Hello! This week on
"Ask
a Teacher", we will answer a
question from Moham Madreza from
Iran about the difference between
FAMOUS and POPULAR.
about: aobre, acerca de;
QUESTION:
Dear teachers, Would you please let
us know difference between the words
POPULAR and FAMOUS; and how to use
them in our day-to-day speech?
Thanks, Moham Madreza.
let us know: explicarnos;
between: entre (dos elementos);
how to use them: cómo usarlas;
day-to-day speech: conversación
diaria;
ANSWER:
Dear Moham Madreza, Thanks for
writing to us and asking this
question. FAMOUS and POPULAR are
both adjectives. The words may seem
similar, but their meanings are very
different. Let’s start with FAMOUS.
may seem similar: pueden
parecer similares; their meanings:
sus significados; let's start
with: comencemos con/por;
FAMOUS
"Famous" means known or recognized
by many people. We often use the
word when describing people.
For example, movie actors, singers
and professional
athletes can be
described as famous.
For example:
famous: famoso/a, célebre;
when describing: cuando
describimos; actors: actores,
actrices; singers: cantantes;
athletes: atletas, deportistas;
as famous: como famosos;
Taylor Swift is a FAMOUS singer-songwriter.
Taylor Swift es una FAMOSA
cantante y compositora.
Some famous people are known
to people around the world. Others
may be famous in their home country.
Places can be famous, too. For
example, the Eiffel Tower in France
and the pyramids in Egypt are very
famous.
are known to people: son
conocidas por la gente; around
the world: en todo el mundo;
the pyramids in Egypt: las
pirámides de Egipto;
POPULAR
Now let’s talk about "popular".
POPULAR means liked or enjoyed by
many people.
One way we use POPULAR is to talk
about trends
like “popular fashion”
or “popular styles”.
For example:
now let's talk about: ahora
hablemos sobre; popular: muy
concurrido o frecuentado; liked
or enjoyed: apreciado o
disfrutado; one way we use:
una forma de usar; about trends:
sobre tendencias; popular
fashion/style: moda/estilo
popular;
The bucket hat was a POPULAR trend
in the 1990s, and now younger
generations are wearing it again
today.
El sombrero de pescador
fue una tendencia POPULAR en la
década de 1990, y ahora las
generaciones más jóvenes lo están
usando nuevamente.
We also use POPULAR to talk
about people. For example, there are
“popular students” at school. These
people are generally well-liked by
people in their class. They are not
famous, though. People outside of
the school probably do not know who
they are.
popular studentsx: estudiantes
queridos o apreciados; well-liked:
querido/a (por los demás); by
people: por la gente; though:
no obstante, sin embargo; outside
the school: fuera de la escuela;
who they are: quienes son;
Places can also be described as
POPULAR. If we describe a place as
popular, we mean a lot of people
like to go there.
a place as popular: un lugar
como muy frecuentado;
THE DIFFERENCE
FAMOUS and POPULAR mean different
things. Just because someone is
popular does not mean the person is
famous. And some famous people might
not be especially popular.
just because someone is popular:
que alguien sea popular; does not
mean the person is famous: no
significa que la persona sea famosa;
might no be: podrían no ser;
Let us compare these two
examples:
let us compare:
comparemos
(a) This restaurant is FAMOUS.
(a) Este restaurant es FAMOSO.
In this example, we are saying that many people know about this restaurant.
Maybe it has become known for a special kind of food it serves. Maybe it
appeared on a television show.
for a special kind
of food it serves: por un plato especial de comida que sirve; maybe it
appeared on a television show: quizás fue publicitado por televisión;
(b) This restaurant is POPULAR.
(b) Este restaurant es MUY FRECUENTADO.
In this example, we are saying that many people go to the restaurant. But it may
just be the local population that knows about it.
but it may just be:
pero es posible que sea sólo; the local population that knows aboiut it:
la población local quienes lo conozcan (lo cual no lo convierte en FAMOSO).
And that’s
"Ask a Teacher". I’m Faith Pirlo.
