botar de menos / botar unha man
Idioms with Botar
Botar literally means to throw, but it builds many idioms: Bótote de menos (I miss you), Bótasme unha man? (can you give me a hand?).
How It Works
Common idioms with botar
- botar de menos = to miss someone or something: Bótote moito de menos (I miss you a lot).
- botar unha man = to lend a hand: Bótasme unha man coas caixas?
- botar a culpa (or botar as culpas) = to blame: Sempre me bota a culpa a min.
- botar unha ollada = to take a look: Bótalle unha ollada a este texto.
- botar + time = to spend time: Botei toda a mañá limpando a casa.
Who is the object?
- In botar de menos, the person you miss is the direct object: Bótote de menos, Botámola de menos (we miss her). After a verb ending in -s, a becomes la: see lo and la after -r and -s.
- In botar unha man, botar a culpa and botar unha ollada, the object is already unha man, a culpa or unha ollada. The person is an indirect object: Bótalle unha man a teu pai. See indirect object pronouns.
A note on botar de menos. This is the everyday way to say to miss. The Real Academia Galega dictionary describes it as a calque and records botar en falta (to notice that someone or something is missing): Ao chegar á casa, botou en falta a carteira. For missing a person, careful writing also uses sentir a falta de.
Botar a + infinitive is different: it means to suddenly start doing something. See botar a + infinitive.
Examples (6)
- Bótote moito de menos.
I miss you a lot.
Te is the direct object: the person you miss.
- Bótasme unha man coas caixas?
Can you give me a hand with the boxes?
Me is an indirect object: the person who gets the help.
- Sempre me bota a culpa a min.
He always blames me.
- Bótalle unha ollada a este texto.
Take a look at this text.
- Botei toda a mañá limpando a casa.
I spent the whole morning cleaning the house.
Botar + a length of time means to spend that time.
- Ao chegar á casa, botou en falta a carteira.
When he got home, he noticed his wallet was missing.
Botar en falta is the form recorded by the Real Academia Galega dictionary.
Common Mistakes
Using the Spanish verb echar.
Échote de menos.Bótote de menos.Galician uses botar; echar is not the Galician verb here.
Starting the sentence with the pronoun.
Te boto de menos.Bótote de menos.A sentence cannot start with an unstressed pronoun, so it goes after the verb.
Using the Spanish word mano.
Bótasme unha mano?Bótasme unha man?The Galician word for hand is man.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Botar idioms have different object roles according to the whole expression.
Related Patterns
- botar a + InfinitiveSuddenly Starting: Botar a
Another use of botar, meaning to suddenly start doing something.
Level 4 - Pronouns After the Verb
Explains why the pronoun follows the verb in Bótote de menos.
Level 2 - lo, la After -r and -sPronoun Forms Lo and La After -r and -s
Explains forms such as botámola.
Level 2 - Avoiding Spanish Interference
Echar and mano are common Spanish interferences.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice botar de menos / botar unha man in Bubblegum
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