skimming
/skimminɡ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the English noun skimming (referring to a type of reading) can be expressed in several ways depending on the context.
For a formal description of the act of looking through a text for a general idea, you can use Revisión rápida. If you wish to describe a superficial glance or a brief overview of a document, the formal phrase Ojeada superficial is used.
Meaning: said of a reading (noun)
Which one should you use?
For a more casual way to say you have looked at a document, use the informal phrase Echar una ojeada, which translates literally to 'to throw a glance'.
How do you pronounce it?
/skimminɡ/
Did you know?
- The verb hojear, which means to flip through pages, is a phonetic twin to ojear, meaning to glance. While they sound identical, the former comes from hoja, meaning 'leaf' or 'sheet of paper'.
- While 'skimming' in English is a specific reading technique, the Spanish hojear is uniquely tied to the physical action of handling paper, derived from the word hoja, meaning 'leaf' or 'sheet'.
- The word revisión used in revisión rápida shares a root with the English word 'revision', but in Spanish, it often implies a 'check' or 'inspection' rather than just changing a text.
Examples in context
- No tuve tiempo de leerlo todo, solo le eché un vistazoI didn't have time to read it all, I just skimmed through it
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are studying in the library.
- ElenaMateo, ¿ya terminaste de leer el artículo?Mateo, did you finish reading the article?
- MateoNo, solo estoy haciendo skimming por ahora.No, I'm just skimming for now.
- ElenaEso ayuda a encontrar las ideas principales.That helps in finding the main ideas.
- MateoSí, así ahorro mucho tiempo.Yes, that way I save a lot of time.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
