# I can't dance for shit!



## Cerros de Úbeda

¿Cómo traduciríais esta expresión argot que me he encontrado en un vídeo de social media?
(Es una estructura que se puede usar con cualquier verbo en negativa, no sólo con 'saber bailar'; 'Negative + for shit'):

'I can't dance for shit!'

Mi intento:

'No sé bailar ni de coña / ni que me muera / ni a tiros'.

Gracias de antemano.


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## michelmontescuba

Parece que tienes razón. Al parecer en este caso significa "at all".

Fuentes:

"I can't dance for shit" I don't understand what "for shit" means here.

Urban Dictionary: For shit


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## gengo

michelmontescuba said:


> Al parecer en este caso significa "at all".



Yes.  It is quite common among people who like vulgar language.  A less vulgar version is "worth a damn/darn."


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## Lyrica_Soundbite

Ni a palos.
Ni aunque me paguen.


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## Camila Chacon Jimenez

Yo lo interpreto como "No se bailar para nada"


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## El Caobo

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> ¿Cómo traduciríais esta expresión argot que me he encontrado en un vídeo de social media?
> (Es una estructura que se puede usar con cualquier verbo en negativa, no sólo con 'saber bailar'; 'Negative + for shit'):
> 
> 'I can't dance for shit!'
> 
> Mi intento:
> 
> 'No sé bailar ni de coña / ni que me muera / ni a tiros'.
> 
> Gracias de antemano.



En este contexto, _for shit_, significa "para nada", "de ninguna manera", "en absoluto", etcétera.  

Sin embargo, las traducciones han de guardar el registro del lenguaje, y _for shit_, es un barbarismo, aunque muy usado coloquialmente.  Hasta puede ser una invectiva ofensiva.  Si es una traducción casual, de poca importancia, cualquiera de las expresiones que ya te he dado sirven.  Pero, si se requiere una traducción profesional, has de usar un barbarismo y los barbarismos varían según la región.

Por lo tanto, para guardar el registro, busca un barbarismo de moda actualmente en tu región que quiera decir, "para nada" o "en absoluto".


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## Cerros de Úbeda

Thanks to all.



Lyrica_Soundbite said:


> Ni aunque me paguen.



'Ni que / aunque me paguen.'

In Spain we say both, but I rather say it with 'que' - because the 'ni aunque' combination seems too emphatic to me, maybe redundant.




gengo said:


> A less vulgar version is "worth a damn/darn."



But that is not the same expression... You can't say 'I can't dance worth a damn / darn'. How would you say it?:

'My dancing isn't worth a damn / darn.'

And, would you say 'a darn'? Shouldn't it be 'a darn thing'?




El Caobo said:


> Por lo tanto, para guardar el registro, busca un barbarismo de moda actualmente en tu región que quiera decir, "para nada" o "en absoluto".




Acabo de recordar dos muy vulgares que decían los jóvenes en mi época (los 90):

'No bailo un carajo'
'No bailo una (puta) mierda.'


En Galicia, en lugar de 'carajo', con frecuencia dicen 'carallo' (el término del idioma local).

'No bailo un 'carallo''.

Y en Andalucía, introducen la variante de 'polla' - a veces, en plural, con un tono más enfático;

'¡No bailo una polla / pollas!'

O, con la pronunciación típica del sur:

'¡No bailo pa' ná / ná de ná...!'
(= No bailo para nada / nada de nada)


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## Masood

Maybe you could say "No sé ni jota de bailar", but that's probably not as vulgar as the original.


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## Chevere33

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> But that is not the same expression... You can't say 'I can't dance worth a damn / darn'. How would you say it?:



You can say this. Not only is it properly phrased but it carries the same weight, as far as vulgarity. "For shit" is today's way of saying "worth a damn".


My dancing isn't worth a damn / darn.'   

And, would you say 'a darn'? Shouldn't it be 'a darn thing'? 

'No bailo un carajo'.   *About the same weight as your phrase.*
'No bailo una (puta) mierda.'   _*This is stronger than "for shit".*_

(= No bailo para nada / nada de nada).   *Same meaning, but nicer.*


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## sound shift

Chevere33 said:


> You can say this. Not only is it properly phrased but it carries the same weight, as far as vulgarity. "For shit" is today's way of saying "worth a damn".


This looks like an AmE-BrE difference, because "I can't dance worth a damn / darn" doesn't work in BrE.


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## aommoa

Ni de coña, 

Voy a bailar yo por los cojones


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## Soo Gun

En mi país podrías decir, "Soy negado para el baile".


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## sarah_

No sé bailar una mierda.


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## Marsianitoh

sarah_ said:


> No sé bailar una mierda.


 Eso es lo que diría yo.


