# to give a boost



## gengo

In another thread, a Spanish speaker gave "darse impulso" as the translation for "to go faster" on a swing (columpio).  And it made me wonder if that phrase could also be used to translate "to give someone a boost" in the American sense, meaning to lift someone physically so they can reach something.  For example, say two boys are trying to climb a tree.  One might say to the other, "Give me a boost."  The other boy might do this by pushing on the first boy's bottom, or on his foot, or by interlocking his fingers to make a step for the first boy.

My guesses:
Dame impulso.
Dame un empujoncito / empuje.
Empújame.

What would the most natural phrase be?


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## chileno

Dame apoyo para impulsarme hacia arriba.
Ayúdame a subir.

Para mí todas las que dijiste son para cuando uno está en un columpio, por ejemplo.

No se otros.


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## jlmyth

In Chile we would say
Dame Impulso
Échame vuelito (as in vuelo=flight)
Empujame


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## Lurrezko

I would say *dame impulso*, but I think there should be a specific verb in Spanish, I'm not sure. Do you say _to give sb. a boost_ when you interlock your fingers to lift someone up onto a horse, for instance?


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## gengo

Lurrezko oinak said:


> Do you say _to give sb. a boost_ when you interlock your fingers to lift someone up onto a horse, for instance?



Yes, we say it whenever one person lifts or pushes another person higher.  Of course, we also use it metaphorically, as in giving someone help of some kind.

Thanks to you who have replied.


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## Lurrezko

gengo said:


> Yes, we say it whenever one person lifts or pushes another person higher.  Of course, we also use it metaphorically, as in giving someone help of some kind.
> 
> Thanks to you who have replied.


*
¡Aúpame!*

_ aupar.
(De aúpa).
1. tr. Levantar o subir a alguien. U. t. c. prnl.
2. tr. Ensalzar, enaltecer. U. t. c. prnl.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados_


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## gengo

Lurrezko oinak said:


> *¡Aúpame!*



Wow!  Siempre me sorprende como el español tiene un verbo para cada situación.

Pero, ¿verdad que usan este verbo los niños?  ¿Es un verbo común?  Nunca lo he visto (cosa que no significa nada, puesto que hay un sinfín de verbos que no he visto).


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## chileno

Lurrezko oinak said:


> *
> ¡Aúpame!*
> 
> _ aupar.
> (De aúpa).
> 1. tr. Levantar o subir a alguien. U. t. c. prnl.
> 2. tr. Ensalzar, enaltecer. U. t. c. prnl.
> 
> Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados_




No leía esa palabra desde más de 30 años.


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## Lurrezko

gengo said:


> Wow!  Siempre me sorprende como el español tiene un verbo para cada situación.
> 
> Pero, ¿verdad que usan este verbo los niños?  ¿Es un verbo común?  Nunca lo he visto (cosa que no significa nada, puesto que hay un sinfín de verbos que no he visto).



Sí, es corriente en España, también en sentido metafórico:

_El equipo de fútbol local se ha aupado a los primeros puestos de la clasificación_

Y como interjección, para animar a un equipo, por ejemplo:
_¡Aúpa España!_

También se puede decir *upar* (es menos frecuente), pero es precisamente lo que dicen los bebés cuando quieren que los cojas en brazos:
_¡Upa, upa!_


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## aldonzalorenzo

gengo said:


> Pero, ¿verdad que usan este verbo los niños? ¿Es un verbo común?


Como dice Lurrezko es muy muy común en España. Un niño que se quiere subir a un árbol le dice a su amigo: _venga, aúpame_.
Y las madres llevan los bebés _aúpa_.


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## gengo

aldonzalorenzo said:


> Como dice Lurrezko es muy muy común en España. Un niño que se quiere subir a un árbol le dice a su amigo: _venga, aúpame_.



Thank you.

May I ask a question about "Venga, aúpame"?  I see and hear people do this often, but it is confusing to me, because the first verb is in the usted form and the second verb is in the tú form.  Is there a rule for this?  That is, is there a general rule for when to use formal commands in informal situations?


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## Aserolf

Pues en México, los niños comúmente dicen:
"Dame vuelo"
o
"Puchame" (spanglish)


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## Lurrezko

gengo said:


> Thank you.
> 
> May I ask a question about "Venga, aúpame"?  I see and hear people do this often, but it is confusing to me, because the first verb is in the usted form and the second verb is in the tú form.  Is there a rule for this?  That is, is there a general rule for when to use formal commands in informal situations?



