply very well, depending on the *context*.

Saludos.


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## SEXTO SENTIDO

Hi .. 
In Mexico is known " mañoso " like pervert , nevertheless it has other senses .


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## DBlomgren

Thank you for starting this thread! In Costa Rica, I have heard lots of people refer to someone as _mañoso_ or having _mañas_, and I didn't know what they meant - especially since I thought they meant "manias"! Before reading this thread, I had come to the conclusion that _mañoso_ meant something like:

cranky (ill-tempered, grouchy; eccentric)
cantankerous (disagreeable, difficult to deal with)
Now I think the best translation for _tener mañas_ or _ser mañoso_ is "be set in one's ways." To me, this is less derogatory (_despectivo) _than "stuck in his old ways", which was suggested above. For one thing, you're not mentioning "old" which, unfortunately, can be an insult in American culture, and for another, _being stuck_ is generally negative, while _being set_ isn't.


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## cara47

I agree that "set in his ways" is less negative and also a VERY common expression used to describe manyl older people.  Most people over 70 (+-) are "set in their ways" meaning that they have grown accostumed to doing things in a certain way and they are not going to change- period!  A warning is often given to women who are want to or are about to marry an "established" bachelor: "Remember, he is already set in his ways and you will not change him.!"


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## Barbara S.

"mañas" are "quirks". A person with a lot of mañas is "quirky". We also use it for things, like computer programs or machine parts. "First gear on my car is a little quirky, you have to play with it to get it into gear." Mary has her quirks but she's really a nice person once you get to know her."


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## LaReinita

Barbara S. said:


> "mañas" are "quirks". A person with a lot of mañas is "quirky". We also use it for things, like computer programs or machine parts. "First gear on my car is a little quirky, you have to play with it to get it into gear." Mary has her quirks but she's really a nice person once you get to know her."


 
Yes, I agree.  Just because someone has a quirk, does not mean that there is anything negative about them.  If you look at the definition that I had listed above, it simply says "an aspect of someone's character."


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## parhuzam

La palabra manía es más como "skill"....o  su modo de resolver...

¿Se puede decir...  "eso tiene su gracía" o eso tiene su manía" ?

Saludos.


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## hezman

In Spain "maña" means "skill".

Ej.
Tiene mucha maña con las herramientas. (He's skillful with tools)


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## Arrius

_Quirk _is the best so far but _*idiosyncrasy*,_ once frowned on by some purists because it literally means "_private views_", is far more common, that is apart from "_*funny little ways*_", which would be said in the UK by those who seldom use words of Greek origin.


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## Sassenach

pejeman said:


> Como yo entiendo tu pregunta, más que mañas serían "manías", en tanto que tricks serían mañas. Como las de Tricky Dicky Nixon.
> 
> Saludos.


 

Efectivamente, a lo que se refiere es a "manías",no mañas, que se refiere más bien a "tricks" o incluso "skills". Un tipo mañoso es una persona "skillful".


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## argentina84

cara47 said:


> I agree that "set in his ways" is less negative and also a VERY common expression used to describe manyl older people. Most people over 70 (+-) are "*set in their ways"* meaning that *they have grown accostumed to doing things in a certain way and they are not going to change- period!* A warning is often given to women who are want to or are about to marry an "established" bachelor: "Remember, he is already set in his ways and you will not change him.!"


 

This is what I meant when I tried to explain what a "maña" is in Argentina!!! Thank you again!!! 
Here if you are a "mañoso" you are set in your way. I didn't know it meant another thing in Spain..another difference with our mother country! lol 
Note: you don't need to be *that *old to be set in your way, or at least people set in their ways before 70 here in Argentina!!!


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## DBlomgren

Remember the expression is "set in one's ways," not way.


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## argentina84

oh! Yeah! I'm sorry! Thanks for the correction!
Regards


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## cara47

How right you are, argentina84!  I know plenty of people _set in their way_s in their late 20's and 30's ---especially when they are single.  It's too bad it has  such a negative connotation. I think the pluralization of _WAYS_ is what encourages the negativity.
It's like the person has lots of very particular habits/ways of doing things that are set in stone and incapable of being changed, that he/she is so inflexible and unyielding!   There should be another way to describe it that's less dramatic.


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## zumac

We seem to be mixing the words *"maña"* and *"manía."* Actually, it's easy to confuse these words, because they are often interchanged depending on the context.

*"Maña"*, in general, is a knack, skill, or a gift for doing something.
* El abuelo tiene mucha maña para arreglar los jugetes de los niños.
* Se requiere mucha maña para jugar al jaialai.
* Perdí el juejo de billar, porque el otro juagador tenía mucha maña.
* Más vale maña que fuerza.

However, we often use the word "maña" in an other sense when referring to small children.
* Es tarde, y el niño ya está de mañas.
* ¡Juanito, ya deja de hacer mañas!
In these examples, we are referring to the child being cranky or throwing a tantrum. Quite different from the general use of the word "maña".

Then we have the word *"mañoso"*, which can be used in either of the two ways described above.
* El abuelo es muy mañoso para arreglar los jugetes de los niños.
* Es tarde, y el niño ya está mañoso.

Now let's look at *"manía"*, which in general means an ideosyncrasy or bad trait or habit.
* El abuelo tiene la manía de eructar durante la comida.
* La abuela tiene la manía de ponerse a llorar cuando hay visitas.

I'm sure that some of you will find some other examples, but I just wanted to show the differences between "maña" and "manía" from my experiences.

Saludos.


