atención no deseada
/atenθjon no deseada/from spelling rules
atención no deseada is the Spanish phrase for unwanted attention.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of atención (attention), no (not) and deseada (desired/wanted).
Which one should you use?
While atención no deseada is a direct translation, in many contexts a native speaker might use atención indeseada to sound slightly more formal or precise.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because atención is a feminine singular noun, the adjective deseada must also be in the feminine singular form. To express the plural 'unwanted attentions', both the noun and the adjective must take the plural feminine ending: atenciones no deseadas.
How do you pronounce it?
/atenθjon no deseada/
Did you know?
- If you are receiving unwanted attention in a social setting in Spain, you might describe the person as being pesado, which literally translates to 'heavy'.
- The phrase prestar atención means to 'pay attention', but prestar literally means 'to lend'.
- The word atención shares a root with the English word 'tension'. Both come from the Latin 'tendere' which means to stretch or tighten.
Examples in context
- Estoy bastante incómodo con toda esa atención no deseada que estoy recibiendo últimamente.I feel quite uncomfortable with all the unwanted attention I've been receiving lately.
- Ella quiere evitar la atención no deseada.She wants to avoid unwanted attention.
- Recibió mucha atención no deseada en la fiesta.She received a lot of unwanted attention at the party.
Example conversation
María and Daniel are talking about a party they attended.
- MaríaMe sentí incómoda por la atención no deseada de algunos.I felt uncomfortable because of the unwanted attention from some people.
- DanielLo siento mucho, María. ¿Pasó algo más?I'm very sorry, María. Did anything else happen?
- MaríaNo, pero preferiría no tener esa atención no deseada.No, but I would prefer not to have that unwanted attention.
- DanielTienes razón, Daniel estará atento la próxima vez.You're right, Daniel will be mindful next time.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atención, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
