# Al fin y al cabo



## Gaitero

Este frase (arriba) se use a veces en "_Amor en el tiempo de coléra_" por Marquez.

¿Qué es la diferencia entre los dos palabras: cabo y fin. Había creido que tenían eñ mismo sentido?

Gaitero


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## natasha2000

Gaitero said:


> Esta frase (arriba) se usa a veces en  "_Amor en el tiempo de coléra_" por Márquez.
> 
> ¿Cúal es la diferencia entre estas dos palabras: cabo y fin. Había creido que tenían el mismo sentido? que significaban lo mismo?
> 
> Gaitero


 
Al fin y al cabo es una frase hecha. When all is said and done... In the end...

_cabo_ y _fin_ significan lo mismo, pero no siempre son intercambiables.


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## MuayThai

"Al fin y al cabo" es una frase hecha, que podria ser equivalente a "at the end of the day, after all..."
Cabo normalmente es mas usado en el sentido geografico, fisico, del final o extremo de algo, ademas del accidente geografico "cape".
Pero si hablamos de "tiempo" (dia, mes...), una pelicula... usamos fin. 
Cabo no es muy utilizado en es sentido de "find" salvo en esta expresion y en otra parecida: "al cabo de...."
Al cabo de 5 minutos: after 5 minutes
no se si ayuda en algo?


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## westopia

Gaitero said:


> Este frase (arriba) se use a veces en "Amor en el tiempo de coléra"*El amor en los tiempos del cólera* por Marquez.


 
Pues hay que diferenciar _el cólera_ de _la cólera_.


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## Gaitero

Gracias a MuayThai y Natasha

Me habéis ayudido mucho

Gaitero


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## padredeocho

al fin y al cabo 

In the final analysis?

Thanks!


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## riglos

No, significa simplemente "after all,..."

Mara.-


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## chick

They both mean= the end, so depends how they are used.


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## riglos

chick said:


> They both mean= the end, so depends how they are used.


 
No, Chick, "al fin y al cabo" es una sola frase que significa "after all,..."

Mara.-


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## xOoeL

I think that the equivalent is "at the end of the day"


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## riglos

xOoeL said:


> I think that the equivalent is "at the end of the day"


 
xOoel, ¿Eres hispanoparlante? Nunca escuché esta frase utilizada con el significado "al final del día".

Mara.-


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## Tizona

Pues yo sí que soy hispanohablante y creo que sí, que "al fin y al cabo" es más o menos lo mismo que "at the end of the day".


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## JB

riglos said:


> xOoel, ¿Eres hispanoparlante? Nunca escuché esta frase utilizada con el significado "al final del día".
> Mara.-


 
"at the end of the day" is an expression that has become disgustingly popular in the last year or two, that is the equivalent of "al fin y al cabo".  No significa "al final del día" en el sentido de la medianoche o del anochecer.

Ver aqui para leer otro hilo que ya se trató de "al fin y al cabo.". Literally, it is "at the end and at the end".  In other words, as has been said already, "at the end of the day," "when all is said and done", "bottom line", etc.


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## xOoeL

riglos said:


> xOoel, ¿Eres hispanoparlante? Nunca escuché esta frase utilizada con el significado "al final del día".
> 
> Mara.-



No entiendo.  Sí hablo español (desde pequeño).  Lo que he dicho es que "al fin y al cabo", tal y como se utiliza en España, puede que sea el equivalente en inglés de "at the end of the day".

Y en estas hebras lo confirman 
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=264996
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=264996


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## riglos

Perdón xOoel, ahora entiendo. Creí que querías decir que no significaba lo mismo que "after all", pero after all, "at the end of the day" y "after all" son equivalentes.

¡Saludos!

Mara.-


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## dalton2

riglos said:


> No, significa simplemente "after all,..."
> 
> Mara.-


 
Y creo que también se puede traducir como "*all in all*".


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## workman

jbruceismay said:


> "at the end of the day" is an expression that has become disgustingly popular in the last year or two, that is the equivalent of "al fin y al cabo".  No significa "al final del día" en el sentido de la medianoche o del anochecer.



"Disgustingly popular?"  It seems you don't like this phrase...  That's OK, but it may be good to clarify for our Hispanic friends that this phrase has for many years been a perfectly acceptable way of saying "when all is said and done", or "after all" or even (as we say in the UK) "when the pot boils dry..."


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## Fuerza

I'm afraid that I'm going to have to agree with "jbruceismay" on this one. "At the end of the day" has become so colloquialized that it really does not mean what those who are learning English may think it means. I, myself, recall hearing people say this and remember asking them if they really meant 'the day has ended' or something else - and here I am, a native, asking for clarification of my own language. Most of the time they meant something else.

My suggestion, to avoid confusion, is to stick with the more understood:

When all is said and done
In the end
After all
All in all

...for "Al fin y al cabo"


It may be that it is a British/American thing, with different expressions receiving greater favor in one country or another, but I doubt that is the case with this expression.


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## AngieGM

Este frase (arriba) se use a veces en _Amar en los tiempos del coléra_ *DE* M*á*rquez.


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## emiuly

workman said:


> "Disgustingly popular?" It seems you don't like this phrase... That's OK, but it may be good to clarify for our Hispanic friends that this phrase has for many years been a perfectly acceptable way of saying "when all is said and done", or "after all" or even (as we say in the UK) "when the pot boils dry..."


 

Oi!

Can you give us an exemple of how to use this expression?

I don't seem to be able to put it anywhere


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## workman

emiuly said:


> Oi!
> 
> Can you give us an exemple of how to use this expression?
> 
> I don't seem to be able to put it anywhere



Which expression?  (I mentioned various).


