Monday, October 31, 2011

Si tuere dominicano dale like

Si tuere dominicano dale like

This sentence could confuse you for multiple reasons, so let's get started.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the word "tuere" might have some of you saying "what the heck is that?".  Don't bother looking it up in your dictionary, you won't find it. 

The reason you won't find "tuere" in your dictionary is because it isn't one word, it's two.  "Tuere" is really "tu ere".   Well, that's not entirely true, it's "tu eres".  However, when you "quita la s" - drop the "s" and say it really fast, it becomes "tuere".  Dominicans (among other Spanish speakers) are famous for dropping the s when they speak and even more famous for speaking incredibly fast. 

So we've solved our first mystery.  That leaves us with "dale like".  You may have already guessed the meaning of this one, but if you haven't, here's a clue:



Yes, "dale like" means to "to like" something in FaceBook.  Now we can make our translation:

Si tuere dominicano dale like
If you're Domican, "like" this

And since we're on the subject of FaceBook, let's talk about that.  That's really what this entrada (post) is about anyway.

Primero lo primero (first things first), FaceBook in Spanish is simply refered to as "FaceBook".

Mandame un mensaje por facebook
Send me a message on FaceBook

You can also simply refer to FaceBook as "el face".  This may be regional, but everyone will know what you're talking about.

If you use FaceBook, you're a feisbuqero, or feisbuquera

When you're using FaceBook, you're feisbuqueando.

q peedo we q haces?? ps nada aki....feisbuqueando
What's up dude, what are you doing?  Nothing, I'm just on FaceBook

Notice the cryptic lanugage.  People really write like that.  Let me translate it for you.

q peedo we q haces?? ps nada aki....feisbuqueando

Qué pedo wey, qué haces?  Pues nada aquí....feisbuqueando

Who would have ever thought you'd have to translate from Spanish to Spanish?  But let's get back to our conversation about FaceBook terminology.

If you want to tell your friends to add you to their page...

Agrégame  en FaceBook
Add me to your FaceBook page

If you want them to take you off their page...

Borrame de tu Facebook
Take me off your FaceBook page

You may also need this one, I certainly did:

Te borré sin querer de mi Facebook
I accidently removed you from my FaceBook page

You can also tag people in photos.

Te voy a etiquetar en unas fotos
I'm going to tag you in some pictures

Or you can go with something perhaps a bit more cool:

Te puse tag en el Face
I tagged you in FaceBook

Oye te puse tag en un par de fotos
Hey, I tagged you in a couple of photos

If you want to poke someone, you can "Dar un toque".  Although, while poking around on the web (ok, ok, bad joke, I promise not to do it again) I discovered that the opinion of many Spanish speakers is that "Dar un toque" is a bad translation.  But, that's what's FaceBook uses, so there we have it.  And you should always be polite and "Devolver el toque" - poke them back.

Lastly while we did talk about how to "like" something, you have a few more options as well.  You can "pon un like" or "pon un me gusta" as well.

That's it!  This certainly isn't the end all be all of feisbuqueando in Spanish, but it should get you started.  Also, check out this page for some good examples of "FaceBook speak".  If you start feisbuqueando with your Spanish friends, you might need it.

http://gringationcancun.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/how-to-speak-like-a-mexicano-im-down-with-the-kids-and-the-facebook/
 

¡Hasta luego!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Ayudita porfis

One of the first things you learn in Spanish is how to say "please".  And that's a good thing, because you can never be too polite.

And just in case you don't know, "por favor" is Spanish for "please".

However, once you go beyond your text books and actually start communicating with real people, you quicly learn there's more than one way to say please. 

Un cafecito, porfa
A coffee, please


 Vengan a mi fiesta por favorcito
Come to my party pretty please


Please tell me the holiday isn't over



Préstame tu cel para hacer unas llamaditas plis
Loan me your cell please so I can make some quick calls please

Ayudita porfis 
A little help please




Remember, all of these versions of por favor are interchangable.  I will point out that porfis and por favorcito is along the lines of "pretty please".  And "plis" is a bit of Spanglish slipping into the language.  It sounds exactly like "please" in English.

Also remember that for formal occasions you'll want to stick with "por favor".   It's also possible that one version is a little more regional than the other, but everyone will still understand you.

Don't be afraid to try to try these out with your amigos, they make your Spanish sound just a bit more natural.  These expressions are kind of childish and playful, so you don't want to overdo it with them. 

¡Hasta luego!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Bien Benidos



No, you aren't going crazy.  You read it correctly. "Bien Benidos".   And yes, it's wrong.  It should read "Bienvenidos".

I took this photo myself on my way home from one of my favorite taquerias.  So what does this photo have to do with the price of tea in China you ask?  Nothing. I just couldn't believe it when I saw it and had to take the picture.  Now I have the over whelming desire to share the photo and my disbelief with someone, and that's where you guys come in.

