Is there a way to say "frugal" in Spanish that is positive, not pejoritive? Question: is there a positive way in Spanish to say that a person is "frugal"? My teacher and two heritage classmates coul

Alaric

Is there a way to say "frugal" in Spanish that is positive, not pejoritive? Question: is there a positive way in Spanish to say that a person is "frugal"? My teacher and two heritage classmates could only think of pejorative Spanish words. In this iTalki post (http://www.italki.com/entry/473032) that I made this morning, two native speakers turn my word "frugal" into something else. Also, if there isn't a positive way to say "frugal" in Spanish, is this related to cultural values? I come from a culture that values frugality as a virtue.

Sep 16, 2014 3:29 PM

Answers · 18

Como dice Jorge, es un adjetivo asociado a comer y beber poco,(según el DRAE) por lo tanto una forma positiva es la frase. "Yo soy frugal en mis comidas para mantener un peso adecuado".

September 16, 2014

Google Translate suggests "ahorrativo" for "thrifty".

September 16, 2014

You mean moderate with food? You could say that someone is moderado para comer, thats a virtue. Tell me what it means for you en English and I can answer with a virtue :) Thx, Alejo.

September 16, 2014

Philip, maybe there are few charity shops in Spain and that is a real pity but -apart from Humana- I can think now of Tiendas solidarias from Fundación Vicente Ferrer, Intermón Oxfam and Cruz Roja among many others that are mostly available online. Besides that, there are plenty of ordinary shops/restaurants complying with the Comercio Justo seal. But I do agree with you in saying that Spanish mentality and buying second-hand items is (still) not a good match. How is it in your country?

September 19, 2014

Frugal se utiliza por ejemplo cuando nos referimos a poca cantidad, insuficiente, p.ej. 'esta comida ha sido frugal'. Muchas veces lleva implícito un sentido negativo, como en el ejemplo, en el que se sobreentiende una crítica velada al que ha preparado la comida porque nos hemos quedado con hambre. Posiblemente se pueda encontrar algún ejemplo neutro, sin negatividad añadida, pero en mi opinión, en la mayoría de los casos existe ese sentido un poco negativo.

September 17, 2014

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