Last updated on
Friday, October 24, 2008 2:09 PM
EDT
Again, Don Carlos, the richest Spanish speaking person in the world*** UPDATE April 11, 2007.
*** Provided that Bill Gates doesn't speak Spanish.
According to Forbes Magazine, Don Carlos is now the second richest person in the world, only after Bill Gates. Based on the last part of her article, this lady at Forbes Magazine continues not being happy about this. She writes: "He is also breathtakingly close to passing Gates, currently worth $56.0 billion." She is giving herself away here. If this happens, God forbid, she is the one who is going to have a fit and lose her breath.
When she indicates the amount of money the average person makes in Mexico, she fails to indicate that many product prices are much lower down there. In Mexico, 5 people go to the movies with 10 dollars. Nowadays, in NYC hardly one. You can get a top quality tooth crown for 100 dollars. Here we need $1000. In Mexico, people can purchase medicines made by the same American or Swiss labs for less than half the cost in the US. You can buy 20 subway rides with 2 dollars down there. She should have used the "Big-Mac Index" instead. If we compare Mr. Slim's wealth with the poorest Mexicans, like Ms. Coster often does, the difference would be almost the same than if we compare it with Ms. Coster's salary. Just about 50 billion, right? It's good his wealth accounts for a percentage of the wealth of Mexico, and that he has many businesses there. It means he is investing mainly in his own country. Billionaires Carlos Slim Helu Now World's Second-Richest Man
Helen Coster 04.11.07, 4:00 PM ET
Ms. Coster -and many other journalists- say he is a "controversial" figure in Mexico. They keep repeating it over and over, and keep copying each other's articles like carbon copies, because they wish it was true. They are perhaps jealous and upset, but why? Because he is from another country? He may be controversial in the U.S. media, but not so much in Mexico. Probably only with some journalists from two publications called Proceso and La Jornada, for which Venezuela's Hugo Chávez is the good guy! Actually, it's all quite the opposite: Mr Slim is a very respected person there. I met him when he was a teacher at my school, and later, my engineering thesis director and friend, from the telecommunications commission (and chairwoman in the APEC,) worked closely with him too, and she still works with his team. I've never heard any negative reference from all these people who have contact with him. Maybe just complaints that his Prodigy service is slow! Some people just don't go around telling everybody "Hey! I've just donated money!," Especially in Mexico! Big cultural difference. The media here think that if it's customary here, it should be customary in Mexico as well, that's their reasoning. Just ask the Kennedy family for reference, Mr. Slim cooperated with them -for a charity-, and he didn't go around telling everybody (the Kennedy's disclosed that.) I'm sure he has done many huge donations we don't know about, and that's the way it should be. (It's not our business.) He doesn't only help humans! I was just reading on a board that one of his retail companies donated money for animal shelters through a calendar. Good!
When the huge category 5 Wilma hurricane stationed itself over Cancun for 48 hours in a row in 2005, Carlos Slim was the first VIP touring the zone in the middle of the havoc, next to president Vicente Fox, offering help the day after.
These journalists should see some videos of Mr. Slim walking on the streets in Mexico City with all this people shaking hands and getting pictures taken with him, just like a celebrity. This cell phone video is just one of them, I've seen many, and in general, he's like a hero, people in Mexico admire him and seem to be proud of him. He has about as much capital as Bill Gates, but this gentleman is walking in the middle of a young crowd on the street posing for their cell phone pictures and videos. He lives in the same neighborhood as my brother, and my brother is not rich. Mr. Slim is very down to earth. (Maybe that's why journalists here don't like him? Because he isn't that glamorous?) He's wearing a suit, but I remember that when he worked at my school he would not wear suits. When he is done taking pictures and signing autographs, he gets into his car which he drives himself waving good bye through the window. Pretty much the opposite kind of person many publications here insist he is. Believe me, if he wanted to be the president of Mexico, it's almost certain that the majority would vote for him.
