Pregnant Spanish Moments
Trip Start
Mar 11, 2011
1
183
217
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Hostel Guanajuato
Guanajuato, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Our learning and practice of Spanish in Mexico has been a lot less formal though. "Estoy apprendiendo en la calle" (I learn Spanish on the street!). This method has its ups and downs but either way we enjoy a good laugh over it.
Well, often it's slightly before the street... like at reception with my new friend, Georgina and her son, Tadeo, and his chihuahua, Pancho (no, he's not a talking dog but he's damn cute!). One Sunday we enjoyed a traditional Mexican meal at Georgina's home ending with some delicious "ponche" (paw-n-ch) - a hot, fruity, spicy drink similar to mulled wine, but minus the wine. In the end I had a big PAUNCH! (in British slang it means "protruding belly"). Here I also met Ubaldo (Mexico) and Gallo (U.S.), students of French and Spanish respectively. We agreed that only Spanish would be spoken that day! This proved somewhat of a challenge for Gallo and I at times but we found ways to make ourselves understood.
I shared a few more funny Spanish moments from earlier in the trip, like the time in Zacatecas when I was telling my buddies how difficult it was to find a new pair of jeans in Mexico. The old ones had a huge hole at the crotch (from natural wear and tear!!). It seems a lot of shops only sell men's jeans and most of the others didn't have my size - only smaller. So I says to my buddies: maybe it's because I have such a "culo grande"!
There was an unexpected silence while they all stared at me with big eyes and raised eyebrows. Apparently in most Spanish-speaking countries "culo" means ass, but in Mexico it means anus!
Such is the cringe-worthy nature of learning a new language!!
Another related faux pas was writing "Feliz ano nuevo" on my Facebook wall wishing friends and family a Happy New Year (or so I thought!) In the absence of a Spanish keyboard I neglected to use the special letter so instead of "año" which means "year" I had written "ano" which also means anus! Do I see a trend developing here?
There are loads of Spanish words for innocent everyday things always makes the child in me giggle:
- pregnant - "embarazada" (em-baa-raa-zaa-daa) does not mean embarrassed!
- handcuffs - "esposas" (air-spaw-sass) and the singular "esposa" means wife!
- straw - "popote" (paw-paw-te) hehe!
- delinquent - "quinqui" (kinky) enuf said!
- peanut butter - "mantequilla cacahuate" (mun-tu-ki-ya ka-ka-wa-te) what a mouthful!
- maybe - "quisas" (kiss-ass) bwahaha!
- "esé" - homeboy (only ok if you're Mexican, like calling someone nigga when you're not black)
- "cabron" - bastard (an insult to strangers but a term of endearment between friends)
- "oiga" - listen (an impolite way of getting someone's attention except between friends)
- "orale" - right on or hell yeah
- "vatos locos" - crazy guys
- "homes" - homeboy, buddy
- "un poco" - a little (thumb and pointer finger held about an inch apart)
- "mucho" - a lot (palm faced up with all fingertips together)
- "si" - yes (bending the pointer finger up and down as if you're scratching the air)
- "no" - no (pointer finger waving side to side)
- "ven" - come (palm faced down and 4 fingers moving together back and forth)