La forma del verbo aupar es con tú en este caso, como dices: aúpame (tú), aúpeme (usted). Pero *venga* no es necesariamente _venga usted_: *venga* es una interjección coloquial para exhortar a alguien a que haga algo:
_Venga, tú, vámonos
Venga, no te entretengas._


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## gengo

Aserolf said:


> Pues en México, los niños comúmente dicen:
> "Dame vuelo"
> o
> "Puchame" (spanglish)



I like that last one!  



Lurrezko oinak said:


> La forma del verbo aupar es con tú en este caso, como dices: aúpame (tú), aúpeme (usted). Pero *venga* no es necesariamente _venga usted_: *venga* es una interjección coloquial para exhortar a alguien a que haga algo:
> _Venga, tú, vámonos
> Venga, no te entretengas._



Ah, OK, so it is like "vaya," which is never "vayas."


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## Lurrezko

gengo said:


> Ah, OK, so it is like "vaya," which is never "vayas."



Exacto. En España se usa mucho coloquialmente, con varios sentidos. Por ejemplo, seguido de la interjección *va*, para aceptar algo:
_- ¿Quieres un poco de tarta?
- Venga, va._

O seguido de *ya*, para rechazar lo que se acaba de oír:
_- Venga ya, hombre, eso no te lo crees ni tú_


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## gengo

Thanks to everyone for giving me a _boost_ with this phrase!


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## aldonzalorenzo

Lurrezko oinak said:


> Exacto. En España se usa mucho coloquialmente, con varios sentidos. Por ejemplo, seguido de la interjección *va*, para aceptar algo:
> _- ¿Quieres un poco de tarta?_
> _- Venga, va._
> O seguido de *ya*, para rechazar lo que se acaba de oír:
> _- Venga ya, hombre, eso no te lo crees ni tú_


 
There you are!: perfect
Otro dato: en el mismo sentido que _venga_, puede usarse _*anda*_:
Para insistir en algo: _*anda*, por fa’, haz lo que te pido_.
Igual que _*venga ya*_: _*anda ya*, ¡tú qué vas a saber: no tienes ni idea!_
Como simple exclamación:_ ¡*anda*, la osa, ya están maduros los cacahuetes! _(Goofy)


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## gengo

aldonzalorenzo said:


> Otro dato: en el mismo sentido que _venga_, puede usarse _*anda*_:
> Para insistir en algo: _*anda*, por fa’, haz lo que te pido_.
> Igual que _*venga ya*_: _*anda ya*, ¡tú qué vas a saber: no tienes ni idea!_
> Como simple exclamación:_ ¡*anda*, la osa, ya están maduros los cacahuetes!_



But that does not address my question.  "Anda" is in the tú form, so it is natural that the conjugation that follows it would also be in that form, while venga is in the usted form.  So these two are not parallel, and this only adds to my confusion about why the usted form is sometimes used.

Thanks anyway!


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## aldonzalorenzo

gengo said:


> But that does not address my question.


Hijo, gengo, tu pasado nipón te traiciona...
Solo quería añadir otro dato al *venga* y al *vaya*. Y tú mismo preguntaste: _That is, is there a general rule for when to use formal commands in informal situations?_
Ya siento haber contribuido a tu confusión.



gengo said:


> "Anda" is in the tú form, so it is natural that the conjugation that follows it would also be in that form, while venga is in the usted form. So these two are not parallel


No creo que ningún español piense en que *venga* está en la forma de _usted_. Es una simple expresión, como las otras (lo mismo que yo no he pensado en que eres mi hijo cuando lo he escrito en este mensaje). ¿Y quién te dice que no proviene de darse ánimos a uno mismo, *venga yo* (1ª pers. subj.) o a un tercero, *venga él*? Lo dejo a tu consideración. Yo soy profana en estas materias.


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## pubman

What gengo is calling a "boost to" in BrE we would say "can you give me a leg up" would this have a different translation to the ones already offered or is there a similar phrase in Spanish?.


