Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
riera
English translation:
dry riverbed/gully
Added to glossary by
Sergio Kot
Jun 21, 2016 09:00
7 yrs ago
5 viewers *
Spanish term
riera
Spanish to English
Other
Geography
Topographic feature
Context: "...Atravesamos una riera y..."
Description of a trek. Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks!
Description of a trek. Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks!
Proposed translations
(English)
5 +3 | dry riverbed/gully | Helena Chavarria |
5 +2 | stream | Damian Hosford |
Change log
Jun 27, 2016 06:10: Sergio Kot Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+3
6 hrs
Selected
dry riverbed/gully
If the trek is taking place in Catalonia then a 'riera' is a river or streambed that only fills with water after it has rained further inland or the snow on mountains is melting, even if the mountains are miles away.
In a seaside town in Catalonia, called Arenys de Mar, there's a 'riera' where people used to often park their cars. After heavy rain it was common to hear on the news that a number of cars had been swept away by the water in the 'riera'.
gul•ly (ˈgʌl i)
n., pl. -lies, n.
1. a small valley or ravine orig. worn away by running water and serving as a drainageway after prolonged heavy rains; gulch.
2. a ditch or gutter.
v.t.
3. to make gullies in.
4. to form (channels) by the action of water.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gully
http://geographyfieldwork.com/VendrellFloodPrevention5.htm
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2016-06-21 15:08:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=riera de la bisbal el vend...
http://www.meteored.com./ram/UserFiles/Image/Enero09/maresme...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2016-06-21 15:11:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The Riera (the dry uncovered river bed) is the commercial centre and the hub of all local activities. The market, an Art Nouveau building, remains open every morning as well as Friday afternoons. Inside, it is bustling with people and constant activity. On Saturday mornings, the commercial hustle takes itself to the Riera in the form of a weekly street market. Two village festivals are held in honour of Saint Zeno (9 July) and Saint Roch (16 August), and a big fair is celebrated on Saint John's Day (24 June).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arenys_de_Mar
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2016-06-21 16:23:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Also, 'gulch'
a small, narrow valley with steep sides
Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary
Examples: gulch in a sentence
: a deep or precipitous cleft : ravine; especially : one occupied by a torrent
See gulch defined for English-language learners
<the gulch floods in the spring with the runoff from the mountains, so wait until later in the summer to hike it>
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gulch
A gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Occasionally, sudden intense rainfall may produce flash floods in the area of the gulch.
http://forums.mtbr.com/california-norcal/gulches-gorges-cany...
In a seaside town in Catalonia, called Arenys de Mar, there's a 'riera' where people used to often park their cars. After heavy rain it was common to hear on the news that a number of cars had been swept away by the water in the 'riera'.
gul•ly (ˈgʌl i)
n., pl. -lies, n.
1. a small valley or ravine orig. worn away by running water and serving as a drainageway after prolonged heavy rains; gulch.
2. a ditch or gutter.
v.t.
3. to make gullies in.
4. to form (channels) by the action of water.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gully
http://geographyfieldwork.com/VendrellFloodPrevention5.htm
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2016-06-21 15:08:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=riera de la bisbal el vend...
http://www.meteored.com./ram/UserFiles/Image/Enero09/maresme...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2016-06-21 15:11:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The Riera (the dry uncovered river bed) is the commercial centre and the hub of all local activities. The market, an Art Nouveau building, remains open every morning as well as Friday afternoons. Inside, it is bustling with people and constant activity. On Saturday mornings, the commercial hustle takes itself to the Riera in the form of a weekly street market. Two village festivals are held in honour of Saint Zeno (9 July) and Saint Roch (16 August), and a big fair is celebrated on Saint John's Day (24 June).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arenys_de_Mar
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2016-06-21 16:23:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Also, 'gulch'
a small, narrow valley with steep sides
Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary
Examples: gulch in a sentence
: a deep or precipitous cleft : ravine; especially : one occupied by a torrent
See gulch defined for English-language learners
<the gulch floods in the spring with the runoff from the mountains, so wait until later in the summer to hike it>
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gulch
A gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Occasionally, sudden intense rainfall may produce flash floods in the area of the gulch.
http://forums.mtbr.com/california-norcal/gulches-gorges-cany...
Note from asker:
Thanks Helena! |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
bigedsenior
: her in the American West, they are know as dry gulches, or arroyo secos.
4 hrs
|
That's good to know! Two 'rieras' cross through the town where I live but because the town's in Catalonia, they're called 'rieras'! Thank you, bigedsenior :-)
|
|
agree |
neilmac
: Me recuerdo del chiste: "Cuidado con el borde del barranco" (...soy yo)... :)
1 day 3 hrs
|
Ha ha ha! Thanks for the agreement and for making me smile ;-)
|
|
agree |
Thomas Walker
: In the hydrologic sciences, the type of stream you describe ("a river or streambed that only fills with water after it has rained..." is called an ephemeral stream.
5 days
|
Yes, you're right of course. Thank you, Tom :-)
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+2
10 mins
stream
This is actually a Catalan word for river
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Carol Gullidge
: or river, why not?
21 mins
|
Thanks Carol!
|
|
agree |
María Perales
28 mins
|
Gracias María!
|
Discussion
Very often, though not always, you use 'atravesar' when you go cross country and 'cruzar' is when you cross water.
I think you are going to have to choose depending on the source text and time of year if possible. A trek to me implies walking in the countryside/mountains, which is why I said stream, but as Helena says, some streams can dry up here in Catalonia during the summer, hence the dual meaning of the word riera. The "riera" near the coast are usually pretty wide to cope with the amount of water flowing down during flash floods if that helps to give more context.