And in case you're wondering, this mistake happens quite often.  A quick search in Google reveals that this alternative spelling is hardly rare.

One thing this photo did do (besides entertain me) is make me think about some of the things that have surprised me the most about Spanish.  And that's what I'm going to talk about today.

For the past 7 years, I've been learning Spanish.  OK, I'll be honest, I've been obsessed with learning Spanish, but that's an entirely different conversation.  Anyway, I've bent over backwards trying to learn the proper Spanish words for everything.  This lead me to the surprising discovery that even though Spanish speakers have their own words, they also like to use ours. 

Let me share some of the things I've seen and heard with you.

No tengo cash, tengo que pagar con tarjeta
I don't have any cash, I have to pay with a card

¿Te gusta mi nuevo look?
Do you like my new look?

Tengo que dar el goodnight a mi hijo
I have to tell my son goodnight

¿Mi camisa es cool, no?
My shirt is cool, isn't it?

Hace mucho que no voy al cine y no es que no salgan buenas movies
I haven't been to the movies in a long time, and it's not because no good movies have come out

¿Qué hiciste anoche?  ¿Fuiste de party?
What did you do last night?  You went out partying?

¿Me das un ride?
Can you give me a ride?

I remember the first time I bought a hot dog while walking the up and down the streets in Mexico.  I asked my friend how to say hot dog in Spanish.  His answer: "hot dog".  With a Spanish accent of course.  He then went on to explain that it's actually "perro caliente" , but everyone says hot dog.

Another shock came when that same friend answered his phone with "Hello?".  Go figure.

Spanglish has even made it's way into advertising.  This is where I'm going to send you off on a "field trip" to one of my favorite blogs written by a young lady named Laura who is kind enough to share her experiences with life in Cancun.  She has two great posts about this very topic, and a picture that you just have to see.

http://gringationcancun.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/how-to-speak-like-a-mexicano-american-slang-part-2/

The topic of Spanglish is an interesting one.  You may think Spanglish is mostly prevalent in the US and and perhaps Mexican border towns where Spanish and English are bound to collide, but it's worldwide.  From Mexico to Spain, Miami to Cuba, Spanglish is alive and well.

For a long time I thought there must be a method to the madness.  But it turns out there really isn't.  Some English words catch on and are "in style".  This is something you'll get accustomed to the more you interact with Spanish speakers and immerse yourself in the culture.  You may even find yourself doing it after a while. 

If you'd like to know more about Spanglish and how Spanish is spoken here in the US, then a good book for you to read is Speaking Spanish in the USA.  It takes a close look at how the meanings of some Spanish words have changed or taken on additional meanings beyond their usage and definition in other Spanish speaking countries,  It's an interesting read and a great reference book.

¡Hasta la próxima!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Ahí viene la marimacho de María

Marimacho is a word that I just recently added to my bag of Spanish tricks.  I probably won't need to use it often, but I found it to be pretty interesting, so I thought I'd share it with you.   Besides, you never know when these things pop up.  It seems like once I learn a new word I hear it everywhere.  Anyway, let's get on with it.

Ahí viene la marimacho de Diana
Here comes that tomboy Diana

As you can see marimacho means tomboy, but that's just the tip of the iceberg and it's not as straight-forward as you might think, so let's dig into things a little deeper.

If you're in Spain, marimacho is your word of choice when it comes to talking about tomboys, and there's also the word chicazo.  But this is Spain.  In Mexico marimacho might have a very different meaning, depending on who you talk to.

In Mexico marimacho can be a bit strong, carry a negative connotation, and be associated with lesbians (lesbianas) or possibly even a transvestite (travestí).  And you're actually quite likely to hear marimacha instead of marimacho.  So when you talk to your Mexican friends you might want to use the word machetona, which seems to be more of a direct translation for tomboy. 

One more thing about the word marimacho.  You can also use it to talk about someone you can't quite tell if they're a girl or a guy, or a woman who looks more like a guy than a girl.  I believe we call a woman like that butch.

And like always, there's more than one way to skin a cat.  There are several other words you can use for tomboy:  machona, machote, varonera, hombruna and machorra

What's the difference between all these words you ask? 

Well, quite honestly, the biggest thing is location.  Some countries prefer one word, some prefer another.  Some people consider certains words offensive, others don't.  One word may be commonplace in one country and unheard of in another.  There are no hard and fast rules us gringos can follow to guide us. 

Consider this entranda (post) a loose roadmap to help you navigate a road that has a lot of twists and turns.  Asking your friends what they use and how they interpret these words is the best way to keep yourself out of trouble.  And of course, learn something new. 

Well, that's it for today, short and simple. 

¡Hasta luego!