# Verb+ing was horrible



## Bonjourhola

I am describing an event in the past and I have mentioned that I vomited (vomité) and now I want to say:

'Vomiting was very horrible.' 

Would this be:

'vomitar fue muy horrible' or 'vomité fue muy horrible' or 'vomitaba fue muy horrible'

Also, is my use of 'fue' correct or would it be 'era'?


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## Södertjej

If you're talking about a specific event that took place in a specific moment in the past and then it was over -> vomité.

Vomité en la fiesta de ayer.

But what you're saying in Englis is not I vomited, so either vomité or vomitaba could be ok

Vomiting -> vomitar fue horrible.

No need for muy, horrible is strong enough, as you can't say something was "un poco horrible", it's either horrible or not.


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## slazenger14

¡Bienvenido al foro!

"Vomitar fue horrible" = This is an overall general statement. Like saying, vomiting was horrible. "Caminar es divertido" = walking is fun. 
No creo que sea gramaticalmente correcto decir: Vomitaba/vomité era/fue horrible. 

De todos modos, te dejo una sugerencia:
Fui a la fiesta ayer, vomité y en general tenía una experiencia horrible.


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## Södertjej

slazenger14 said:


> Fui a la fiesta ayer, vomité y en general tenía una experiencia horrible.


Tuve , and fue would be a bit more idiomatic.


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## slazenger14

Södertjej said:


> Tuve , and fue would be a bit more idiomatic.



Gracias por las correcciones. .


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## Bonjourhola

Could I say 'Vomité que fue una experiencia horrible'


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## slazenger14

Diría:
Ya que vomité, la fiesta fue una experiencia horrible. 
Since I threw up (vomited), the party was a horrible experience.


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## Bonjourhola

I don't want to say that the party was a horrible experience because I've already mentioned how I enjoyed it. However, I don't mind saying that 'On the other hand I vomited which was an embarrassing and horrible experience.'


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## Södertjej

Bonjourhola said:


> Could I say 'Vomité que fue una experiencia horrible'


Not really. You could say verb + que +es/fue + un/a +substantive in colloquial careless speech but I don't think that's what you mean and it doesn't really work with your sentence as you use sub+adjective for the last part.

Está lloviendo que es un horror. Está lloviéndo horrores / Está lloviendo muchísimo.
Trabajé que fue un palizón. Fue una paliza lo mucho que trabajé.
Vomité que fue un asco. Fue un asco lo mucho que vomité.
Vomité que fue un horror. Fue horroroso lo mucho que vomité.

As I said, this is very very colloquial and I'm not sure it's used in American Spanish speaking countries.


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## Bonjourhola

I need to write in traditional, grammatically correct spanish which is spoken in Spain.

Could I say 'Vomité que fue una experiencia horrible y embarazoso.' ?


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## Södertjej

As I said, your sentence doesn't work, it's not exactly the same structure I explained which is very colloquial.

Vomité y fue una experiencia horrible y embarazos*a*


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## Bonjourhola

What could I say which would sound grammatically spanish and sounds like something a spanish person would say but would still convey the same idea that I was sick and this ruined the party?


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## slazenger14

Södertjej said:


> As I said, your sentence doesn't work, it's not exactly the same structure I explained which is very colloquial.
> 
> Vomité y fue una experiencia horrible y embarazos*a*



Although I am not a native, what you wrote is not common and doesn't sound natural to what I have been taught. Also, be careful with the word "embarazosa"...


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## Bonjourhola

By the way, thank you everyone for your help, so far.


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## Södertjej

What I wrote my previous post. Last line. Of course this doesn't imply any party, as it isn't mentioned at all. I'm just offering corrections to your sentences. If you want suggestions for a specific sentences including a mention to the ruined party, write that in English and provide your translation and all of us will be happy to offer alternatives, corrections etc, but we can't build the sentence for you.


Bonjourhola said:


> I don't want to say that the party was a horrible experience because I've already mentioned how I enjoyed it. However, I don't mind saying that 'On the other hand I vomited which was an embarrassing and horrible experience.'


Sorry, I had missed this. To sound natural we'd use a different wording in Spanish, something like "vomité y lo pasé muy mal y también mucha vergüenza". Embarazoso is a bit too formal to be used when talking to friends about vomiting, but ok for a sample sentence.


slazenger14 said:


> Although I am not a native, what you wrote is not common and doesn't sound natural to what I have been taught. Also, be careful with the word "embarazosa"...


Well I'm a native and even though the sentence is not what you'd say while talking to your friends, there's nothing wrong with it, it's correct and understandable. 

Of course this sentence says, just like in English, than vomiting was horrible, not the party.

And there's no problem with embarazosa in this sentence.