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## Cerros de Úbeda

Chevere33 said:


> You can say this. Not only is it properly phrased but it carries the same weight, as far as vulgarity. "For shit" is today's way of saying "worth a damn".
> 
> My dancing isn't worth a damn / darn.'



Thanks, Chévere. But I still have a doubt:

Could you use 'worth a damn / darn' in my initial sentence, with 'I can't...'?

Yesterday, in my previous post, I assumed you couldn't, but then in Michelmontescuba's first link, to 'hi native', I found an example with that exact wording, which came as a real surprise to me:

"a similar phrase is "worth a damn"
ex:* I can't spell worth a damn*.
That phone ain't worth a damn."




sound shift said:


> This looks like an AmE-BrE difference, because "I can't dance worth a damn / darn" doesn't work in BrE.



Is 'I can't dance for shit' used in the UK?

I used to assume that this is an American expression - so much so that yesterday I forgot even to mention it, taking it for granted.

From your post it would seem it is, as you indicates the AE usage of 'worth a damn / darn', but not of 'not... for shit'.




aommoa said:


> Ni de coña, voy a bailar yo por los cojones



Esta para mí significa 'no me gusta / no pienso / me niego a bailar'.

¿Es eso lo que querías decir? Porque no es eso lo que significa la frase en inglés...



Soo Gun said:


> En mi país podrías decir, "Soy negado para el baile".



En España también se usa.


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## CVRreborn

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> Is 'I can't dance for shit' used in the UK?


 Yes it is. And as soundshift says, the sentence with "damn/darn" isn't.


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## El Caobo

Chevere33 said:


> You can say this. Not only is it properly phrased but it carries the same weight, as far as vulgarity. "For shit" is today's way of saying "worth a damn".
> 
> 
> My dancing isn't worth a damn / darn.'
> 
> And, would you say 'a darn'? Shouldn't it be 'a darn thing'?
> 
> 'No bailo un carajo'.   *About the same weight as your phrase.*
> 'No bailo una (puta) mierda.'   _*This is stronger than "for shit".*_
> 
> (= No bailo para nada / nada de nada).   *Same meaning, but nicer.*


I like those translations!


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## aommoa

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> Thanks, Chévere. But I still have a doubt:
> 
> Could you use 'worth a damn / darn' in my initial sentence, with 'I can't...'?
> 
> Yesterday, in my previous post, I assumed you couldn't, but then in Michelmontescuba's first link, to 'hi native', I found an example with that exact wording, which came as a real surprise to me:
> 
> "a similar phrase is "worth a damn"
> ex:* I can't spell worth a damn*.
> That phone ain't worth a damn."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is 'I can't dance for shit' used in the UK?
> 
> I used to assume that this is an American expression - so much so that yesterday I forgot even to mention it, taking it for granted.
> 
> From your post it would seem it is, as you indicates the AE usage of 'worth a damn / darn', but not of 'not... for shit'.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Esta para mí significa 'no me gusta / no pienso / me niego a bailar'.
> 
> ¿Es eso lo que querías decir? Porque no es eso lo que significa la frase americana...


En ese caso fallo mío


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## gengo

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> But that is not the same expression... You can't say 'I can't dance worth a damn / darn'.



Au contraire, mon frère.  As confirmed by another forero above, it sounds perfectly natural in AmEn.  Although it may seem illogical, it is used adverbially in this construction.


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## michelmontescuba

gengo said:


> Au contraire, mon frère.  As confirmed by another forero above, it sounds perfectly natural in AmEn.  Although it may seem illogical, it is used adverbially in this construction.


It must be the weirdest construction I've ever seen, but what do I know.  It's kind of appealing though.


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## Cerros de Úbeda

michelmontescuba said:


> It must be the weirdest construction I've ever seen



Indeed...

Yesterday, I had thought it was a mistake - but interesting to learn, no doubt.


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## gunslingingbird

En México diría que no puedo bailar ni madres.


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## nelliot53

Masood said:


> Maybe you could say "No sé ni jota de bailar", but that's probably not as vulgar as the original.



Me inclino por la de Masood.  Muy usado usado para referirse a otras actividades o conoceres.

*ni **jota*

1. loc. pronom. coloq. nada (‖ ninguna cantidad). U. con neg. No sabe ni jota de eso. (RAE)


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## Circunflejo

Yo cambiaría la estructura de la frase y diría_ no tengo ni pajolera idea de bailar._

Otras opciones manteniendo la estructura de la frase:

No bailo ni papa.
No bailo ni (una) miajita.