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## jmx

zumac said:


> We seem to be mixing the words *"maña"* and *"manía."*


That's what I thought too, but this is what the dictionary says :



> *maña**.*
> (Quizá del lat. vulg. _*manĭa_, habilidad manual).
> 
> *1. *f. Destreza, habilidad.
> *2. *f. Artificio o astucia. U. m. en pl.
> *3. f. Vicio o mala costumbre, resabio. U. m. en pl.*
> *4. *f. Manojo pequeño, de lino, cáñamo, esparto, etc.
> *5. *f. ant. Manera o modo de hacer algo.
> *darse **~**.*
> *1. *loc. verb. Ingeniarse, disponer los negocios con habilidad.
> 
> _Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados_


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## zumac

jmartins said:


> That's what I thought too, but this is what the dictionary says :


 
*3. f. Vicio o mala costumbre, resabio. U. m. en pl.*

Yes, the dictionary might be referring to the same "maña" that I used in my examples regarding children. Perhaps the same meaning is applied to adults as well.

Saludos.


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## Hiro Sasaki

May be I was misunderstanding "maña".

"Emplear las mañas " means " use some tricks " de una manera
ingeniosamente.

saludos

Hiro Sasaki


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## Gamen

Buenas noches.

Quisiera traducir al inglés la palabra "maña". Me refiero con "maña" a aquellas actitudes que las personas grandes o mayores tienen y que están tan asentadas o arraigadas que son casi inmodificables.

Mi frase en español:

Cuando uno llega a viejo / a una edad avanzada tiene muchas mañas. Uno se vuelve realmente un testarudo y es ya imposible modificar una personalidad tan bien arraigada/estructurada.

Mi intento en inglés:

*When you get at an advanced age, you have lots of "hang ups", "knacks". You become a real stubborn and it is already impossible to alter/modify such a well rooted/structured personality. 
*
Aguardo comentarios / sugerencias.
Muchas gracias.


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## josecastrovaron

Knack es más bien una forma habilidosa de llevar a cabo una tarea específica. Yo usaría _habit_.

*By the time you reach old age / by the time you get old, you've got lots of habits. You become real stubborn and it is already impossible to alter/modify such a well rooted/structured personality.*


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## Gamen

Thank you for your answer jose.
What about "hang up"? Is not a good translation for "maña?


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## josecastrovaron

Creo que hang up como sustantivo es una preocupación emocional, algo que te molesta.


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## mijoch

For "maña" try "quirk"


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## Lis48

mijoch said:


> For "maña" try "quirk"



Another possibility is "idiosyncrasies" or "eccentricities."
 "Quirks/idiosyncrasies" are much more  positive characteristics than "hang ups." Describing old people as having hang-ups would not be so polite.


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## sound shift

Another possibility is "foibles".


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## Gamen

Muchas gracias a todos por su ayuda.
Creo que "hang up", según lo que leí en el diiccionario, equivale a la palabra española "complejo", que tiene un significado diferente al de "maña".
Una persona tiene un complejo cuando se siente inferior por algo, por ejemplo, porque no tiene habilidad para algo o presenta una minusvalía o defecto físico.

Como otro argentino señaló, en Argentina el témino "maña" equivale a "manía", aunque también usamos este último término con el mismo significado de maña.
También empleamos "maña" con el significado de "habilidad": 
"Se de mucha maña para arreglar cosas".

A lo largo del hilo se tomó en cuenta más bien el significado de "maña" como "habilidad para" y no el significado de "maña" como *"hábitos muy arraigados de una persona que la tornan inflexible, intransigente o intolerante".* Este último es el significado del término "maña" que utlizamos, al menos, en Argentina. Además es el significado que "maña" tiene en el contexto de mi ejemplo. (post 30)

En inglés *"knack"* y *"quirk"* tienen una connotación positiva o neutra, mientras que el término "maña" siempre lleva de suyo una connotación negativa.
"Knack" significa ability. (connotación positiva)
"Quirk" equivale a extavagance, peculiarity. (connotación neutra)

No encuentro una palabra adecuada para traducir la idea de maña en inglés.
Entre los dos términos anteriores, no obstante, creo que el que más se aproxima a la idea de "maña" o "manía" es "quirk".

Me quedo por ahora con dos expresiones que algunos propusieron en los primeros posts, a saber:
"to be set in one's ways / habits" y
"to be stuck in one's ways / habits"

¿Están de acuerdo?


Mis traducciones entonces quedarían así:
*When you reach an advanced age, you have lots of quirks. You become a real stubborn and it is already  impossible to  alter/modify such a well rooted/structured personality. *

*When you reach an advanced age, you are already well stuck in  your  ways. You become a real stubborn and it is already impossible to   alter/modify such a well rooted/structured personality. *

*When you reach an advanced age, you are already well set (maybe rooted) in your ways. You become a real stubborn and it is already impossible to  alter/modify such a well rooted/structured personality. *


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## nelliot53

Hay que hacer la distinción entre "mañas" y "malas mañas": 

*maña*SF*1*(=_habilidad_) skill 
*tiene mucha maña para hacer arreglos caseros *he's a dab hand at mending things around the house (a esto se le llama también "*a jack of all trades, master of none*"- positivo.
*2*(=_ardid_) trick 
*con maña *craftily, slyly 
*malas mañas *(_gen_) bad habits; [_de niño_] naughty ways - negativo

maña 

f. Destreza,habilidad:
_más vale maña que fuerza._
Astucia:
_usó toda su maña para convenceros._
Vicio o mala costumbre:
_no me gustan sus mañas._


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