suffer

[ratóncolorao]

Would it be ok to say I have been suffering this situation in my own skin?

Thanks a lot :roll:

 

[Barb_D]

Hi,
Not really. Can you say in other words what you want to say?

 

[ratóncolorao]

Sorry, I can't find any other expression. But I'll try to explain what I mean.
Imagine you have already suffered an unpleasant expecience, or at least you have been into a situation where you don't feel at ease. Later in life, you may say to someone who is experiencing that same process : well, I know how you feel because I have been there. "I have suffered it in my own flesh/skin ...." I am searching for a suitable expression/idiom. In Spanish we say "lo he sufrido en mis propias carnes" in case it may be of help.

Thank you for your help :-D

 

[bhaisahab]

Sorry, I can't find any other expression. But I'll try to explain what I mean.
Imagine you have already suffered an unpleasant expecience, or at least you have been into a situation where you don't feel at ease. Later in life, you may say to someone who is experiencing that same process : well, I know how you feel because I have been there. "I have suffered it in my own flesh/skin ...." I am searching for a suitable expression/idiom. In Spanish we say "lo he sufrido en mis propias carnes" in case it may be of help.

Thank you for your help :-D

I don't think there is a corresponding idiom in English, maybe we should adopt it, it's very expressive.

 

[ratóncolorao]

Someone has just sent this expression to me:

"But it is also an insult to the people of Benito Juárez, who have suffered in the flesh the voracity of their powerful neighbor"

:?:

 

[Raymott]

Someone has just sent this expression to me:

"But it is also an insult to the people of Benito Juárez, who have suffered in the flesh the voracity of their powerful neighbor"

:?:

This looks like a translation of a Spanish writer. That means it might work in a literary context, especially when the translator wants to remain faithful to the text.
In general, though, you can't translate idioms word for word from one language to another and expect to be understood.

 

[mmasny]

This looks like a translation of a Spanish writer. That means it might work in a literary context, especially when the translator wants to remain faithful to the text.
In general, though, you can't translate idioms word for word from one language to another and expect to be understood.

But sometimes you can and some idioms come to life this way

 

[Raymott]

But sometimes you can and some idioms come to life this way

Certainly.

 

[Barb_D]

Absolutely we do:
I have stood in your shoes.

 

[BobK]

But sometimes you can and some idioms come to life this way

Indeed. But most people would just say something like 'I've been in your shoes' - which isn't as visceral. In fact, the pallor of this idiom makes it more likely that they may tend to adopt the Spanish image. They haven't adopted it en masse yet though.

b

 

[BobK]

PS Now I think about it, 'in your shoes' doesn't even come close - it's more often used in imagined situations of impending 'badness': 'I wouldn't like to be in your shoes when he finds out; he'll be hopping mad.'

b

 

[Barb_D]

Hmm. Your use is quite a bit more limited than what I see, Bob.

Sure, your example would work too, but things like "I've been in your shoes. I know how hard this is, but it gets better" works too.

Myth has it that it was originally a Native American expression, about not judging someone until you've walked a mile in their moccasins. Maybe that's utter bunk, but it still carries that sense of being and feeling what they are going through.

 

[BobK]

Our replies more or less coincided*, and my 'not even close' was directed at me - (when I wrote it I hadn't seen your suggestion).

And you're right - my usage is narrow. I think the hypothetical 'if I was in your shoes' is just as common, if not more so. ;-)

b

PS * The forum software does strange things. My posts were time-stamped several minutes before yours. :-? ;-)