# viciarse a algo



## FS Markos

Hey guys,
First, I have to say I saw a post on this same topic but there was no definitive answer found.
In Spanish we've got the phrase 'viciarse a algo'. You can say 'Viciarse a la Xbox', 'Viciarse a la Play', 'Viciarse al GTA'...'Viciarse a algo' means just 'to spend time doing something', but it's very colloquial (and maybe even slang). Another equivalent expression we have is 'Pegarse una viciada' (Which means to play videogames in an informal way, but this one does imply 'to play them for a long time'.
I'll give some context so that you can give me a hand:
 I'm about to upload a screenshot of my Xbox (playing GTA V) to Instagram and to which I was going to attach the next sentence '¡Hora de viciarse al GTA!'. How would you translate that sentence?
If you translate '¡Hora de viciarse a la Xbox', it will help me as well, since what I'm interested in knowing the verbs or expressions that could mean 'to play videogames in a very informal way' (it can also have the connotation of playing them for a long time, but no necessarily'.

By the way, in the post I mentioned at the beginning, the options people offerd were 'to fire + your console' and 'to glue to your console'. I don't know if any of those are correct or even used (I googled them, but I barely found one or two sentences where they were used. Besides, they were probably used to mean something different).

So, my try is 'Time to fire up my Xbox!'.
That's all. I hope I explained myself properly.
Thank you very much, appreciate it people.


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## horsewishr

De forma muy coloquial, decimos "to get your fix" si se trata de una adicción o de un hábito no saludable.  Por ejemplo, con el café "I'm going to get my caffeine fix."  Así que podrías decir "Time to get my XBox fix". 

"Time to fire up my XBox" sirve, también, pero no con el sentido de que sea un vicio.


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## FS Markos

Thanks a lot for your answer 'horsewishr'. 'Viciarse a algo' doesn't imply it's a bad habit. In fact, it's same with the word 'vicio' in Spanish. A 'vicio' just means 'something that is addictive', but it doesn't have to be bad. Cheers.


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## horsewishr

FS Markos said:


> Thanks a lot for your answer 'horsewishr'. 'Viciarse a algo' doesn't imply it's a bad habit. In fact, it's same with the word 'vicio' in Spanish. A 'vicio' just means 'something that is addictive', but it doesn't have to be bad. Cheers.


Interesting.  In English, I think addiction always carries a negative connotation. As does the word "vice."

Of course we sometimes use the word (jokingly) to refer to good habits. For example, "I'm addicted to exercise."  But it's still a negative word.

Edited to add: As a mother and a 52-year-old woman, I consider all video games vices.


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## chileno

Horsewishr is correct. "Time to get my XBox fix" it doesn't imply it is a bad habit like drugs.

To me in Spanish would be "viciarse *en* algo" hence "*en*viciarse"


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## k-in-sc

horsewishr said:


> Interesting.  In English, I think addiction always carries a negative connotation. As does the word "vice."


"Time to get my XBox/GTA fix" is good. You could also say "Time to show my XBox some love" (= give it your time/attention) or "Now for a little quality time with GTA" (= special time) ...


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## FS Markos

Thanks a million Chileno! I'll use 'Time to get my Xbox fix'.
I never heard those two in Spain. Probably they're used in South America. In Spain we only say 'viciarse a' and 'pegarse una viciada'. Cheers!


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## FS Markos

The word 'vicio' doesn't necessarily implies it's a bad habit, what is bad is the mere fact of getting addicted to something (And I wouldn't dare to say it is bad always). For example, in Spanish you can say 'Los regalices son un vicio' (To mean they're so tasty they become an addiction') and not imply that eating liquorice is a bad habit (Even though I think the mere fact of getting addicted to something is supposed to be bad.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. 
Cheers!


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## k-in-sc

Li*c*orice made me think of indulgences.
So you could say "Time to indulge in a little XBox/GTA."


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## FS Markos

Wow. I really love 'Time to show my XBox some love'. Could I say 'Time to show my GTA some love'?
And could you explain more in detail the expression 'Now for a little quality time with..'. I don't fully understand its exact meaning. 
Thanks a million dude!


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## k-in-sc

You're welcome, but I'm not a dude 

I would say "Time to show GTA some/a little love." It's the opposite of neglecting it. Examples


*quality time - definition of quality time by The Free Dictionary*

Time during which one focuses on or dedicates oneself to a person or activity: "Reading together is the ultimate *quality time*: cozy, educational, and a wonderful ...