In order to invest in a company in bad shape, he needs to get some guarantees and protection to make it certain that he is going to be able to make it profitable. This is true for many company privatization processes in Latin America. His company, which was already a government monopoly, was granted monopoly rights for a few years after it became private. Otherwise, neither Slim nor anyone would have risked his money on it. Granted, the monopoly rights are receding at a slow speed. Here, there are companies which are virtual monopolies, and these journalists who are pretending they are defending us -the poor Mexicans- from Mr. Slim, don't say anything to defend their own people from them. Just check out www.paypalwarning.com and www.paypalsucks.com. I know it first hand, my family and I are victims of this unregulated monopoly. There are quite a few of them.
Mr. AMLO, the former presidential candidate who just lost the elections by the skin of his teeth, who is supported by the Jornada and Proceso publications, and who often criticizes Mr. Slim, appears next to him in hundreds of photo ops! How come?
When iconic Mexican actress María Félix died right on her birthday, taking all Mexicans by surprise, not only did Mr. Slim attend her public funeral -and with a very short notice- just like any other fan, but he also comforted her family and friends, like popular actor Ernesto Alonso (aka. Mr. Telenovela). Both, Carlos Slim and Ernesto Alonso, are shown in this picture mixed with the average citizens of Mexico who also went to pay their respects. Like during the hurricane, he is a person who is there when he is needed, and if you notice, he is keeping a low profile.
We have known Don Carlos for many years; most American journalists are discovering him, just now. They all are rushing in since they need headlines that sell, like "Mr. Slim is Mexican, and he is not slim, he is fat," or "Mr. Slim is a controversial figure in Mexico," translation: "Mr. Slim is not an American billionaire, so he's got to be mean," or like ABC's gifted and very professional news team saying "He likes tortillas!" (yeah, we all like tortillas,...... and beans too.).
2007. Again, Don Carlos, the richest Spanish speaking person in the world* Last year he had 30 billion. This year he has 49 billion. It's apparent that Forbes Magazine doesn't like the idea of Carlos Slim reaching Bill Gates, who has 56 billion, so quickly. Carlos Slim would be the richest person by next year if he makes another 19 billion like he did this past year. In 2006 and the years before, Forbes was pretty neutral. This year I have the perception that they are offending him for being so wealthy. They basically say that how come a person from one of the poorer countries in the Western Hemisphere, a not politically correct comment by the way, is so rich. Although the Mexican economy is not one of the greatest compared to the G-7 nations, it ranks around 12 or 13 in the world. If Mexico is one of the poorer countries according to this journalist, I wonder what she would say about the 240 or so remaining ones. They say that we Mexicans make him rich, but his businesses are everywhere, not just in Mexico (or "Slimland," another unfortunate comment from them.) He bought CompUSAfor his son Carlos Jr., for example, but they don't mention it. He owns big chunks of Sears, Saks Fifth Avenue, Univision, Prodigy, Verizon ( he actually purchased Verizon Puerto Rico and Verizon Dominican Republic), etc, so "Slimland" is not just Mexico. Helen Coster, who wrote the article, seems really bitter and perhaps jealous of his good fortune. She even goes personal and practically calls him chubby, stingy, etc. Another media member, CNN, said that Slim just jumped to number 3 this year (2007.) It's interesting to see how undocumented they can be sometimes. Slim was already number 3 last year.
(click on the link to see his stats) #3 Carlos Slim Helu
Age: 67 Fortune: inherited and growing Source: Telecom Net Worth: 49.0 billion Country Of Citizenship: Mexico Residence: Mexico City, Mexico Industry: Communications Marital Status: widowed, 6 children
2006 Don Carlos, the richest Spanish speaking person in the world * According to Forbes Magazine, he is the third wealthiest individual in the world, only after Bill Gates and Warren Buffett
#3 Carlos Slim Helu
Age: 66 Fortune: inherited and growing Source: Telecom Net Worth: 30.0 billion Country Of Citizenship: Mexico Residence: Mexico City, Mexico Industry: Communications Marital Status: widowed, 6 children
(Source and images: forbes.com)
20060309 (spanishNY.com) (Last updated on 20070411) top
Mensa, not *that* smart
The paragraph below is from Mensa, a society of folks who think they are smarter, more intelligent than the rest of the mankind who doesn't belong to that exclusive group of sharp-witted people: What is Mensa? Mensa was founded in England in 1946 by Roland Berrill, a barrister, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer. They had the idea of forming a society for bright people, the only qualification for membership of which was a high IQ. The original aims were, as they are today, to create a society that is non-political and free from all racial or religious distinctions. The society welcomes people from every walk of life whose IQ is in the top 2% of the population, with the objective of enjoying each other's company and participating in a wide range of social and cultural activities.
