no tirar
/no tiɾaɾ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "do not throw away" is no tirar.
No tirar is an instruction used to tell someone not to discard an item in the trash. The infinitive form no tirar is commonly used on signs or written instructions where the subject is implied.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of no (not) and tirar (to throw/to cast).
How does it change in a sentence?
When giving direct commands, the form changes based on the person you are addressing. To tell a single friend or someone you know informally, use no tires. If you are giving a direct command to a stranger or someone in a formal context, use no tire. To tell a group of people not to throw something away, use no tiren.
How do you pronounce it?
/no tiɾaɾ/
Did you know?
- The verb tirar is a linguistic paradox because it means both 'to throw' and 'to pull'. You will often see the same word on a door handle meaning 'pull' and on a trash bin meaning 'throw'.
- The Spanish idiom tirar la casa por la ventana uses the verb tirar to describe spending a lavish amount of money, literally meaning 'to throw the house out the window'.
- While it is used in Spanish today, the word tirar originates from the Vulgar Latin tīrāre, which was the spoken language of common people rather than Classical Latin.
Examples in context
- No lo tire, por favor. Es importante conservarlo.Please do not throw it away. It is important to keep it.
- No lo tires, lo puedo reparar.Don't throw it away, I can fix it.
- No tirar los papeles viejos.Do not throw away the old papers.
- Por favor, no tirar la comida sobrante.Please, do not throw away the leftover food.
- Es importante no tirar la ropa que no sirve.It is important not to throw away the clothes that are no longer useful.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are cleaning the living room together.
- LucíaMateo, no tirar ese folleto verde.Mateo, do not throw away that green brochure.
- Mateo¿Por qué? Parece viejo.Why? It looks old.
- LucíaTiene la dirección del restaurante.It has the address of the restaurant.
- MateoEstá bien, lo guardo entonces.All right, I will keep it then.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries no, tirar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