Implies you are engaging in wholesome activities that strengthen your relationship. That's why "quality XBox/GTA time" is funny. Examples More examples


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## FS Markos

Excuse me miss haha. Your answers really came in handy. But, what does 'now for' mean in the example you gave? ('Now for a little quality time with GTA'). I'm sorry I'm going off the point, but that's the last thing I need to know in order to completely understand it.
Cheers


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## k-in-sc

(Not "miss" either -- anybody who spends any time at all playing video games definitely should call me "ma'am" )



*Principal Translations**And now*_interj_(next)y ahora _loc interj_ "And now," said the magician, "I will make a rabbit appear from this empty hat!" Y ahora -dijo el mago- haré aparecer un conejo de esta galera.*And now for*_interj_(presenting [sth])y ahora _loc interj_ "And now for our flagship product," said the salesman, moving on to the next slide. "Y ahora a por nuestro producto estrella" dijo el vendedor avanzando hacia el próximo artículo.


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## FS Markos

'Y ahora a por', that's what I was looking for. Great. Thanks a lot ma'am.


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## Alice_2.0

FS Markos said:
			
		

> Thanks a million Chileno! I'll use 'Time to get my Xbox fix'.
> I never heard those two in Spain. Probably they're used in South America. In Spain we only say 'viciarse a' and 'pegarse una viciada'. Cheers!



Nope, "enviciarse" is also said in Spain; at least here in the south. 

I also vote for "Time to get my XBox/GTA fix", by the way.


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## FS Markos

Thanks a lot for commenting Alice 
Lol. Yeah, you're right. http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=Enviciarse It does exist, but it means 'to become a vice' (?) according to Wordreference. However, in a gaming context we always say 'Me estoy viciando al GTA', 'Me estoy viciando al Fifa', nunca 'enviciando' (at least in Madrid). In fact, I can't even think of one sentence using the verb 'enviciarse' (one that sounds natural).
Cheers!


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## Alice_2.0

You're very welcome! 

Well, in a context like this we'd say "Estoy enviciado al GTA", it sounds quite natural to us; "Me estoy enviciando" is also said, and it means that you're getting addicted to it, but not in the sense of "Me estoy viciando", which means "estoy jugando", "me estoy pegando una buena viciada", etc.

Hope I explained myself clearly enough, haha.
Cheers!


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## Rubns

We also use "enviciarse" around here, but in the context you provided, we would normally say "viciarse". For example:

_- Voy a viciarme un rato a la Play_.

This would mean that I'm going to play quite a while on the PS, it has nothing to do with "vices" or "addictions", it just a "cool" way of expressing: "voy a jugar un buen rato a la Play". However, "enviciarse" would imply, for example, that you played more hours than you expected:

_- Anoche me envicié con el GTA y no dormí lo que tenía que dormir._

Cheers.


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## FS Markos

All right guys haha I give in: 'enviciarse' does exist and it's used in Spain. But it doesn't sound natural to me yet. I just asked my brother if we use 'enviciarse' in Madrid and he told me he thought that word didn't even exist haha. 
I believe that we almost always use 'engancharse a' in Madrid. And that's probably why 'enviciarse' sounds weird to us.
Thanks to both of you for commenting


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## k-in-sc

Voy a viciarme un rato a la Play: I'm going to hit the PlayStation

Anoche me envicié con el GTA y no dormí lo que tenía que dormir: Last night I got caught up playing GTA instead of getting a decent night's sleep


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## Alice_2.0

You're right *Rubns*, I forgot that; we also use "enviciarse" in the sense of playing too much, or, like I previously said, "pegarse una buena viciada". 

Cheers!


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## Alice_2.0

k-in-sc said:


> Voy a viciarme un rato a la Play: I'm going to hit the PlayStation
> 
> Anoche me envicié con el GTA y no dormí lo que tenía que dormir: Last night I got caught up playing GTA instead of getting a decent night's sleep



So interesting, thank you!


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## FS Markos

So, can 'to hit' mean 'to play' in an informal way (in a gaming context)? Thanks a lot again ma'am.


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## Gabriel

FS Markos said:


> The word 'vicio' doesn't necessarily implies it's a bad habit, what is bad is the mere fact of getting addicted to something (And I wouldn't dare to say it is bad always). For example, in Spanish you can say 'Los regalices son un vicio' (To mean they're so tasty they become an addiction') and not imply that eating liquorice is a bad habit (Even though I think the mere fact of getting addicted to something is supposed to be bad.
> Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
> Cheers!


FS,

In my opinion, "vicio" and "adiction" do have an intrinsic bad connotation in Spanish, because they mean that you do something in a compulsive way beyond your will (even if you really wanted to stop, you can't).

Now, the fact that you can use it in "sentido figurado" doesn't mean that it's not negative. When you say "Los regalices son un vicio" you really don't mean that they are a vice, what you mean is that they are very very good. But if you can spend a week with no regalice, then they are not a vice. And if you really cannot live without a bunch of them per day, and it's beyond your will, then it is a vice and it's bad.