What is Mensa in Spanish? Mensa in Spanish means stupid, idiot, dumb, moron, silly, foolish, mentally challenged, etc. If they really were as smart as they say, they would have chosen a different name.They may be incredibly smart for some things, but not for languages.
Your name here (or not)
Who would be willing to join a society for people who are smarter than 98% of the world population, whose name sounds like La Sociedad Mensa, The Stupid Society, The Idiot Society, The Moron Society; mensa Internacional, stupid international, idiot international, moron international?They definitely should do something about it. From the Merriam Webster dictionary: Main Entry: menso, mensa
Function: adjective
Usage: Spanish word Mexico, familiar: foolish, stupid
From wordreference.com: menso,-am,f LAm fam pey dummy, jerk
From the RAE:
menso, sa.
1. adj.coloq.Ec.,El Salv.,Hond.,Méx. yNic.tonto (‖ falto de entendimiento o razón).
In Mexico,this is the name of a caramel spread made with milk. Cajeta is also a taboo word in Argentina, so they, just like other South American countries, use a different name for a similar kind of sweet: dulce de leche. There is a major difference between cajeta and dulce de leche. In Mexico, the most exquisite type of cajeta must be made with pure goat milk and must be packed in wooden boxes, which give the spread a very special taste and aroma. A cheaper, more commercial version must contain at least some percentage of goat milk that could be mixed with regular cow milk. Cajeta made with cow milk only, and sold in plastic bags, is not cajeta, is dulce de leche. Cajeta is a diminutive form of the noun caja, box. The traditional Cajeta de Celaya is packed in round wooden boxes. In the picture, below right, you can see hundreds of these little boxes, cajetas, wrapped in a white paper and decorated with colorful ribbons ready for sale.
These are examples of commercial versions of the sweet milky spread. It's funny that while Coronado products features a goat in its logo, Hershey's features Thalia, a famous Mexican telenovela actress. In the picture below you can see cajeta and some other products made of it like candy and lollipops.
Now, about the word cajeta with the Argentine sexual connotation, I have no idea how they coined it, but that meaning is valid only in that South American country. It's OK to use this word everywhere else except in that country, where they won't miss the chance to make fun of it if they hear you.
(Photos by Mexico Desconocido magazine, Productos Coronado, and Hershey's) 20070223 (spanishNY.com) top
A lo mejor
A lo mejor is one of those very useful expressions overlooked by most Spanish grammar books. It's probably the most popular way to say maybe or perhaps in spoken Spanish. It never requires the subjunctive as sometimes do quizás, quizá, tal vez, acaso, etc., so it's easier. Some people also say a la mejor, which is a little variation.
Examples:
A lo mejor mañana llueve = Maybe it'll rain tomorrow
A lo mejor nos vemos mañana = Maybe I'll see you tomorrow
A la mejor hoy se fue temprano el jefe = Perhaps the boss left early today
No contestan, a lo mejor no hay nadie = They don't answer, maybe no one is there
When speaking Spanish, try to use this expression more often than quizás and tal vez, you'll sound more fluent.
20070219 (spanishNY.com) top
Pan's Labyrinth
Winner of 3 BAFTAS and winner of 3 Oscars, representing Mexico.
Although the trailer above was
edited for all audiences, this movie is for an audience
of over 17. Pan's Labyrinth is in Spanish from Spain, as the story
written and directed by Guillermo del Toro takes place in Spain during
the Civil War, and it was co-produced with Telecinco of Spain. Another co-producer was Alfonso Cuarón, the director of
the previous Harry Potter movie. His influence is evident on the cold
colors on dark
backgrounds for the real world, warm colors on dark backgrounds for
the fantasy world, and the casting of Maribel Verdú, who worked with
him in
Y Tu Mamá También. González Iñaritú, of
fame
and winner of the Golden Globe for the Best Picture, contributed as well
-he has a special thanks credit- and I guess he had something to do
with the way they intertwined two stories, which together with Arriaga
is his specialty. The English subtitles were written by Del Toro
himself. 20070202 (spanishNY.com) top
Bárbaro, ¡qué barbaridad!
