This week we answer a question from
Julio in Peru. He writes:
QUESTION:
I
would like to know the difference
between BUY and PURCHASE and when to
use each of them. -- Julio,
Lima, Peru.
I would
like to know: quisiera conocer; between: entre; buy: comprar
(informal); purchase: adquirir (formal); when to use: cuando
utilizar; each of them: cada uno;
ANSWER:
Dear Julio,
Thanks for asking about these words.
As you know, "buy" and "purchase"
can be used in similar sentences.
They can both be used either as a
noun or a verb.
thanks
for ASKING: gracias por CONSULTAR (thanks for + ING verb); as you
know: como sabes; can be used: pueden usarse; they can be both be
used: ambos pueden ser usados; as a noun or a verb: como sustantivo o
verbo;
DIFFERENCE
One difference between them is how
formal they sound. Compare the
following sentences. Put "buy" or
"purchase" in the space.
how formal
they sound: qué nivel de formalidad tienen; compare: compara;
I would like to ______ a new
home.
Quisiera
COMPRAR una nueva casa.
She wants to ______ a hamburger.
Ella quiere
COMPRAR una hamburguesa.
Like most English speakers, I would
say PURCHASE for the home and BUY for the hamburger. You
probably wonder, why does English
have two words with exactly the same
meaning?
like most:
como la mayoría de los; you probably wonder: probablemente te preguntes;
with exactly: con exactamente; the same meaning: significado similar;
WORDS HISTORY
We can understand this better with a
little history. English developed
from the languages of Germanic
tribes of Northern Europe. Words
from that time are what we call
Anglo-Saxon.
better:
mejor; a little history: un poco de historia; developed from: se
desarrolló a partir de; Germanic tribes: tribus germánicas; Northen
Europe: Europa del Norte; what we call: lo que denominamos; Anglo-Saxon:
anglosajonas;
In the year 1066,
William the Conqueror and his forces
began to take over England. William
was from Normandy, in France. For
the next 300 years, everyone in
English courts and in government
spoke French. English was a language
for everyday use.
William the Conqueror:
William el Conquistador (William el 1°, rey de Inglaterra en el siglo 11);
his forces: sus ejércitos; began to take over: comenzaron a ocupar;
for the next 300 years: durante los siguientes 300 años; English courts:
cortes británicas; for everyday use: de uso común (en las calles);
As a result, French had a great
effect on the English language:
about 10,000 French words were added
to English. We still use many of
them today. As you might suspect,
English speakers use the French
words for more formal situations and
the Anglo-Saxon words for common
ideas and things.
as a result:
como consecuencia; French had a great effect on: el idioma francés tuvo
gran efecto sobre; were added to: fueron incorporadas al; we still use
them: todavía las usamos; as you might suspect: como se podría
suponer;
One way you can tell the difference
between the French words and the
Anglo-Saxon words is their length.
Anglo-Saxon words, like “buy,” are
often short, while “purchase” and
other French words are longer.
one way you
can tell: una forma de diferenciar; is their length: es su longitud;
are often short: generalmente son cortas; while: mientras que; are
longer: son más largas;
BUY
Julio asked how to use BUY and
PURCHASE. We usually use BUY as
a verb. For example,
I will buy food for the party.
Compraré
comida para la fiesta.
It is not so common to see BUY as
a noun, but you do find it in cases
like this:
The police stopped a drug buy on
the street.
La policía
detuvo una compra de droga en la calle.
it is not so
common: no es tan común; to see "BUY" as a noun: encontrar "BUY" como
sustantivo; a drug buy: una compra de droga;
PURCHASE
We often use the verb PURCHASE for
when legal documents are involved,
such as in:
The government purchased a new
contract for 1,000 airplanes.
El gobierno
adquirió (firmó) un nuevo contrato por 1.000 aviones.
And you should use PURCHASE when
you need a noun form, as in:
You made a smart purchase when
you bought gas before the price went
up.
Hiciste una compra inteligente
cuando compraste gas antes de que el
precio subiera.
for when legal documents are
involved: en situaciones que
involucran documentos legales (como
un contrato); and you should use:
y se debería utilizar "PURCHASE";
when you need a noun form:
cuando se requiere una forma
sustantivada; as in: como
sucede en; the price went up:
el precio subiera;
In summary, try to use BUY for
simple actions, and PURCHASE for
more formal exchanges of money for
goods.
I’m Jill Robbins.
in summary: resumiendo;
try to use: trata de usar;
BUY for simple actions: COMPRAR
para acciones de compra simples;
PURCHASE for more formal exchanges
of money for goods: ADQUIRIR
para intercambios de dinero por
mercaderías más formales.