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## Arrius

In British English I have never heard or read* boost* in the literal sense of helping somebody to climb a tree, and would be interested in hearing from any fellow Brit who has; I would say "_Give us (me) a push up, will you?"_ and leave_ boost_ to rocket science and economics. But no doubt American uses it in the sense of the thread:
*2. an upward thrust or push *_*he gave him a boost over the wall* (Free Dictionary)._

My thanks for teaching me *aúpar* which is similar to BE *whoops-a-daisy,* though this is said when you help a child who has fallen over to get up again. *Whoops!* alone is said when someone trips or slips, or when someone drops or spills something they are carrying. This is frequently seen as _*oops!*_ on these fora when someone has noticed their mistake, remarkably like _*uápa!*_ ,exclaimed when pushing somebody upwards, which corresponds to BE _*up you go! *_

Just read the previous post by* pubman* which I saw after finally posting mine. It corroborates what I have said about *boost* in BE, but I feel the Spanish translation would be the same. Alternatively, one might say_* "Give us*_ (even if it is only one person)_* a hand to get up this tree will you?*_


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## aldonzalorenzo

pubman said:


> What gengo is calling a "boost to" in BrE we would say "can you give me a leg up" would this have a different translation to the ones already offered or is there a similar phrase in Spanish?.


 
pubman, do you still have this doubt? If you do, why don't you write two or three sentences with the use of *give a leg up*, and we'll translate them? I think it's the easiest way.


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## pubman

Hi aldonzalorenzo, that's very kind of you, here goes.

Johnny couldn't see over the wall so he asked Peter for a leg up.

Peter gave Johnny a leg up to reach the first floor window

Saludos


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## Arrius

Correction in my post #21 :* aúpa*


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## Lurrezko

pubman said:


> Hi aldonzalorenzo, that's very kind of you, here goes.
> 
> Johnny couldn't see over the wall so he asked Peter for a leg up.
> 
> Peter gave Johnny a leg up to reach the first floor window
> 
> Saludos



Johnny no podía ver por encima del muro, así que pidió a Peter que le aupara.
Peter ayudó a Johnny a auparse hasta la ventana del primer piso


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## Mirlo

En Panamá decimos dame un jalón o un empujón.


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## gengo

> Originally Posted by *pubman*
> What gengo is calling a "boost to" in BrE we would say "can you  give me a leg up"



In the US, we use a variation of that phrase to mean having an advantage over someone.

_John's got a leg up on the rest of the class, because his father is the teacher._


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## esteban

En Colombia, sería "hacer pata gallina" para "to give a boost" (en el contexto de treparse a un árbol).



Saludos
esteban


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## gengo

esteban said:


> En Colombia, sería "hacer pata gallina" para "to give a boost" (en el contexto de treparse a un árbol).



Interesante.  ¿Cómo es que ustedes lo dicen así?  (No creo que las gallinas se trepen a los árboles, jeje.)


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## esteban

A no ser que se trate de una gallina dopada, lo veo algo complicado  (¿quién sabe de dónde salió la expresión?). Aunque ustedes también son unos exagerados con eso de "to give a boost". O es que acaso les resulta tan fácil _propulsar_ a alguien como si fuera un cohete sólo con la fuerza de los brazos . 


Saludos
esteban


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## gengo

esteban said:


> Aunque ustedes también son unos exagerados con eso de "to give a boost". O es que acaso les resulta tan fácil _propulsar_ a alguien como si fuera un cohete sólo con la fuerza de los brazos.



Actually, the word boost has nothing directly to do with rockets.  Here is the first definition of the verb.

_To raise or lift by pushing up from behind or below._

So we can boost prices, enthusiasm, voltage, progress, business, and on and on.  And we can boost our friends up a fence.


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## Arrius

*@ gengo* The word *boost,* of unknown etymology, emerged in America in 1815, so one should not be surprised that the British don't use it always in exactly the same way as you.
As regards its use in rocket science, Wernher von Braun must have used it many times a day in his new home, and its use became more frequent as your Space Program advanced. We use it too in all the ways you mention in the last line of post #31, *except, so far, for the last item with the fence*. You no doubt also boost other  people`s morale, as we do.


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## gengo

Arrius said:


> *@ gengo* The word *boost,* of unknown etymology, emerged in America in 1815, so one should not be surprised that the British don't use it always in exactly the same way as you.



I certainly am not surprised.  Never implied that I was.



> As regards its use in rocket science, Wernher von Braun must have used it many times a day in his new home, and its use became more frequent as your Space Program advanced.


Of course, but the words capsule, stage, launch, countdown, and so forth were also used frequently in the space program, but that doesn't mean they are inherently related to it.  And that was my point, that to boost has nothing inherently to do with rockets, even though it is often used in that context.  My comment was made to counter esteban's statement that we English-speakers exaggerate by using the verb "to boost" to refer to pushing someone, because he apparently had the mistaken impression that to boost was directly related to rockets.  I can assure you that when we Americans talk about giving someone a boost, rockets are the last thing on our minds.


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