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## Bonjourhola

Could I say 'Vomité y esto arruinó mi fiesta'


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## Södertjej

Yes, again, not the most natural wording but correct and understandable. You could use "eso" as it's a past event.

Unless it was your party and vomiting ruined the party for everyone, you could say "eso *me *arruinó la fiesta", this is, the others maybe had fun even if you didn't.


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## Bonjourhola

Would "eso *me *arruinó la fiesta" sound more natural?


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## Södertjej

It's ruin what we don't normally use like that, it's obvious you're thinking in English and translating, but you can use it, it's correct and understandable. Eso sounds more natural because you refer to something that happens in the past. Esto in this sense in not so common in colloquial speech. Do you want a natural sentence?

Devolví y con eso se me fastidió la fiesta. 

But I understand it's a bit beyond your knowledge of Spanish so far, so go for "Vomité y eso..."


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## Bonjourhola

I need to write this is as a formal and natural sentence for a spanish essay. I want to write something which fits into my essay (at the same level and making sense in the context of what I've written). I guess I could say 'Vomité y con eso se me fastidió la fiesta.' I normally use quite complicated vocabulary. I look up lots of words so I can write what I want to include rather than just what I have learnt to do.

I do understand how this sentence works and what it means so I think I'll just include it. The one thing I am unsure about is why you have written 'se' and 'me'.

Thanks everyone.


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## Södertjej

Fastidiar is not formal but colloquial. Sentences about vomiting at a party are normally expected in formal speech.

Looking up words is ok, but using a different way to build a sentence instead of using one that is similar to English implies being at a higher level. So if you come up with "vomité y eso arruinó mi fiesta", it means it's the kind of sentence that is normal for your level so far and it's correct, even if not what you'd normally say to your friends in Spain.


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## Bonjourhola

So you would not use fastidiar in an essay then? I want to get a good grade in my essay because it contributes to my overall grade for my qualification. I want to use spanish phrases not English phrases in Spanish.

Did you mean that sentences about vomiting are NOT normally included in formal speech? Therefore is there not really any other formal way to phrase this except for 'vomité y eso arruinó mi fiesta' ?


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## slazenger14

Södertjej said:


> Well I'm a native and even though the sentence is not what you'd say while talking to your friends, there's nothing wrong with it, it's correct and understandable.
> 
> Of course this sentence says, just like in English, than vomiting was horrible, not the party.
> 
> And there's no problem with embarazosa in this sentence.



Siento que mi comentario fuera tan fuerte. No quiero discutir con vos, sólo trababa de darle una mejor sugerencia para que tenga la oración sentido. 
Entiendo perfectamente lo que me dijiste (Södertjej), pero te digo que existen unas maneras más naturales que las de Bonjourhola.   
Lo diría así:
Estaba pasándolo bien y de repente vomité, me dio vergüenza y por eso me fastidió mi experiencia en la fiesta.
However, as always, the advice of a native is worth more.


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## Bonjourhola

Previously in my essay, I have written that I was sick from eating too much so could I say 'Ya que vomité, me dio vergüenza y por eso me fastidió mi experiencia en la fiesta.' ?

Or would 'vomité y eso arruinó mi fiesta' be more grammatically correct and more formal?


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## slazenger14

Bonjourhola said:


> Previously in my essay, I have written that I was sick from eating too much so could I say 'Ya que vomité, me dio vergüenza y por eso me fastidió mi experiencia en la fiesta.' ?
> 
> Or would 'vomité y eso arruinó mi fiesta' be more grammatically correct and more formal?


I have heard "arruinarse" when referring to people, and again, since I am not a native I can't answer the question of which is more formal. 
However, fastidiar sounds a lot stronger, but again, I could be wrong. 

Dado que comí demasiada comida, vomité y me dio vergüenza por eso. En general, eso me fastidió mi experiencia en la fiesta.


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## Scalpel72

slazenger14 said:


> ¡Bienvenido al foro!
> 
> "Vomitar fue horrible" = This is an overall general statement. Like saying, vomiting was horrible. "Caminar es divertido" = walking is fun.
> No creo que sea gramaticalmente correcto decir: Vomitaba/vomité era/fue horrible.
> 
> De todos modos, te dejo una sugerencia:
> Fui a la fiesta ayer, vomité y en general tenía una experiencia horrible.



would be better  Estuve en la fiesta ayer, vomité y en general fue una experiencia horrible.
Regards
Scalpel72


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## Södertjej

slazenger14 said:


> Siento que mi comentario fuera tan fuerte. No quiero discutir con vos, sólo trababa de darle una mejor sugerencia para que tenga la oración sentido.
> Entiendo perfectamente lo que me dijiste (Södertjej), pero te digo que existen unas maneras más naturales que las de Bonjourhola.
> Lo diría así:
> Estaba pasándolo bien y de repente vomité, me dio vergüenza y por eso me fastidió mi experiencia en la fiesta.
> However, as always, the advice of a native is worth more.