Bárbaro is one of those difficult
Spanish words due to its many contradictory meanings:
John drives at 120 miles per hour.
¡Qué bárbaro! (reckless)
The player has won 10 games in a row.
¡Qué bárbaro! (fantastic)
The neighbor beat up her husband/his wife.
¡Qué bárbara! /
¡Qué bárbaro! (barbaric, cruel)
The party was great. ¡bárbaro!
(terrific, fantastic, cool; used mostly in Argentina)
The drunk was bumping into people on the subway.
¡Qué
bárbaro! (uncivilized, barbarous)
He has a massive wound.
¡Qué bárbaro!
(massive, excessive)
Surprisingly enough, the horse is recovering.
¡Qué bárbaro!
(terrific)
Bárbaro won the Kentucky Derby.
¡Qué bárbaro!
(extraordinary)
Bárbaro and
barbaridad come from Latin barbarus,
and this from Greek, meaning foreigner.
(Photo: REUTERS/Shaun Best) 20060602 Last update:
20070130 (spanishNY.com) top
Frida Kahlo, the New York years
Frida kahlo lived
in New York in the early 1930's when her husband, Diego Rivera, worked
for John D. Rockefeller Jr., his wife, and their son Nelson. They lived
in Manhattan at the old Barbizon Plaza Hotel (It's difficult to
identify which one, since there are two hotels that claim to have had
that name and they are both old, but the most likely is today's Trump Parc, at 106 Central
Park South @ Sixth Avenue, which was built in 1930 as the Barbizon
Plaza Hotel).
Frida
Kahlo in her Barbizon Plaza Hotel room, her home for a while.
The next
photograph was taken during a summer trip in Jones Beach, Long Island.
She is sitting next to Diego Rivera. According to photographer Lucienne Bloch, who took this picture, they didn't quite enjoy the
trip as it took them 4 hours to get there, and even longer to get back
to Manhattan because they got lost in Brooklyn very late at night.
Roads were not as they are today.
Photo by LUCIENNE BLOCH (1909-1999). Frida Kahlo with Ice-Cream Cone, Jones Beach, New York, 1933
The legendary picture below
was taken by Ms. Bloch at the RCA building in Rockefeller Center,
against Nelson Rockefeller's orders -and guards- by smuggling a camera
under her skirt. She actually took many pictures of it moving the
sliding scaffold up and down and across, so this must be a composite
view of it.
"The Rockefeller mural
will be 63 feet long and 17 feet high covering the east wall of the
elevator bank and extending around on the north and south walls."
This unfinished mural
painted by Rivera was destroyed at midnight (no witnesses wanted),
February 9, 1933, by orders of the 24 year old Nelson Rockefeller; he didn't like having a portrait of Lenin on his
family's wall,
which occupied some 1% of the total mural surface. For a business
oriented family, this was a questionable decision to make. Imagine how
many millions this mural would be worth in today's dollars. They could
have chosen to remove it, preserving it somewhere else. Leon Trotsky, who lived with
the Rivera's in Mexico City, was at different stages of his life a
mutual friend of Frida and Diego, and Lenin.
Shortly afterwards, Diego Rivera painted some murals at what used to
be the New Workers School, 51 West 14th street, top floor.
Contradicting many reports that say that these moveable panels
were destroyed, I was able to gather some information indicating that some of them still survive,
for sure. One of them was traced
down in 1997 at Mary-Anne Martin Fine Art, 23 E 73 St., New
York, NY. According to the Mexican Proceso magazine (Issue: 1109,
February 1st, 1998; Article: 4.6438136100769 ) and to the Mexican
La Jornada newspaper, September 11, 1998, a Mexican
ex-president (1970-76), Luis Echeverría Alvarez (1922-), keeps at home
(his home) a few of these panels, which
officially belong to the Mexican nation (Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación).
