# To spend / waste time



## ThomasK

I am interested in the kind of metaphors you use with time, as in wasting (losing) and spending time. 

Dutch: 
_*tijd verliezen*_ (lose), _*verspillen*_ (waste), _*verkwisten*_ (waste)
vs. 
_*tijd besteden aan*_ (spend on), _*doorbrengen in*_ (to spend time at a place) [see also _investeren/ invest_...].

So time seems like something concrete, which one can lose, etc. 

How about in your language? 

I know losing is very common: 
- _*perdre*_ in French, 
- _*verlieren*_ in German. But...


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## ilocas2

Czech:

*ztrácet čas* (accusative case) - lose time
*plýtvat časem* (instrumental case) - waste time

*trávit čas* (accusative case) - digest time - but it means the same like spend time in English


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## ThomasK

This is quite interesting though: *digestion* seems to refer to (*time as) food then? *Spending seems to refer to _expenses_ etymologically but I don't feel (lit.) that way, except when we add spending time on (is spending time an ellips ???). When thinking of our _doorbrengen_, (bring through), I thought for a second of passing (through ?) a forest, a place, like our _door_-, through, but I am not sure at all...

_(I cannot find right now what Lakoff/ Johnson in_ Metaphors We Live By _write about time as a container metaphor; it sometimes is, for sure.)_


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## Outsider

Portuguese:

perder o tempo (to lose/waste time)
desperdiçar o tempo (to waste time)
gastar o tempo (to spend time)
passar o tempo (to pass/spend the time)
matar o tempo (to kill time)


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## ThomasK

Oh yes, you're right: killing time is possible in Dutch too. But could you tell me what 'gastar' as such refers to? Is it something like 'invest' (time in...) ? (Thanks !)


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## Outsider

It really means "to spend". It's the same verb we use for money.


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## ThomasK

I see: we can't use the same verb, except if we use _spenderen aan_ (spend on) in Dutch. But maybe it is the same us: everything depends on whether you add something to the gastar o tempo. I think you can use some kind of gerund as in _I spent some time reading/ praying (orando)_, but how do you say: _I spent so much time on works? _I find_: em obras pueris_ (on childish work/ children's work?)...


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## phosphore

Serbian

gubiti vreme (na nešto)=to lose time (literally on something), like gubiti novac=to lose money
also traćiti vreme=to waste time, like traćiti novac=to waste money, but this verb is not used very often
trošiti vreme (na nešto)=to spend time, like trošiti novac=to spend money
ulagati vreme (u nešto)=to invest time (literally in something), like ulagati novac=to invest money
ubijati vreme=to kill time


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## ThomasK

phosphore said:


> Serbian
> 
> _gubiti vreme_ (na nešto)=_trošiti vreme_ (na nešto)=to spend time, like _trošiti novac_=to spend money
> _ulagati vreme_ (_u nešto_)=to invest time (literally in something), like _ulagati novac_=to invest money


 
Thanks! Is it correct that both presuppose a clear purpose: _spend money/ time_ on something, as well ? (BTW: is the _u-_ a prefix, like in- ?)


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## Orlin

^My feeling is that the 1st often (but not always) implies lack of purpose or uselessness (context helps to distinguish whether time is spend usefully of simply lost or wasted)while the 2nd always implies usefulness and purposefulness of spending (I'm not native though).
u- is a prefix (very polysemic and equivalent to v- in other Slavic languages).


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## ThomasK

You might be right, that seems quite likely indeed. But then the *u-* is basically 'out-' or Lat. ex- ? Thanks !


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## Orlin

phosphore said:


> Serbian
> 
> gubiti vreme (na nešto)=to lose time (literally on something), like gubiti novac=to lose money
> also traćiti vreme=to waste time, like traćiti novac=to waste money, but this verb is not used very often
> trošiti vreme (na nešto)=to spend time, like trošiti novac=to spend money
> ulagati vreme (u nešto)=to invest time (literally in something), like ulagati novac=to invest money
> ubijati vreme=to kill time


 
In Bulgarian we use similar models:
1. губя време = to lose (sometimes waste or spend) time; пилея, прахосвам, троша време = to waste time;
2. изразходвам време = to spend time (we use this verb for the use of all kinds of resources);
3. влагам/инвестирам време = to invest time (complete analogy with other resources);
4. убивам време = to kill time.


