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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

estuve vagando.

English translation:

I drifted around

Added to glossary by Cecilia Gowar
Mar 7, 2011 12:42
13 yrs ago
Spanish term

estuve vagando.

Spanish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Aquel viernes salí de la biblioteca y estuve vagando. Tipo taxi, exactamente, pero todavía más a la deriva que un taxi, porque yo ni siquiera tenía la obligación de buscar un pasajero.

Is it not normally the case that 'estar vagando' is accompanied by "por" to mean roaming/wandering? If this is the case, does the expression refer then to a state of mind? Although taking the sentence that follows it into account refutes this idea. The only thing that comes to my mind is; went for a wander/went wandering through the streets. I've add the compliment since in English the verb requires some type of compliment; whereas in Spanish it doesn't appear to be the case.

Can anyone shed some light on the issue?
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 I drifted around
4 +1 I wandered, aimless,
4 +1 wandered about/around.
4 and I set out for no place in particular
4 went roaming the streets
4 I drove around aimlessly
3 +1 I hit the streets, like a cabbie looking to pick up a fare, except that...
4 roamed around
Change log

Mar 21, 2011 11:55: Cecilia Gowar Created KOG entry

Discussion

Paul García Mar 7, 2011:
Yeah; he's on foot... Had to chuckle when I saw "I wandered lonely as a cloud...;" that's pretty close...
Yeah; he's on foot...
Howelian (X) (asker) Mar 7, 2011:

14:15 [Click here to delete your post] [Click here to edit your post]


Simon, in response to your question; yes, the person talking is on foot.

Regards
FVS (X) Mar 7, 2011:
On seeing this I can't help thinking of I wandered lonely as a cloud........
Jenni Lukac (X) Mar 7, 2011:
If you want to study the exceptional constructions of ser and estar, I recommend "Spanish Verbs: Ser and Estar" Juan and Susan Serrano, published by Hippocrene Language Studies (New York) if it is still in print.
Howelian (X) (asker) Mar 7, 2011:
That's what I needed to be sure of; that it had the same meaning (wandering/roaming) with/out the complement.

Thanks
Alistair Ian Spearing Ortiz Mar 7, 2011:
It does mean he went wandering through the streets. But in Spanish you don't always need the complement.

Proposed translations

+3
33 mins
Selected

I drifted around

That would be my choice in this context:

I drifted around like a ghost, staying in the background, jotting impressions down in my small notebook.
http://xrayer.blogspot.com/2010/10/notes-from-paranormal-exp...

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Note added at 3 hrs (2011-03-07 16:28:47 GMT)
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The reason why I did not propose "wandered around" (the first option I considered) is because it is generally followed by the place: wandered around the city, the place, everywhere, etc.
Peer comment(s):
agree Denise DeVries : I like this because it could be mental or physical wandering.
20 mins
Thanks Denise!
neutral Maria Krismancich : you also have to consider that in the next sentence, the narrator goes on to describe his "vagando" with the term "a la deriva". I think the term "drifting around" would be better applied here (IMO)
51 mins
You cannot apply it because that is not what the original says. I would translate it as "even more adrift".
agree Lorraine Bathurst : I would add aimlessly - I drifted around aimlessly
5 hrs
Thanks Lori! I would not add aimlessly though.
agree AD27 : To drift implies moving around aimlessly so I don't think aimlessly is necessary.
3 days 22 hrs
Thanks AD27!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
12 mins

and I set out for no place in particular

Its correct sage and literally means: I was/went wandering... Examples with other verbs: Que estuve caminando, toda la noche caminando. Que estuve caminando y entonces te encontré. Tus ojos vi brillar, como en nadie jamás. ...
proyectoverdi.bandcamp.com/track/estuve-caminando - En caché; Hoy estuve caminando por la av Urdaneta y ví un periódico que creía desaparecido: Crónica policial con imágenes más crudas q las de El Nac ...
twitoaster.com/.../hoy-estuve-caminando-por-la-av-urdaneta-y-vi-un-periodico-que-creia-desaparecido-cronica-policial-con-ima... - En caché
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15 mins

went roaming the streets

Otra opción.
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23 mins
Spanish term (edited): estuve vagando

I drove around aimlessly

Judging by the following sentence, isn't the narrator is driving a car? I'm not sure wandering/roaming etc. work in that context as they give the impression of being on foot.
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

I wandered, aimless,

I prefer use of the adjective (instead of an adverb) here—wish I could justify it with more than an orthographic or 'artistic' reason. It sounds better.
Peer comment(s):
agree Natalia Pedrosa (X)
22 mins
Something went wrong...
+1
4 hrs

I hit the streets, like a cabbie looking to pick up a fare, except that...

"I hit the streets, like a cabbie looking to pick up a fare, except that my route was even more erratic, since I wasn't looking to see if anyone was hailing me"

(to hail a taxi means to signal to the taxi driver to stop)
Peer comment(s):
agree AD27 : I have to say, your suggestion is really creative ;-)
3 days 18 hrs
thanks so much, and wishing you a pleasant weekend! - Deborah
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7 hrs

roamed around

Otra idea, simple. Suena lindo cuando se dice "I was roaming around"; pero creo que el tense estaría mal así, por eso puse "roamed around".
También me gusta la idea de "aimlessly" que alguien escribió más temprano, simplemente que usaron el verbo "drove" y tu dices que el personaje anda a pie.
Saludos
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+1
8 hrs

wandered about/around.

"I left the library that Friday and wandered about/around. Just like a taxi, more adrift though, for I did not even need to search for a passenger."
The verb "wander" can be both transitive and intransitive.
As for your question: "estuve vagando" in the context has an imperfective aspect, which means it refers to an unfinished action in the past. Because of this, the equivalent form in English is "wandered", which in
Reference:

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/wander#wander_4

http://dictionary.sensagent.com/imperfective+aspect/en-en/

Peer comment(s):
agree AD27 : Thank you for your explanation
3 days 14 hrs
Any time!
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