The last time I checked, he was about to go on trial facing a prison sentence -at
home, because of his age- for genocide, so hopefully he will
voluntarily return these panels to improve his poor public image. According to the Mexican newspaper, La Jornada, July 04, 2004, another
panel is in the Fine Arts Palace (Palacio de Bellas Artes) in Mexico
City since 1977.
These pictures were taken in
1933 at
the New Workers school, 51 West 14th Street, Chelsea, New York, NY. The current
4 story commercial building at this address was completed on August 16, 1949, and modified
again in 1986, which means the original building that housed this
school was demolished. The current tenants at this address, some
school of photography and a flower company, which by the way had no
idea about the history of their address, were kind of unfriendly.
Luckily, the New York City Department of Buildings staff were of a
great help in gathering this information.
This is the finished mural behind Frida Kahlo; Rivera insisted
stubbornly on painting Lenin and their mutual friend, and guest,
Trostky. Reportedly, this is the panel seen in New York at an art
dealer's gallery in 1997.
Another Panel that includes the portrait of his former patron John D. Rockefeller.
On her work, The Suicide of Dorothy Hale, Frida Kahlo painted the Hampshire House, a Central Park South, landmark building.
This ghost-clouded painting is based on a real tragedy that happened at this high-rise in 1938.
The publisher of Vanity Fair commissioned the work for Dorothy's mother, but this wasn't exactly what she had in mind. What a gift!
Something interesting is that the tower was brand-new when Kahlo painted it, so the copper roof still had its original color, which later became green.
Images of Frida, Diego, Trotsky (the one on the
murals), etc.
With valuable information from
virginia edu, luciennebloch com, pbs org, artnet com,
fbuch com, time com, proceso com mx, jornada com mx, NYC Department
of Buildings. All photos
except the last 2 by Lucienne Bloch. Hamshire House and Barbizon Plaza Hotel by Tom Spencer.
(spanishNY.com) 20070114 (Last updated: 20070706) top
Calzones in New York Vs. calzones in Hispanic countries
Calzones in the U.S.
Calzones in Mexico
Calzones in the U.S.
Calzones in Spain, I think these CK ones resemble a little bit the one in the previous picture
Calzones in New York
Calzones in Argentina, but imported from their neighbor Brazil of course
Calzones in Italy
Calzones in Venezuela, these ones resemble the previous one as well
Muchos calzones in the U.S.
Calzones in Costa Rica
I hope no further explanation on calzones in the
U.S. and calzones abroad is required. This is for one of my students
who is expecting another baby, and while on a craving told her
Colombian babysitter, Quiero
comer calzones (I want to eat calzones),
and the just-arrived-in-the-U.S. nanny looked at her like
Whaaaaaaaaaaat???????.
You guessed, originally, in Italy, the meal was named after a piece of
clothing.
20061215 (spanishNY.com) top
ABBA in
Spanish
This is one of the many Spanish videos of the Swedish band. (Yes,
the same band that sings the classic "Dancing Queen"). Their pronunciation is
virtually perfect with just a couple of trifling
flaws, like Agnethas's verano and
oscuridad, or Frida's
surgir and
posibilidad, plus people from Spain may not like their Latin
American pronunciation (gracias,
felicidad,
cielo,
azul,
cruce, vez, etc.). For this
particular song, their Spanish pronunciation is much better than their
corresponding English version. One of my students was able to
understand the Spanish version but not their English one. Their
Spanish language coach did an amazing job.
This is the Spanish version of "When all is said and done",
No hay a quien culpar, There isn't
anyone to blame.
Click here to see the lyrics
No one is 100% certain about the origin of the
Spanish word bigote, moustache or
whisker, nor about the origin of the French (and English) term
bigot, intolerant, racist. Some English etymology sources say that
bigot in French (and English) probably originates from the
Germanic expression bei Got, by God, por
Dios. The Royal Academy in Spain says that
bigote probably stems directly from the
same bei Got expression,but some other sources indicate
that it came to Spain much later via France, where bigot
was already in use in the XII century with the negative meaning.