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## Outsider

ThomasK said:


> I see: we can't use the same verb, except if we use _spenderen aan_ (spend on) in Dutch. But maybe it is the same us: everything depends on whether you add something to the gastar o tempo. I think you can use some kind of gerund as in _I spent some time reading/ praying (orando)_, but how do you say: _I spent so much time on works? _I find_: em obras pueris_ (on childish work/ children's work?)...


We say, for example:

Gastei o dinheiro todo em doces  = I spent all my money on candy.
Gastei/passei o tempo a ler = I spent my time reading.
Gastei o tempo em tarefas miudinhas = I spent my time on minor chores.


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## ThomasK

I see, that is what I meant. Thanks. _(Can you also say 'lendo' instead of 'a ler' ?)_


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## Outsider

You can, indeed. _A ler_ is predominant in most of Portugal, but in Brazil I'm sure you'll only hear _lendo_ instead.

_a ler_: can be translated as "to read"
_lendo_: reading


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## Orlin

^In Bulgarian similar constructions are used: Yesterday I spent 2 hours reading is "Вчера прекарах 2 часа в четене/четейки" using the verbal noun четене or the verbal adverb четейки (which is probably the grammatical equivalent of the Portuguese _lendo_) respectively.
I think that the same example in Serbian is "Juče sam proveo 2 sata čitajući" with the verbal adverb čitajući. For other alternatives or if I'm wrong, let natives say.


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## Outsider

Yes, the gerund (e.g. _lendo_) in the Romance languages can be a verbal adverb, and the infinitive (e.g. _ler_) is a verbal noun.


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## phosphore

Orlin said:


> My feeling is that the 1st often (but not always) implies lack of purpose or uselessness (context helps to distinguish whether time is spend usefully of simply lost or wasted)while the 2nd always implies usefulness and purposefulness of spending (I'm not native though).


 
Yes, gubiti implies always a complete lack of purpose, while ulagati implies that the time is hopefully well invested. Trošiti is somewhere in between, leaning towards gubiti.

And yes, u- is basically in-.


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## sakvaka

*Finnish* (in the order of increasing "purposefulness"):

*aika (ajan, aikaa) = time

* _tuhlata aikaa = _to waste time
_hukata (heittää hukkaan...) aikaa _= to lose time
_tappaa aikaa _= to kill time
_kuluttaa aikaa _= to consume time
_viettää aikaa _= to spend time
_käyttää aikaa _= to use time


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## phosphore

Yes, there are also those two.

upotrebiti vreme=to consume time
koristiti vreme=to use time


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## ThomasK

I am a little surprised that we all seem to use the same idioms (killing, consuming, using, waste). By the way: can you also *lose time* ? (I think English speakers prefer 'waste time')


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## Orlin

phosphore said:


> Yes, there are also those two.
> 
> upotrebiti vreme=to consume time
> koristiti vreme=to use time


 
In Bulgarian използвам/употребявам време = to use time are also used.


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

*1/ «Αναλώνω χρόνο»*: Ana'lono 'xrono-->_to use up time_. Byzantine verb «ἀναλώνω» (ana'lono) deriving from the classical one «ἀναλόω/ἀναλῶ» (ană'lŏō [uncontracted]/ană'lō [contracted])-->_to use up, spend_.
*2/ «Ξοδεύω χρόνο»*: Kso'ðevo 'xrono-->_to squander time_. Hellenistic verb «ἐξοδεύω» (ĕksŏ'dĕūō)-->lit. _to march out, depart_ metaph. _to expend, squander_.
*3/ «Τρώ(γ)ω χρόνο»*: 'Tro(ɣ)o 'xrono (sometimes the gamma is omitted)-->_to eat up time_. Hellenistic verb «τρώγω» ('trōgō)-->(onomatopoetic verb) _to gnaw, nibble, munch_.
*4/ «Χάνω χρόνο»*: 'Xano 'xrono-->_to lose time_. Hellenistic verb «χάω/χῶ» ('xaō [uncontracted]/'xō [contracted])-->_to throw into chaos, into darkness, utterly destroy_. Later, «χαώνω» (xa'ōnō), Byzantine and Modern Greek «χάνω»-->_to lose_.


