So here we are back in our favorite Mexican cafe. We now know that there are many ways to order soup, such as caldo, sopa, sopa seca, and crema. We remember that we are going to “pay the waiter,” and not tell him we “want to peg him.” You are on your best behavior and …
We know we can get in trouble with cognates and false cognates when learning to speak Spanish, but there is another very dangerous and slippery slide, and that is mispronunciation.This is not about the sloppy habit of someone who has been in Mexico for a long time and is still saying “seen your” for Señor. …
We all know about “Mexican time,” and being on time, means “when we get there.” So sometimes we get upset about someone being late when it is really our own fault, due to….. alas, another false cognate. If you tell Antonieta to meet you in front of the parish church at one o’clock, enfrente de …
One of the first verbs we learn in Spanish is gustar: to like. Me gusta mucho las enchiladas. I like enchiladas very much. Or when we are introduced to someone we say, Mucho gusto, Javier. Nice to meet you Javier, or in a lmore literal sense, “I like meeting you Javier.” Now we want to …
Every tourist coming to a Spanish-speaking country, should probably, upon having their passport stamped, receive a list of words that they are not to attempt to use while in the country. But then, not only would it infringe on one’s freedom of speech, it would take all the fun out of our visits for our …
Recently overheard conversation between a Gringa and a Gringo in response to the question: “Is the word ‘computer’ (computador) masculine or feminine?” The woman said she was sure it was masculine, el computador, because it looked good in the store, did everything just right, but that when you brought it home, it just sat there. …
Another example of a Gringoism, right up there with asking someone if they have “balls,” or huevos, is the time a woman went into a store to buy pillows, or cojines, and asked the store owner if he had cojones, which is the same as asking him if he has huevos, and absolutely a no-no. …
There are some Gringos who try to avoid the word “eggs” in Spanish, or huevos, as the word is also slang for testicles, ie: “El no tiene huevos.” Many the time a woman grocer has been asked if she has testicles! “Tiene huevos?” If you want to bypass what might be a touchy situation for …
Sometimes when we are learning a new language, we are only a vowel sound or a correctly accented syllable away from being understood. Or worse yet, we can be understood perfectly, but not say what we intended to say. It is important for visitors in Mexico to remember that we might be speaking Spanish to …
Who of us who come to live in Mexico, having recently arrived from a fast paced, hectic, 9-5, (or perhaps 8-7) workday, with multi tasking being the name of the game, clutching day-minders to direct our every well planned out minute, has not come to a grinding halt when attempting to perform what would be …