Gratuitous Syllabification

If you are learning Spanish, get used to this. What the Anglo-Saxon says in two syllables, the Spanish say in five. At least five. Like: Lawnmower = la máquina para cortar zacate eléctricala MA-kee-na PAR-ah core-TAR sza-KAH-tay a-LAKE-tree-kah = the machine for to...

“I would like to order a cock.”

Hal and the boys are teaching English at a nearby volunteer school. They go twice a week: once teaching adults, once teaching teens. The adults are easier just because they show up voluntarily. The teens have been coerced by either parents or school so are pretty...

Spanglish

This morning, my Costa Rica blogger friend (meaning I’ve never laid eyes on her but we chat like we are best friends), Erin, wrote about speaking Span-glish. Which newbie expats do A LOT! I love going to a restaurant where the waiter is practicing his English...

Who Thought of This?

The Spanish word esposo [e-SPO-so] means husband. One meaning. The Spanish word esposa [e-SPO-sa] means wife. It also means handcuffs. You KNOW a guy thought of this. *********** OKAY OKAY: I stand corrected. Fortunately, I’m used to this living with teenagers....

“From Nothing”

In the states, you hear de nada in place of “you’re welcome” everywhere. I don’t know if the Cubans in Key West use de nada. Since I’ve never understood Spanish before, I haven’t listened closely enough to pick it out. When we’ve said de...

Learn Spanish Online!

While reading this Buenos Aires blog, I found a link to www.yabla.com. What a great site! We are signed up and ready to go… Fun site, very comprehensive, and you can learn Spanish or French (we signed up for both – in for a penny, in for a pound)! The...