Ultimately, most theories point to the Visigoths or Normans, tribes
from the north of Europe that used to say "bei Got" and that must have inspired both, bigotry and
moustaches, sometime between the Middle Ages and the XVI century,
after they invaded and ruled southern European regions.
Mostacho is an alternate Spanish word for moustache, but
it is not used as much as bigote. Spanish
is not alone in this, since bigode
is the Portuguese word for moustache.
Happy Thanksgiving day = Feliz día de Acción de Gracias. 20061123 (spanishNY.com) top
Language mistakes in the media
This is a headline ran by a Mexican on-line
newspaper www.universal.com.mx
Viven los habitantes del
Ajusco heladas inusuales y
cruentas El descenso de temperatura,
desde el viernes; el termómetro ha registrado hasta -1 grados; la
tormenta de nieve, sin precedente LILI VALADEZ, FABIOLA CANCINO y MÓNICA ARCHUNDIA
El Gráfico
Miércoles 22 de noviembre de 2006
Cruento means bloody, implying,
perhaps, a bloodshed. Yesterday, there was a snowstorm in a region in
the south of
Mexico City called Ajusco. Snow is very unusual during November in
Mexico City. In fact, sin precedente
means that it had never happened before. The headline reads,"Residents of Ajusco experienced
an unusual, bloody freezing cold." Obviously, these newspaper's reporters and editors are not
familiar with the meaning of cruento. My
guess is that they confused cruento with
cruel, cruel,
or crudo, harsh. Fortunately,
this snowstorm didn't cause any bloodshed.
20061122 (spanishNY.com)
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Seguir
doesn't only mean to follow
I have noticed this problem with students who already have
acquired some
background knowledge of Spanish. We are reading some sentence, like
ella siguió estudiando durante el verano.
When I ask what is the translation, just to make sure we are on the same page,
very often it is she followed studying during the summer,
which is not correct. The meaning is
she continued studying during the summer or she kept
studying during the summer. Please note
that most of the time seguir followed by
a verb or an adjective doesn't mean
to follow, but to continue, to keep (doing
something), to keep on, oritcarries the idea of
still. ¡sigue! and
¡siga! are the imperative (tú and usted)
forms of seguir and they mean continue!,
keep going!. Sigue
derecho doesn't mean follow straight, but continue
ahead. Gilberto sigue borracho
doesn't mean Gilberto follows the drunk man, it means
Gilberto is still drunk.
¿Sigues enojado? means are you still
angry?. El sigue sin decir nada
means he still doesn't say anything.
Armando sigue con ella means Armando is still with her.
Seguirse de largo is to pass something
by. The green
traffic light is often called la luz verde
or la luz de siga, because it indicates
that you can continue driving or walking.
Seguir followed by a pronoun, a person, or a
thing, means
to follow. Sígueme means follow me.
Siga ese coche means follow that car.
¡El siguiente! means next!, thefollowing!. Seguido is used in
Mexico instead of a menudo to indicate often,
frequently.
(Graphic: www.dimadi.com) 20061104 (spanishNY.com) top
Inanimate Indirect objects
Note: This is not quite beginner's Spanish, and some of these
examples apply to conversational
Spanish only.
In most cases, when we think about an indirect object -i.e. the
recipient of an action, a thing, or a favor- we think of a person or
animal. Here is an example of a person as an indirect object:
darle algo a alguien,
to give something to someone*
(*while technically "someone" is the object of a
preposition in English, in Spanish it is a real indirect object).