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## Cerros de Úbeda

Another one, a youth slang from the 90s - who knows if still in use:

'No tengo ni puta idea de bailar.'  (inf)
'No tengo ni puta de bailar.'  (arg)




nelliot53 said:


> Me inclino por la de Masood.  Muy usado usado para referirse a otras actividades o conoceres.



Good, Nelliot. Quite on the money, as ever...

However, this misses the vulgarity of the English 'for shit' - besides, it's rather old-fashioned, while the English one is quite youngish slang, if I 'm not mistaken...




Circunflejo said:


> No bailo ni papa.
> No bailo ni (una) miajita.



These also miss the register of the English one...

Also... the second one, with '(una) miajita', I'm afraid is Andalusian, from the South of Spain - not Castilian at all, is it?


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## Circunflejo

Another one that came to my mind: no bailo un pijo.


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## Lyrica_Soundbite

Then merge it with Sarah's suggestion so you get "No sé ni mierda de bailar".


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## Cerros de Úbeda

Others:
(albeit, also colloquial, rather than slang or vulgar) 

- No tengo ni la más remota (idea) de bailar...
- ¡No tengo, pero ni idea..., de bailar...!


Shoot! We're great at having no clue about shit...!


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## Circunflejo

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> I'm afraid is Andalucian, from the south of Spain - not Castilian at all, is it?


Well, you are wrong but even if it was just Andalucian Spanish, it would be Spanish anyway... Anyway, miajita is the diminutive of miaja and miaja is on the RAE's dictionary without any regional mark. In Andalucía they say it a lot but the same is true for Extremadura. In Castile, the Northerner you go, the less it's used, but it's used too by some people.


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## Cerros de Úbeda

Circunflejo said:


> In *Andalusia *they say it a lot but the same is true for Extremadura. In Castile, the *Northerner* you go, the less it's used, but it's used too by some people.



Interesting...

I know the expression from Andalusia - and I like it; I think it is one of those little, quirky phrases, with the characteristically Andalusian flair.

I just thought it needed to be indicated as a regionalism - if it's also Castilian, it is still a regional use.


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## Circunflejo

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> I just thought it needed to be indicated as a regionalism - if it's also Castilian, it is still a regional use.


Well, it's used in Andalusia, Extremadura, Castile La Mancha, Castile and Leon, Murcia, Aragon, Madrid... I'm not sure about other regions but I read it on an article written by a Basque writer and on a book written by someone from the Canary Islands so maybe its use is even more extended...


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## Cerros de Úbeda

Ok. I have never heard it outside of Andalucia, that's all I can say.

I have checked the DLE, and it doesn't indicate any figurative or colloquial use. That is, it only indicates its literal uses, as 'bread crumb', and 'small part' - not as an expression.

But I guess this is already off-topic.


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## nelliot53

An alternative that keeps the colloquial vulgarity of shit: 

De baile no sé una *chingada*.


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## sarah_

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> Ok. I have never heard outside of Andalucia, that's all I can say.


Personalmente, no he oído miaja en Madrid en mi vida. ¡Como no sea en el andén del AVE a Sevilla... !


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## Circunflejo

sarah_ said:


> Personalmente no he escuchado miaja en Madrid en mi vida


Es que Madrid es muy grande. He aquí un ejemplo (mira el último párrafo): A veces no importa madrugar


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## Ballenero

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> 'I can't dance for shit!'


Una traducción con esa temática: 
_Bailo como el culo._

Cualquier cosa que se haga "...como el culo" significa que se hace muy mal.



*irle como el culo,
irle a alguien como el culo* _loc verb__vulgar_ (muy mal)go poorly, go badly _v expr_  be snowed under, up to your ears _v expr_ Abrió un nuevo negocio, pero le fue como el culo.


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## Chevere33

Cerros de Úbeda said:


> However, this misses the vulgarity of the English 'for shit' - besides, it's rather old-fashioned, while the English one is quite youngish slang, if I 'm not mistaken...
> _______________
> These also miss the register of the English one...
> 
> Also... the second one, with '(una) miajita', I'm afraid is Andalusian, from the South of Spain - not Castilian at all, is it?



This is probably the most interesting point given. Up until this comment, no one had factored in the age of the speaker. This is, indeed, a newer phrase. My husband and I might use it but we both work with younger people so who knows how much others our age would use it.

In a translation, it is SO important to reflect the level of vulgarity, and many commenters completely missed it. "Shit" is mild profanity in English, so that's what you should use in Spanish.

Lastly, the target audience is important as well. By now, your task is completed but out of curiosity, was this for a Spanish or Latin American reader?

(Not related to your original question and not sure about British English, but in AE if something remains unclear, you shouldn't say that you have a doubt. I'll PM you so my comment doesn't get deleted for irrelevancy!)

EDIT: NVM...can't send you a PM.


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