ahórrame
/aorame/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'spare me' is translated into Spanish as ahórrame.
A request for someone to stop talking or avoid giving a particular explanation because it is tedious or unnecessary.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, ahórrame translates to 'save me' or 'spare me' (as in saving someone from a burden or an expense).
Which one should you use?
If you want to tell someone to 'spare themselves' the trouble or the explanation, you use the reflexive form ahórrate.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix '-me' is an enclitic pronoun meaning 'to me' or 'for me', attached to the end of the imperative verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/aorame/
Did you know?
- If you are truly in danger and want to be 'spared' from harm, you would not use ahórrame but instead use the verb perdonar or apiadarse.
- The verb ahorrar is a linguistic cousin to the English word 'hoard', as both describe the act of accumulating and protecting a resource for future use.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, using ahórrame during a heated argument can be seen as an aggressive 'shut down' rather than a simple request for brevity.
Examples in context
- Oh por favor, ahórrame el melodrama.Oh please, spare me the sob story.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use ahórrame when dismissing melodrama.Tatoeba #1210189 by marcelostockle, translation #569061 by darinmex
- Ahórreme los detalles, por favor.Spare me the details, please.
- Por favor, ahórrame los detalles innecesarios.Please, spare me the unnecessary details.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are arguing about a mistake.
- MateoYa sé que lo sientes mucho.I know you're very sorry.
- MaríaPero déjame explicarte por qué pasó.But let me explain to you why it happened.
- MateoNo, ahórrame la explicación.No, spare me the explanation.
- MaríaEstá bien, no diré nada más.Fine, I won't say anything else.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