Yo le doy los libros a ella, I give
her the books Here is an example of a person as the beneficiary of a favor: La sirvienta me planchó la camisa,
the maid ironed the shirt for me
However, in Spanish, it is common that the indirect object is an
inanimate object. The following literal translations are
approximated, and some sound very odd in English:
darle cuerda al reloj, (lit: to give
the watch a wind) to wind a
clock/watch
Le dábamos cuerda al reloj
todos los días, we used to wind the watch every day
ponerle sal a la sopa, (lit: to put salt
to the soup) to put salt in
the soup
Le puse sal a la sopa, I put salt
in the soup
ponerle gasolina al carro, (lit: to put
gas to the car) to fill the tank
sacarle punta al lápiz, (lit: to give
the pencil a sharp) to sharpen a
pencil
quitarle la tapa a la botella, to
remove the cap from a bottle
subirle el volumen al radio, (lit: to
give the radio volume) to turn up
the radio's volume
ponerle una refacción al coche, (lit: to
put a spare part to the car) to
In
conversational Spanish, the
(redundant in these cases) indirect object pronoun is often used
when listing chores. Literal translations are nearly impossible in
these cases, maybe the only exception is when using the verb
dar, to give, like in give it a
try. For other verbs, this would sound as is if the inanimate
objects were alive:
La sirvienta le pasó la aspiradora a la alfombra,
the maid vacuumed the carpet También le quitó el polvo a los muebles,
she also shook the dust off the furniture Le limpió la jaula al perico, she
cleaned the parrot's cage (in this case the IO is an animal). Les puso agua a las plantas, she
watered the plants Le cambió las pilas al radio, she
changed the radio's batteries Le quitó la mancha a mi camisa,
she removed the stain from my shirt Le cambió las sábanas a la cama,
she changed the bed's sheets Le dio una trapeada y una encerada al piso,
she moped and waxed the floor (lit: she gave the floor a mop and a
wax) Le dio una lavada al coche, she
washed the car (lit: she gave the car a wash) Le dio una cortada al césped, she
mowed the lawn (lit: she gave the lawn a cut) Le sacó brillo a la plata, she
polished the silverware (lit: she gave the silverware a shine) (Image credit: atschook.eduweb.co.uk)
20060622. Last update: 20061023 (spanishNY.com) top
Arabic Contributions to
the Spanish Language
Noele A., one of my students, recommended this interesting article
available on the internet. It was written by Habeeb Salloum.
There are dozens of interesting words, but in one of the paragraphs,
the author mentions the word arroba. Its
symbol,
@, was
used several centuries ago in Spanish colonies and beyond to represent
a unit of weight. Nowadays it is part of the syntax of email
addresses. Here is a sample from this paper and then the link to the
document:
(....... Travelling
across the country, one finds Arabic place-names everywhere: Albacete
is derived from the Arabic (al-basit- the
plain); Albufera (al-buhayrah - the small lake);
Alcalá (a1-qa1cah - the fort);
Alcantara (al-qantarah - the bridge);
Almería (al-mirayah - the mirror); Alpujarras (a1-bashurah
- the bastion or the news); Benicasim (Bani Qasim
- the sons of Qasim) ; Calatayud (qal cat Ayyub
- the fort of Ayyub [Job]); CalataÁazor(qal catal-nasur - the
fort of eagles); Guadalajara (wadi a1-hhijarah -
valley or river of stone); Guadalcazar (wadi al-qasr
- valley or river of the castle); Guadalquivir (wadi
a1-kabir - great river); Guadalviar (wadi al-abyad
- white river); Madrid (majri - a type of
breeze); Medinaceli (madinat Sa lim - the city of
S~lim);
Murcia (misriyah - Egyptian); Tarifa (Tarif
- name of the first Muslim to land in Spain); Vega (buq
cah- field); and Valladolid (balad al-Walid
- the town of Walid).
Any of these words can be used, primarily in
conversational Spanish, as names to
call Mr. So-and-so. The first 3 names together correspond more
or less to Tom, Dick, and Harry. If you use them to
replace actual names, you can capitalize them. You can say, for
example, fulano or
fulana to refer to some man or some woman.
Fulano de tal, or
fulano de tal por cual is just some guy whose name you don't
even want to mention. Very often, their diminutives,
fulanito, menganito,
and zutanino,
are used as well. While un fulano
means some guy, Don Fulano
is a Tequila!
Tequila Mr. So-and-so
Zutano comes from Latin, but
fulano and mengano
are words of Arabic origin. It is said that
perengano stems from both, Pérez,
a very common Spanish last name, and mengano.
Fulano is also used in Portuguese with
the same meaning, but in that language the rest of the gang are
sicrano and beltrano.
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