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## ThomasK

Congratulations, Apmoy: you are bringing in something up, suggesting eating up (nibbling at ?) time !!! And the way you lose time is almost mythological ! Oh, Greek is so interesting ! ;-)


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## sean de lier

In Tagalog, we have equivalents too!

"Time" is _oras_ (from Sp. _horas_, "hours") or _panahon_ (native Tagalog word). But when referring to time as in "spend time" or "waste time", current usage prefers _oras_ rather than _panahon_. For me, I prefer _oras_ because _panahon_ also has another meaning, that is, "weather". Unlike many homographs in Tagalog, the two meanings of _panahon_ have the same pronunciation. In the subsequent examples, one can interchange _oras_ and _panahon_. 

*"Spend Time"*
_*gumastos ng oras; gumugol ng oras*_: literally "spend (actor focus, infinitive aspect) time". This is the literal translation of the idiom; by itself it is neutral, can be used in positive and negative connotations. It carries an 'active' connotation, in which one spends time for an end. Example:He spent time in creating these works.
_Pinaggastusan niya ng oras ang kanyang mga likha_.
Spend (object focus, completed+benefactive aspect) + he* (non-focus) + non-focus marker + time + the + he (directional/possessive) + plural particle + work/creation.

* Tagalog pronouns are gender-neutral, that is, they don't distinguish between a "he" and a "she".​_*magpalipas (ng) oras*_: literally "pass by (actor focus, infinitive aspect) time". The root _lipas_ has no precise equivalent in English, but it has a 'passive connotation' to it, in which one does something just for the sake of spending time. Usually this expression is used for doing trivial stuff to whittle away time, such as reading the newspaper while waiting for somebody. She spent her time watching TV.
_Siya ay nagpalipas ng oras sa panonood ng TV._
She (focus) + sentence inversion marker + pass by (actor focus, completed aspect) + non-focus marker + time + directional/possessive marker/"in" + watching (noun form derived from the completed aspect form of the verb "watch") + non-focus marker/"of" + TV.
​*"Waste Time"*
_*magsayang ng oras; mag-aksaya ng oras; maglustay ng oras*_: The first two are more used, the third is archaic/dialectal, if you say the third they'll say you speak "deep" (_malalim_) Tagalog. All have negative connotations.He wasted his time watching TV.
_Siya ay nagsayang ng oras sa panonood ng TV.
_She (focus) + sentence inversion marker + waste (actor focus,  completed aspect) + non-focus marker + time + directional/possessive  marker/"in" + watching (noun form derived from the completed aspect form of  the verb "watch") + non-focus marker/"of" + TV.​In addition, there are other words for "time", akin to the English "moment". _Sandali_ and _saglit_ both refer to a short amount of time, and the two can be used in the above idioms too.


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## mataripis

Tagalog:To spend= 1.) Gamitin 2.) Gugulin    To waste time= 1.) Sayangin  2.)palampasin


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## 涼宮

In Japanese you don't use the usual things that other languages do 

*To waste time*

時間を無駄にする /ʤi'kan o 'muda ni su'ɽu/ 

You don't use a verb directly but an adjective/noun adverbialized and then transformed into a verb. Literally it says '' to make pointlessly the time''.

Muda 無駄 is an adjective meaning futility or the noun uselessness/pointlessness. (The word itself is compound of nothing + poor)

Ni に in this case transforms the adjective in adverb and then you add the verb to do する suru and becomes a complete verb.

You cannot use the verb to lose in Japanese with time, besides there are a lot of verbs to say to lose depending on if you lose a duel/match, an object, a person, etc.

*To spend time 時間を過ごす jikan wo sugosu. lit: to pass time.

*Japanese is a bit special about this expression, you cannot use it to say anything you want about spending time.

For instance, if you want to say '' to spend time in prison'' the sentence is 刑務所で服役する keimusho de fukueki suru. Lit: to penal servitude in prison. (yes, the noun is being used a verb). Another example, ''to spend time to get something'' is ～を手に入れるために時間をかける wo te ni ireru tameni jikan wo kakeru. Lit: to take/expend time to obtain. And so more situations exist.


