Sympathy

sympathy (n): is a feeling of compassion or of pity for another person's suffering. (compasión)
  • We could only express our sympathy for her loss.
  • I have no sympathy for any bullfighters who are gored. They deserve to suffer in my opinion.

to sympathise / sympathize:  is to understand and care about somebody's problems. (compadecerse)
  • I can sympathise with you. I know how hard it is when you lose your job.
  • We sympathize with your situation but we don't see how we can help you.

sympathetic (adj): describes someone who shows they care for another's difficult situation. (comprensivo)
  • Her boss was very sympathetic. He allowed her to have time off to look after her sick mother.
  • Everyone I talked to at Telefonica was sympathetic but they couldn't sort out the problem.

Notice how you translate the following:

simpatía - friendliness
  • The Scots are renowned for their friendliness.
simpatizar - to get on with sb, to like sb
  • She's the colleague who I got on best with.
simpático - nice, friendly, pleasant
  • I really like my new classmates. They are all very nice.

Write some examples of your own with the above examples.

Comments

Lucía said…
I have stadied these false friends. In my opinion they are difficult because the words are very similar but the meanings are very different.

I sympathise whith the spaniers because there are many false friends in english lenguage.
I have no friendliness for the boxer, I can't get on with that kind of sports.

I like Jose, he's very pleasant or nice. I have a lot of friendliness for Segovia's people.

bye Graham and Jose,

Lucía.
Graham said…
Hi Lucía!

There are loads of false friends - there is a post with an exercise and links to a FF list on 10 Nov 2007.

I sympathise with the Spaniards/Spanish because there are many false friends in the English language.

I have no sympathy for boxers, I can't stand that kind of sports.

I really like people from Segovia.


I disagree with your comment about boxing. I think it's a great sport.

But of course I couldn't agree more with your comment about José. lol
lucia said…
Thanks, I look up the false friends (FF) on the blog.

Do you like the boxing, actualy?. I don't believe.

I'm looking forward to Jose's comments...

Bye
Anonymous said…
Hi Graham and Lucía

Congratulations, Lucía has come back. I´m very glad because she has talked about me and she has signed as Lucía not lacatalana. Your blog, Graham, is fun, specially for people with sense of mood. However I have seriously take the saying of Lucía and I have read several times. Don´t laugh you. It´s very difficult that somebody says enjoyable something in this fast world, although it was in joke.

In the second place, I before told my friends that I had an exceptional workmate and English classmate. She was intelligent, funny and good person. I said that she was called Lucía. My friends said: ¡What beautiful name! If now they ask me: ¿How called your workmate? I can´t say that she is called “lacatalana”. I think this name sounds bad.

Graham, please, I say you sorry, are you sure that the boxing is a sport?


See you. José.
Graham said…
Hi Lucía and José!

I'll kill two elephants with the same rifle - do you like this new saying? It's in honour of HM.

I think boxing requires great skill as well as strength. It's an exciting spectacle to watch. And of course, it is a much fairer contest than the horrendous barbarism that takes place around Spain. The boxer's mates don't jump into the boxing ring the moment he is in trouble, unlike the bullring.

Lucía: Do you really like boxing? I can't believe it.

José: Your blog, Graham, is fun, especially for people with a sense of humour. However I have taken seriously what Lucía said and I have read it several times. Don´t laugh. It´s very difficult that somebody says something nice in this fast world, even if it was said in jest.

Secondly, I told my friends that I had an exceptional workmate and English classmate. She was intelligent, funny and a good person. I said that she was called Lucía. My friends said: ¡What a beautiful name! If now they ask me: ¿what is your colleague called?I can´t say that she is called “lacatalana”. I think this name sounds bad.

Are you sure that boxing is a sport?


See you both on Tuesday.



Graham, please, I say you sorry, are you sure that the boxing is a sport?
Gus said…
A good person feels sympathy for beings who suffer, sympathizes with them and are always sympathetic.
Graham said…
Hello Gus,

The world could do with more sympathetic people.