This is a phrase we use when we have not seen someone for some time, or in Spanish you might say: ¡Cuanto tiempo sin vernos! It is not negative, just a humorous (gracioso) way to greet someone you have not seen for some time.
Let´s review the word “stranger”. Contemplate this example:
- Every year 5 million strangers visit Tenerife.
Right or wrong? The numbers perhaps. The grammar no. “Stranger” means “forastero o desconocido”. It does not mean (no significa) “extranjero” that we translate as “foreigner”.
So the correct sentence would be.
- Every year 5 million foreigners visit Tenerife.
Let´s examine some correct examples.
- Mr.Morales happily chats to strangers (el señor Morales se pone a charla tranquilamente con cualquier extraño).
- The level of Spanish taxes discourages foreign investment (el nivel de los impuestos en España no ofrece alicientes al inversor extranjero).
- Many foreign influences have been assimilated in Canarian culture (la cultura Canaria ha asimilado muchas influencias extranjeras).
