www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Next time you travel to a Spanish-speaking country, you may want to be identified as an ugly American or as just another silly tourist. Follow these tips,
and you're sure to be the talk of the town.
Difficulty:
Easy
Time Required:
5 minutes

Here's How:
* Remember to pronounce the letters B and V as they are pronounced in English.
* Don't bother to learn verbs in anything other than the present tense.
* Remember to pronounce the letters D, G, H, J, L, Q, and Z the same as they're pronounced in English.
* If you don't know the Spanish word, just add 'o' or 'a' at the end of the English word to make it a noun, or 'ar' at the end if it's a verb.
* Don't bother to listen to native speakers to hear how the language is spoken.
* Be so afraid to make mistakes that you won't try to speak.
* Always use the same word order as you would in English.
* If people don't understand you, talk louder.
* Remember that if the word looks the same as an English word, it definitely means the same thing.
* Remember to forcefully pronounce all consonants and to muddle the sounds of vowels.
* Remember that courtesies such as 'por favor' (please) and 'gracias' (thank you) are unimportant in Spain and Latin America.
* Speak to everyone using the 'tú' form of 'you.'
* Never drop redundant pronouns from sentences.
* Ease into the language by only frequenting establishments where English is spoken.
* If you're going to learn just one sentence, make it this one: 'Busco alguién que hable inglés.'
(I'm looking for someone who speaks English).

Thanks to Gerald Ericson, language guide at
http://spanish.about.com

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

I am to remember your advice in the future.



Seriously, once you get proficient in spanish, it starts to mess up your pronouncement and word order of english.



the verb tenses are tough.

_________________
The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

El C,

As you said in another thread, learning a language is a process. Everybody is going to make most of the language-related mistakes in your list. It's not like we can take a pill and become fluent or even proficient in minutes. Have you forgotten what it's like in the early stages of learning a language?

People shouldn't be criticized for trying to speak the language. Beginners and novices will make most of the mistakes you list. Yes, they'll eventually learn if they keep up with their studies, but it won't happen overnight.

I thought your recent trip to CR would have mellowed you out for a while.

Your other thread was helpful with some great links. This one, I don't know...

_________________
"All them women gonna make me,
teach 'em what they don't know how..." TMIB

I can remember making this mistake about 4 years ago with these 2 words:

1. excitado (not sure on spelling) - I thought it meant excited, it means horny

2. embarazado - I thought it meant embarrassed, it means pregnant



True as well. When I took spanish classes, they taught me to always just speak, don't think about what you're saying. The only example I can remember is one time at Hooters, I asked the waitress if she would bring me a semaforo (traffic light), but I meant to say un cenecero (spelling?) - an ashtray. The look on her face was priceless.

lol

Guys, EL C is obviously pulling your leg. I’m sure he does not implied for you to do this nor criticizing you if you make a mistake. Is just another chapter on what to do or not to do in Spanish. Shit, I have made an error or two on the list. The main message to take is keeping on learning, sooner than later you will be whispering sweet things to the señoritas.

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Hit them fast, Hit them hard and NEXT!
A good chica is like a good carpenter - No wood gets wasted!!!

My best friend who speaks no Spanish, just adds an o to every English word. He's a mix of stubborn Italian/German. My favorite phrase he says, "Heyo shutupo, I don't thinkso". He will be down Thanksgiving weekend with me. He actually does very well, any place we have gone. BTW, when he doesn't understand her response, he says to me "WTF is she saying, tell her I want her and that's enough talking, let's go back to my place". I tell him, "Tell her, no whisper in her ear, Tengo Dinero". He's like "That's it, Spanish is easy, I don't need you". Next time out, he is running around saying "Tengo Dinero", and I just start laughing. I am looking forward to that weekend coming up.

Dean

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my first wingman sent me this, how true

" most of the girls down here, lie as a self defense mechanism and to not have to face the truth, thinking most men couldn't accept them knowing the whole truth. Simpler, they may just want men to think they are as perfect as they want to appear to them, trying to hide what they consider to be the ugly truth about themselves. And I may be reading more into it than is there, but I do believe they consider the basis of the lies to be justified."

A useful Website I've found (it may have been mentioned in a Forum here) is www.spanishdict.com Translations either way, practice lessons, even an interactive portion.
I've found that knowing the longer English words--those with Latinate roots--can help you "rough out" Spanish. Not to pick on the Brother but "prolijo" and the English "prolix" mean somewhat the same thing. Oh, and "excitado" meaning horny? Perfectly understandable --it's being sexually excited. Even "embarazado" can be understood this way, if one goes to the root (original) or current medical meaning of the word.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/embarrassed
NOTE: I am not seeking to embarrass (current English meaning) Puravida29; plenty of others have made that mistake.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED