Conversational Spanish

[Kepler]

Hitherto the only useful Spanish I'd known had been puta and bendejo. So here's a DLC.

[joecct]

Re: Conversational Spanish

Spanglish by 2100

[Kepler]

Re: Conversational Spanish

Spsnglish by 2100

Hasn't happened in Canada. But I for one look forward to the two languages merging. English is already an incredibly rich fusion of Germanic, French, Latin and Greek. But it's comparatively hard to rhyme in English, and we don't have enough of the mellifluous Mediterranean words.

I'd have preferred Occitan for the French, Scandinavian for the German, and Italian for the Spanish, but what we're getting is still pretty sweet.

Also, if we can convince the rest of the English and Spanish world to make the jump with us, we'll be giving the Mandarins a run for their yuan.

And if me manage it in such a way that Spanglish speakers can read both English and Spanish, then my great grandkids will be able to read both Shakespeare and Cervantes in the original, and that will be the coolest.

[Jimjamesak]

Re: Conversational Spanish

I at least knew one, de puta madre, although usually just de puta madre que golazo!

Chinga tu madre árbitro is one I've heard a lot, usually followed by a tarjeta roja.

[jerphisch]

Re: Conversational Spanish

I know plenty from working with Spanish only speakers, but only really know how to speak it, no idea how to spell anything. And my grammar is crap.

[joecct]

Try ordering breakfast at McDonald's in Puerto Rico.

[jerphisch]

Re: Conversational Spanish

Try ordering breakfast at McDonald's in Puerto Rico.

Pretty sure I could handle that. I've tried it before in Germany with pretty lousy results. It doesn't help that everything in German sounds like your being yelled at.

[The Rube]

Re: Conversational Spanish

Outside of the obvious (senor, senora, cerveza, and related) about the only words I know are tostada (the real meaning) and tranquilo. Oh, and "Plata o plomo?"

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Conversational Spanish

That's funny, because I was recently thinking, "If I went to a Hispanic country, could I get by with my high school Spanish recall?"

Surprisingly, though it's been almost 15 years, I think yes and no. I can definitely order food in Spanish (yep, I'm a 'Murican ), and I remember the usual pleasantries, but I'd probably need to brush up on asking for/giving directions. I remember "derecha" (right) and "izquierda" (left), but that's about it off the top of my head, and I'd need a bit more than that to get by politely.

As for "puta", I was always told that meant "whore". So if it only translates to "b1tch" (which is obviously very mild here in the US today), maybe in Hispanic countries, they really mean it.

[Slap Shot]

Re: Conversational Spanish

If students during class starting getting a bit disruptive my Spanish teacher liked to say, "Callete la boca o tu todo ganarias una dura serie de golpes!!

Of course my Spanish always sucked so might have some of that wrong, but you get the sentiment.

[Kepler]

Re: Conversational Spanish

If students during class starting getting a bit disruptive my Spanish teacher liked to say, "Callete la boca o tu todo ganarias una dura serie de golpes!!

Of course my Spanish always sucked so might have some of that wrong, but you get the sentiment.

The Google Translator is great:

Calibrate your mouth or you will win a hard series of strokes

[Kepler]

Re: Conversational Spanish

Pretty sure I could handle that. I've tried it before in Germany with pretty lousy results. It doesn't help that everything in German sounds like your being yelled at.

And all prices are "fumpty fump."

[Kepler]

Re: Conversational Spanish

Try ordering breakfast at McDonald's in Puerto Rico.

I can read a French menu (except obviously I don't have some of the specialized vocabulary) but there's no way I could hold a conversation. It's just a river of sounds. I parse about a quarter of it unless there's a strong accent in which case I don't get any of it. And this is after 5 A+ years of French. My French teacher told me not to worry about it and if I were dropped into an immersive environment I'd be completely fluent in 6 months, but I can't imagine that's true.

[Jimjamesak]

Re: Conversational Spanish

Almost all of my Spanish has been picked up via soccer. If you want a snapshot of America, look at our soccer culture sometime. It's a crazy blend of English, German, Spanish and uniquely American stuff.

[Slap Shot]

Re: Conversational Spanish

The Google Translator is great:

My teacher said it roughly translated to, "receive a harsh series of smacks".