Tranqui, no pasa nada. Siempre hay diferencias regionales, veo que tú voseas, por eso lo que para mí es más natural en la versión que has aprendido tú no lo es y viceversa.

Lo que quería decir es que en España usar "arruinar" sencillamente no es lo más natural para hablar de una fiesta ni tampoco solemos usar "experiencia" para hablar de fiestas y una vomitona, pero entiendo que el OP está en un nivel más bajo y aún no está con esos matices, sino aprendiendo a construir frases correctas y comprensibles, aunque no siempre sean la opción más natural para un nativo.



Bonjourhola said:


> Previously in my essay, I have written that I was sick from eating too much so could I say 'Ya que vomité, me dio vergüenza y *por* eso me fastidió mi experiencia en la fiesta.' ?
> 
> Or would 'vomité y eso arruinó *mi* fiesta' be more grammatically correct and more formal?*Mi fiesta might imply it was your party, you were throwing the party*


Both are grammatically correct and understandable, but they're not the most natural wording for a native speaker in Spain. We normally don't use arruinar and experience to describe vomiting in a party, as I've said several times now, and "Ya que" is a bit formal, the kind of thing you'd find in writing, on the news... not when talking about getting drunk at a party. Because that's not the kind of thing you talk about in formal environments, even if you're writing an essay about it.

Judging by your sentences in Spanish I understand you are learning to create grammatically correct sentences and expanding your vocabulary, you can't expect to sound like a native just yet when you're still learning to build your sentences correctly.

You've been given several possibilities now all of them gramatically correct.



slazenger14 said:


> I have heard "arruinarse" when referring to people, and again, since I am not a native I can't answer the question of which is more formal.
> However, fastidiar sounds a lot stronger, but again, I could be wrong.
> 
> Dado que comí demasiada comida, vomité y me dio vergüenza por eso. En general, eso me fastidió mi experiencia en la fiesta.


Arruinarse: to go bankrupt is one possibility, maybe that's what you're thinking about.

Fastidiar is coloquial, but it's what we'd say in Spanish about a party gone wrong, not arruinar, which is actually stronger.


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## Latuamacchina

So... you could say "El vomitar es horrible" (general statement)

or 

"Vomitar es horrible" (personal experience)  ??


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## slazenger14

Latuamacchina said:


> So... you could say "El vomitar es horrible" (general statement)
> 
> or
> 
> "Vomitar es horrible" (personal experience)  ??


You could, but it's a general statement just like we say in English.
Running is fun. Vomiting is horrible. Swimming is adventurous.


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## Latuamacchina

So what's the difference with or without the "el?"


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## slazenger14

Södertjej said:


> Arruinarse: to go bankrupt is one possibility, maybe that's what you're thinking about.



De hecho, una vez leí una viñeta y dijo algo así:
"Me lleno el bolsillo sin tu intervención, 
Pero si te arruinás, te lo pago."  (acerca de EEUU)



> So what's the difference with or without the "el?"


El artículo "el" lleva con los sustantivos, jamás con los verbos.


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## capials

Arruinarse  came in because in English to ruin one's appetite ,my day etc. is common.


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## Södertjej

Latuamacchina said:


> So what's the difference with or without the "el?"


None, you could use both as the infinitive works as a noun. It also takes plural, adjectives etc.

Andar -  andares - Del cerdo me gustan hasta sus andares (its way of walking)

Tiene muy mal perder - Very loosely translated as he loses his temper when losing

It's common to drop the article in instructions, ads, a notice on the wall.

Prohibido fumar.


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## Latuamacchina

Thanks,  I knew that there is such a thing as the infinitive as a noun,  (El beber puede afectar el juicio... for example)  but maybe the construction with the article isn't used as much. 

thanks


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## Södertjej

I'd say el + infinitive is more colloquial nowadays. Without the article you can use it in both formal and colloquial speech, so it ends up being more common


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## Ynez

Bonjourhola said:


> I don't want to say that the party was a horrible experience because I've already mentioned how I enjoyed it. However, I don't mind saying that '*On the other hand I vomited, which was an embarrassing and horrible experience.*'



If the comma was missing, what you wanted to say here is:

_Por otro lado, vomité, lo cual fue una experiencia horrible y embarazosa._


I agree it is not normal to talk about vomiting in formal speech  but we could always try something like:

_El hecho de vomitar supuso que mi estado de satisfacción en la fiesta descendiera considerablemente_

Don't use it. It is better in the more natural style you are using.


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