delveneto Aug 21, 2009:

M.C. - about the disagree, you do have a point. :-))

margaret caulfield Aug 21, 2009:

Oh Boy! We don't even know if the person who addresses the older lady is a man or a woman! This would make a tremendous difference. LangSolutions!!!! Pls help us to help you!!! Give us the context!

Jim Tucker (X) Aug 21, 2009:

Great minds, Henry (see my comment to Ian)
it's Kismet

Henry Hinds Aug 21, 2009:

Cultural Note Just as a cultural note, and being from the USA, I can assure everyone that the use of such terms as "sweetie", "honey", "dear", "darling", "sweetheart", etc. (all good answers) from a younger to an older person is quite common. I invite you to listen to the waitresses in any coffee shop.

margaret caulfield Aug 21, 2009:

"Dear" delveneto (jeje - I hope you get my point here!), I can't possibly agree or disagree with any of the answers until I have a full idea of the context (please see my remark to LangSolutions).

margaret caulfield Aug 21, 2009:

LangSolutions, I really don't think it would take a big effort for you to give us the sentence as such, for words of "endearment" (affection) can be used between a son and his mother, and the term in US English in this case would neither be "Darling", "Honey", etc. Can't you just copy and paste the sentence?

delveneto Aug 20, 2009:

By exclusion, since no one posted "love" as an answer, you have "darling" as the only US choice. :-) [I mean, the best US choice]

Rosa Paredes Aug 20, 2009:

@asker Then you can use either "darling" or 'dear'. Sweety, sweetheart, etc. would not be appropriate coming from a younger person.

LangSolutions (asker) Aug 20, 2009:

In the dialogue it's used as a term of endearment. If I were translating into UK English I would choose "love" or "darling".

delveneto Aug 20, 2009:

MC: - OK, np, I respect your opinion. At least you didn't "officially" disagree with my answer, "yet". :-))

philgoddard: our answers are given, so we've done our part :-). I find it very unlikely that NONE of the answers so far already given will not fit the context, whatever it may be.

Henry Hinds Aug 20, 2009:

Pet Name I am assuming this is used as a pet name, but just assuming, because the CONTEXT is not totally clear on that. But in that sense, at least, we have a number of good contributions.

margaret caulfield Aug 20, 2009:

philgoddard, I entirely agree with you, but we're STILL not sure what the asker's question really is, in spite of several of us asking her for the context!

margaret caulfield Aug 20, 2009:

I appreciate your arguments, delveneto, but I shall always insist that "una mujer bonita" means a "pretty woman". Your google hits, to me, are wrongly translated.

philgoddard Aug 20, 2009:

All this is very interesting, but it doesn't answer the asker's question.

delveneto Aug 20, 2009:

margaret c. - FYI http://www.google.com/search?q="mujer bonita" "beautiful wom...

delveneto Aug 20, 2009:

No problem, you have the right to disagree, I just wanted to show that I strongly disagree with your disagree. :-)))<br><br>I relate the terms to Portuguese, bonito, belo and lindo, and, in Portuguese, all CAN 100% surely be translated as beautiful. It is even kind of too subtle to tell the difference among these three words (bonito may be a little less than lindo or belo) so "beautiful" can be used in many contexts as a translation for "bonito" or "belo", and I do think that in Spanish it is similar. May not be exactly identical, but very similar.<br><br>The entry for "bello" in the RAE dictionary says "que tiene belleza", "lindo" is described as "Hermoso, bello, grato a la vista" and "bonito", as mentioned, is "LINDO, agraciado de cierta proporción y belleza", so, it is not possible for me to accept that "beautiful" cannot EVER be used as a translation for "bonito".

margaret caulfield Aug 20, 2009:

Sorry, delveneto. I still disagree. the Rae states "Lindo, agraciado de CIERTA proporción y belleza", which does NOT mean "beautiful".

delveneto Aug 20, 2009:

margaret caulfield [--- Also, "bonita" does NOT mean beautiful. (This would be "bella"). It's less than beautiful, more like "pretty" or "nice". ---]

http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=bon...

bonito2, ta.
... ...
2. adj. Lindo, agraciado de cierta proporción y belleza.

And you tell me that "bonito" does NOT mean beautiful...
It MAY not mean beautiful, but it CAN obviously mean beautiful.

In the context above it sure CAN mean beautiful.

Ana G. Piskulic Aug 20, 2009:

More context I also agree that it will be useful, indeed necessary, to have the complete sentence/text.

margaret caulfield Aug 20, 2009:

An example of what I just said is: "Es usted una señora muy bonita" o "Bonita. ¿Puede decirme qué hora es?"

Also, "bonita" does NOT mean beautiful. (This would be "bella"). It's less than beautiful, more like "pretty" or "nice".

margaret caulfield Aug 20, 2009:

Full sentence The context is vital here for, depending on the tone and content, it could be one thing or another.

Rosa Paredes Aug 20, 2009:

context Where is the original from?

Lorraine Bathurst Aug 20, 2009:

can we have the sentence please