Again, a vice, an addiction, is not just something tha you do a lot. It's something that you cannot stop doing even if you want to. Es una enfermedad.
If you really have a vice or are addicted to the Xbox, then you are sick and need professional treatment.


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## k-in-sc

You can stop calling me "ma'am" now, I feel like I'm talking to a call center 

I was using "hit the PlayStation" the same way you would say "hit the gym" or "hit the fridge."


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## Alice_2.0

k-in-sc said:


> You can stop calling me "ma'am" now, I feel like I'm talking to a call center
> 
> I was using "hit the PlayStation" the same way you would say "hit the gym" or "hit the fridge."



Could it be translated as "Meterle/Darle caña a la PlayStation"? Because that's how I'd translate "hit the gym" ("darle caña al gimnasio"), but not "hit the fridge", which would be something like "atracar la nevera".


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## donbeto

FS Markos said:


> So, can 'to hit' mean 'to play' in an informal way (in a gaming context)? Thanks a lot again ma'am.



Con certeza.

Hit the books = study.
Hit the hay = go to bed.

And don't call me ma'am either. But since you brought it up, according to tfd.com you were right in the first place. Still, I would refer to k-in-sc as _dudette._

*dude*
n.

*1. Informal An Easterner or city person who vacations on a ranch in the West.*

*2. Informal A man who is very fancy or sharp in dress and demeanor.*

*3. Slanga. A man; a fellow.
b. A person of either sex.​ 
*


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## FS Markos

Lol. Thanks to all of you guys.
First off, Gabriel,  you're right strictly talking, but I think nowadays the word 'vice' has lost a lot of its negative connotations: 90% of times we say 'vice' we're not talking about something you need professional treatment for (at least where I live).
Secondly, to clear up everything was said (since a lot of new information came up)
'To hit the Playstation / Xbox / GTA V: Viciarse ('jugar' in an informal way) a la Playstation / a la Xbox / al GTA V
'To hit the gym': 'To go to the gym' (?). Or does it mean 'to go to the gym and besides work out hard? (Alice said it's 'darle caña' in Spanish, that would normally be translated as to 'go hard', even though it depends on the situation).
'To hit the books': To study in an informal way
'To hit the fridge': To eat a lot (as Alice said 'Atracar la nevera'=To hold it up literally).
'To hit the hay' (slang): To go to sleep 

And lastly, is 'dudette' normally used instead of 'dude' for females, or not really?
Sorry if I overextended this, but I want everyone that reads this thread to get everything straight.
Thanks again to everyone for commenting, sharing your thoughts and helping people who want to learn (like me hehe).
Cheers.


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## chileno

k-in-sc said:


> *Voy a viciarme un rato a la Play*: I'm going to hit the PlayStation
> 
> Anoche me envicié con el GTA y no dormí lo que tenía que dormir: Last night I got caught up playing GTA instead of getting a decent night's sleep


Perfecto.

Aunque yo usaría "...*con* la Play"


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## Alice_2.0

FS Markos said:
			
		

> 'To hit the gym': 'To go to the gym' (?). Or does it mean 'to go to the gym and besides work out hard? (Alice said it's 'darle caña' in Spanish, that would normally be translated as to 'go hard', even though it depends on the situation).
> 'To hit the books': To study in an informal way
> 'To hit the fridge': To eat a lot (as Alice said 'Atracar la nevera'=To hold it up literally).



I'm thinking that, as you said, the meaning of "darle caña" depends on the situation; I could perfectly use that expression to simply mean I'm going to do something, not necessarily implying I'm "going hard" on it.

As for "to hit the fridge", I'm interested in knowing how natives would translate it to Spanish; just "comer (mucho)"? (it would sound weird in Spanish if I said "voy a comer mucho", while I go to the fridge and open it... though it would be different if I say "voy a comer" and then go and open the fridge; that does make sense).

Thanks in advance for any clarification.
Cheers!


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## FS Markos

Exactly, because if you're in your car with a friend of yours and he tells you 'dale caña' it means 'go faster' (like in the sense of 'go hard'), but if you post on Twitter 'Voy a darla caña al gimnasio' it just means you're heading there.
As for 'to hit the fridge', I think I'd translate it as 'pegarse un atracón' or 'zampar'. What do you think?
Cheers!


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## aldonzalorenzo

FS Markos said:


> All right guys haha I give in: 'enviciarse' does exist and it's used in Spain. But it doesn't sound natural to me yet. I just asked my brother if we use 'enviciarse' in Madrid and he told me he thought that word didn't even exist haha.


You both must be very young... Different language. To me, and I'm from Madrid, it's quite normal "enviciarse" but not "viciarse a", but I don't play video games and I hate them by the way: I think they are a real vice.