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## 810senior

Japanese:

To waste time:時間を無駄にする(to make time pointless), 時間を無駄に過ごす(to pass time in idleness), 時間を浪費する(to waste time away), 時間を溝に捨てる(throw time away in a ditch)
To spend time:時間を過ごす(to pass time), 時間を送る(to send time)


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## ThomasK

涼宮 said:


> In Japanese you don't use the usual things that other languages do
> 
> *To waste time : *時間を無駄にする /ʤi'kan o 'muda ni su'ɽu/
> 
> You don't use a verb directly but an adjective/noun adverbialized and then transformed into a verb. Literally it says '' to make pointlessly the time''.
> 
> *Muda 無駄 is an adjective meaning futility* or the noun uselessness/pointlessness. (The word itself is compound of nothing + poor) ;
> Ni に in this case transforms the adjective in adverb and then you add the verb to do する suru and becomes a complete verb.
> 
> *You cannot use the verb to lose* in Japanese with _time_, besides there are a lot of verbs to say to lose depending on if you lose a duel/match, an object, a person, etc. [ _*So you mean the time meaning does not fit into one of the verb meanings?*_ ]
> 
> *To spend time 時間を過ごす jikan wo sugosu. lit: to pass time.
> *
> Japanese is a bit special about this expression, you cannot use it to say anything you want about spending time.
> For instance, if you want to say '' to spend time in prison'' the sentence is 刑務所で服役する keimusho de fukueki suru. Lit: to penal servitude in prison. (yes, the noun is being used a verb). Another example, ''to spend time to get something'' is ～を手に入れるために時間をかける wo te ni ireru tameni jikan wo kakeru. Lit: to take/expend time to obtain. And so more situations exist.


The latter is something I do not understand. You cannot or you can?

Now, is it possible to combine 810Sr's contribution into that - or the other way around?



810senior said:


> Japanese:
> 
> To waste time:時間を無駄にする(to make time pointless), 時間を無駄に過ごす(to pass time in idleness), 時間を浪費する(to waste time away), 時間を溝に捨てる(throw time away in a ditch)
> To spend time:時間を過ごす(to pass time), 時間を送る(to send time)


I'd like to ask
- "pointless" : so something like "useless", I guess
- "in a ditch" ; is that a literal translation?
- "to pass" : like French _passer le temps_ ?
- "send": also literally (as in "I send someone a present/ a parcel"?)


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## ger4

ThomasK said:


> Dutch:
> _*tijd verliezen*_ (lose), _*verspillen*_ (waste), _*verkwisten*_ (waste)
> vs.
> _*tijd besteden aan*_ (spend on), _*doorbrengen in*_ (to spend time at a place)


German:
_*Zeit verlieren*_ (to lose), _*verschwenden*_ (to waste), _*vergeuden*_ (to waste), _*verplempern*_ (informal, to waste)
vs.
_*Zeit verbringen*_ (to spend), _*aufwenden*_ (to spend, to invest), _*opfern*_ (to sacrifice)

_- verschwenden_ is a causative form of _verschwinden_, 'to disappear' --> 'to make time disappear'
_- vergeuden_ < Middle High German giuden 'to idle'
_- aufwenden < Aufwand_ 'expense', 'expenditure'


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## 810senior

ThomasK said:


> I'd like to ask
> - "pointless" : so something like "useless", I guess
> - "in a ditch" ; is that a literal translation?
> - "to pass" : like French _passer le temps_ ?
> - "send": also literally (as in "I send someone a present/ a parcel"?)



1) That's right. _to make something pointless or useless_(object can be even left out) is a common phrase in Japanese, as in これまでの努力を無駄にする(efforts so far is in vain, lit. to make efforts until this[=so far] pointless[=useless, futile])
2) Literal translation as you think. What I meant is _to throw it into a ditch_, which implies that your efforts are totally useless.
3) Same.
4) Yes, it's perfectly identical to the basic definition of *send *that_ make it go off to the scheduled destination_; as in to dispatch or to mail.


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## franknagy

Hungarian

He is _wasting_ the time. = _Pazarolja/pocsékolja_ az időt. 
When somebody is boring of waiting long time, she _kills_ the time with some activity = _Agyonüti_ ~.


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