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## emiuly

workman said:


> Which expression?  (I mentioned various).



When the pot boils dry...


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## JB

It is a synonym for "al fin y al cabo" (but in the U.K., I think).  I don't recall hearing the expression myself, but the meaning should be  pretty clear from context:
"Well, when the pot boils dry, we have no option other than surgery."
"Pues, al fin y al cabo, tenemos que operar."
"Well, bottom line, we need to operate."
"Well, when all is said in done, there is no other choice left to us but surgery."
etc.
All of the expressions listed mean the same thing.


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## emiuly

Thanks very much!


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## josealejo

Quiero saber si es correcto usar la expreción "Al fin y al cabo" en esta oración:

"...Lo correcto es hacer las cosas sin esperar nada a cambio, solo tenía que aceptarlo, al fin y al cabo yo sabía que ese tipo de cosas podían suceder..."


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## Moritzchen

josealejo said:


> Quiero saber si es correcto usar la expreción "Al fin y al cabo" en esta oración:
> 
> "...Lo correcto es hacer las cosas sin esperar nada a cambio, solo tenía que aceptarlo, al fin y al cabo yo sabía que ese tipo de cosas podían suceder..."


 Pero si tu lengua natal es el español, por qué estás preguntando en un foro inglés-español?


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## la_machy

Hola, josealejo.
¡Bienvenido a WR! .

Es correcta. 


Saludos


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## josealejo

Mmm disculpa, ni siquiera me fije. Soy nuevo aquí, solo vi el Post y creí que estaba en el lugar correcto.


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## josealejo

Muchisimas Gracias.


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## chacahua

Saludos. 

I'd just like to chime in that "at the end of the day" is absolutely, positively a completely acceptable and common phrase, at least here in the States. You don't use it every other sentence, but it is certainly something you can get away with using every now and again. This actually makes it a _better_ translation for "al fin y al cabo," o sea, tampoco se escucha todo el tiempo "al fin y al cabo," ¿verdad? Pero _sí se escucha_.

"All in all" and "after all" are probably more precisely translated as "después de todo" or "por fin" or "finalmente," whereas "al final de cuentas" and "al fin y al cabo," while basically synonymous with "después de todo," etc., are probably translated more precisely as "at the end of the day" or "after all is said and done" or "when you get right down to it," etc (that sort of thing). This is a somewhat rare case in which English and Spanish really do have the same basic ways of saying the same basic thing.

If one wants to argue that a certain expression is less than acceptable among a certain _class_ of people or a certain region or what have you, then fine, argue that and detail which classes/regions say what. But don't confuse a class/regional issue with one of commonality or general acceptability; they are not the same thing. "At the end of the day" is said on a "regular" basis (one or more times per week, I would say) by millions of native English speakers. A todos los hispanohablantes nativos les aseguro: que lo digan si quieren, que aqui en EEUU lo decimos con bastante frecuencia.

Hope this helps.


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## workman

chacahua said:


> Saludos.
> 
> I'd just like to chime in that "at the end of the day" is absolutely, positively a completely acceptable and common phrase, at least here in the States. You don't use it every other sentence, but it is certainly something you can get away with using every now and again....
> 
> "All in all" and "after all" are probably more precisely translated as "después de todo" or "por fin" or "finalmente," whereas "al final de cuentas" and "al fin y al cabo," while basically synonymous with "después de todo," etc., are probably translated more precisely as "at the end of the day" or "after all is said and done" or "when you get right down to it," etc (that sort of thing). This is a somewhat rare case in which English and Spanish really do have the same basic ways of saying the same basic thing.
> 
> 
> Hope this helps.



I agree.  "_*At the end of the day*_" of course does not literally mean at the end of  24 hr period of time, any more than "caught between a rock and a hard place/ caught between the devil and the deep blue sea/ entre la espada y la pared"  mean those things literally.  But these phrases should still be known and learnt because they are commonly used. 

One minor disagreement - unless I'm mistaken, "after all" or "all in all" should not be translated "por fin", which has a more specific meaning of "at last."


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## Mexico RV'er

You would use it exactly the same way you use "Al fin y al cabo." It has _nothing_ to do with the day's end (midnight, sunset) and _everything_ to do with "When all is said and done." I think we have managed to make this much more complicated than it needs to be.


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## crisophilax

Mexico RV'er said:


> You would use it exactly the same way you use "Al fin y al cabo." It has _nothing_ to do with the day's end (midnight, sunset) and _everything_ to do with "When all is said and done." I think we have managed to make this much more complicated than it needs to be.



No estoy muy seguro de las recomendaciones de este hilo. Al menos, en mi opinión, la expresión "al fin y al cabo" significa mas bien "Como no puede ser de otro modo...". P.ej: "Me gusta la paella. Al fin y al cabo soy español."

En cambio las expresiones "At the end of the day" y "when the pot boils dry" se refieren una situación en la que se han extinguido las opciones y solo queda una solución posible.

Espero no liarlo mas..


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## Go Blue

You have no other choice - you were born Spanish.

They have no other choice - it has to be this was....

Janet


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## Go Blue

Welcome to the forums


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## Go Blue

They have no other choice - it has to be this *way*.


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## crisophilax

Go Blue said:


> Welcome to the forums



Thanks, Go Blue.

I checked this thread for the expression "al fin y al cabo", but I think the translation "at the end of the day" is not totally right. However, it is recommended in many places. The expression "at the end of the day we're all the same" is really equivalent to "al fin y al cabo todos somos iguales".
Probably I'm wrong because of hearing politicians and football players using it ad nauseam on TV.

BR


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