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## FS Markos

Haha I'm 18, so that maybe helps. Among young people 'viciarse a' is really common, and definitely sounds very natural.
 I must say 'viciarse a' means to spend time doing something and 'enviciarse a' means to get the bad habit (vice) of doing something. A teenager probably would say something like 'Tío, me estoy viciando al GTA que flipas', I can't imagine a teenager saying 'enviciando al GTA' at all. We'd normally use 'engancharse a', like in 'Mi amigo está enganchado a las tragaperras' or 'Me estoy enganchado al póker; creo que voy a dejar de apostar online'
Also, this shows us how language can vary a lot not just from regions but from age ranges.
So, in a nutshell, 'viciarse a' and 'enviciarse a' are two different things (related, but not necessarily the same).
Cheers.


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## Alice_2.0

FS Markos said:


> Haha I'm 18, so that maybe helps. Among young people 'viciarse a' is really common, and definitely sounds very natural.
> I must say 'viciarse a' means to spend time doing something and 'enviciarse a' means to get the bad habit (vice) of doing something. A teenager probably would say something like 'Tío, me estoy viciando al GTA que flipas', I can't imagine a teenager saying 'enviciando al GTA' at all. We'd normally use 'engancharse a', like in 'Mi amigo está enganchado a las tragaperras' or 'Me estoy enganchado al póker; creo que voy a dejar de apostar online'
> Also, this shows us how language can vary a lot not just from regions but from age ranges.
> So, in a nutshell, 'viciarse a' and 'enviciarse a' are two different things (related, but not necessarily the same).
> Cheers.



Related, not necessarily the same, *but which can actually mean the same*, depending on the region.  

After thinking about it, I've corrected one of my previous posts (there were actually two posts I wanted to correct, but it seems it's too late for one of them), where I stated we only use the construction "Me estoy enviciando" to mean we're getting addicted; we also use it in the sense of playing too much, like you use "Me estoy viciando". Besides, I've been talking to my uncle about this topic, and after taking a look at WR's dictionary, he's found this:

http://www.wordreference.com/definicion/enviciar

It seems "enviciar" would be the right word to express "Aficionarse demasiado a una cosa o excederse en su uso", despite the fact that "viciar" is widely used too. 

Cheers!


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## chileno

Alice_2.0 said:


> Related, not necessarily the same, *but which can actually mean the same*, depending on the region.
> 
> After thinking about it, I've corrected one of my previous posts (there were actually two posts I wanted to correct, but it seems it's too late for one of them), where I stated we only use the construction "Me estoy enviciando" to mean we're getting addicted; we also use it in the sense of playing too much, like you use "Me estoy viciando". Besides, I've been talking to my uncle about this topic, and after taking a look at WR's dictionary, he's found this:
> 
> http://www.wordreference.com/definicion/enviciar
> 
> It seems "enviciar" would be the right word to express "Aficionarse demasiado a una cosa o excederse en su uso", despite the fact that "viciar" is widely used too.
> 
> Cheers!



Correcto también, aquí la diferencia de uso es la edad más que otra cosa.


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## UltiMATE jugador

busque...
* "pegarme una viciada" *
...en google (con citas) para ver unos ejemplos de esta frase, dado que realmente no lo entendi por la descripciones en este hilo.  Al leer las frases que resultaron, me ocurrio la frase "_*get sucked into something*_" o "_*to get carried away with something"*_ en ingles, que quieren expresar la idea de hacer algo por demasiado tiempo (especialmente cuando al principio no tienes la intencion de hacerlo por mucho tiempo pero entonces se te olvida eso y terminas tardando mucho tiempo en hacerlo).

Por ejemplo, muchas veces cuando me meto en facebook solamente para escribirle un mensaje a un amigo, me destraigo con los posts de otros y acabo pasando hora y media en facebook cuando solo queria escribir un solo mensaje.  Por eso, siempre le digo a mis amigos que "I hate facebook because I always end up getting sucked into it!" o "I hate facebook because I always get carried away with reading everyone's post".


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## UltiMATE jugador

Pero esto de enviciase/viciarse/viciadas solamente se dice exclusivamente en referencia a los videojuegos? (o en caso de enviciarse, libros tambien)..... Por ejemplo, si voy a un bar solamente para saludar a un amigo y sin querer quedarme mucho tiempo, y entonces el amigo me invita a unos chupitos y entonces me doy cuenta que son las tres de la manana y tengo que estar en el trabajo en cinco horas, ¿puedo decir que "anoche me envicie en el bar" o "anoche me pegue una viciada en el bar" o "anoche me enganche en el bar"?

O si quiero "spend some quality time with my dog" o "watching the Simpsons", entonces puedo decir que es "hora de viciarme a mi perro" o "voy a viciarme a los Simpsons"?


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## tonguingaround

How about these:

"Time to get the buzz off XBox/GTA"
"Time to overdose on XBox/GTA"
"Time to trip on XBox/GTA"


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