13 replies to this topic

[lakeheron]

How does one say this phrase in this sense: Why doesn't my bill arrive in time to pay it before my service is cut off. I just need the "in time" part of the sentence.

Thanks.

[RVGRINGO]

"a tiempo"

[lakeheron]

Thanks.

[bmh]

a cerveza a tiempo in Oaxaca means room temperature, I guess it could be just in the nick of time too...

[Betsy]

...antes de la fecha limite de pago (o corto)

The answer is: Porque el problema es tuyo....

[lakeheron]

LOL, betsy, es mas o menos lo que me respondieron!

[doberwoman]

a cerveza a tiempo in Oaxaca means room temperature, I guess it could be just in the nick of time too...

almost right, but it must be cerveza "aL tiempo", and not only in Oaxaca, in all Mexico, a beverage "al tiempo" means room temperature (not from the cooler). Because a tiempo (missing L) means in time....
I am an expert on that, because I get sick usually if I dring some cool beverage or with ice, so I ask for aaaallll my drinks "al tiempo"...

By the way Lkeheron, go to www.cfe.gob.mx and set a user and password, they you will be able to see your CFE bill anyway on time....and better, go to your bank and get the cfe bill ("domiciliado") that means, it will be charged automaticaly to your bank account. I do that and have forgotten to pay cfe .... if you need help to set the user in cfe site, pm me, I will help u....

[Griffin]

You can also pay online.

[More Liana]

Doberwoman, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the use of 'al tiempo' to describe a beverage served at room temperature is incorrect. The correct term, as other posters have mentioned, is 'a tiempo'.

[bmh]

Thanks More Liana, I could have been wrong since the only place I have ever been offered room temperature beer is at the huge fiestas in Oaxaca and for many of the people there Spanish is a second language but in the village they say a tiempo...correct or not.

[Cabreado]

"a temperatura ambiente" is the non-idomatic way to say room temperature. In EdoMex we say "al tiempo" and I always thought this was correct mexican spanish. In other countries it can be different with the idiomatic use of prepositions.

[bmh]

Oaxaca is in Mexico.

[doberwoman]

"a temperatura ambiente" is the non-idomatic way to say room temperature. In EdoMex we say "al tiempo" and I always thought this was correct mexican spanish. In other countries it can be different with the idiomatic use of prepositions.

yes, I am with Cabreado (por qué estás cabreado?) in this. why? porque los mexicanos decimos al tiempo como "room temperature" y a tiempo como "on time" Oaxaca, yes, is part of México. What he meant (Cabreado) was that maybe in Monterrey or Chiapas, people use " a tiempo" about temperature, but in Oaxaca, Mexico City and Chapala, we say aL tiempo for room temperatue....

Believe me, we, Mexicans know about our own language....

When you say "I want my tea "a tiempo" , the mexican waitress understand that you want the tea room temperature, because if you wanted your tea on time could be rude....but, yes, some time and in certain places, we need to have our drinks and food on time....sometimes waitress last toooooooo much!

[Cabreado]

¡Hola doberwoman! ¿Qué tal? Estoy trabjando aplicadamente en mis estudios de español. Tengo varios años con ello, después de tantos años de holgazanear. <<Cabreado>> es un vocablo en mi lista de vocabulario, por consiguiente decidí usarlo. Yo pensaba que era una palabra más española que mexicana. Bueno, ¿eres mexicana? entonces eres casi la única que he encontrado en los foros de inglés en méxico. Un saludo con toda la fuerza y la suerte posible que te puedo enviar.