Miss Universo 2010

Like former Venezuelan Miss Universe Alicia Machado, she will probably work in Mexican telenovelas in a few years. They must be rewriting the scripts already to fit her in.

20100824 (spanishNY.com) top

Essential telenovela Spanish

If you want to try practicing Spanish by watching a telenovela, this is the essential vocabulary you need to know.

Why telenovelas are a good idea to learn and practice Spanish compared to movies? Because you get used to the same voices, same accents, the same actors, the same plot for 6 months (at least). It's like an immersion. If you don't understand the plot the first week, be patient, you'll understand what's going on the following week. The super-dramatic acting will help. A movie only lasts 90 minutes and that's it. Telenovelas usually have captions available. The disadvantage is that the plot may not be good, or it may be good, but stretched out, and you will have to put up with it every evening. Late night telenovelas are much better than early afternoon ones.

Like in every telenovela, somebody falls down the stairs. I don't know what is it that they always die: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qsqxmDKz3A

Another "accident" down the stairs. This telenovela has some Slavic language subtitles, but the audio is in Spanish. The evil granddaughter leads her sweet grandmother to the staircase, and pushes her down: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fInOpqqqFk

One more. No, she didn't roll down the stairs. She flew down the stairs like Superman! This one has a twist. The guy didn't push her, but they will blame him for that. If you can make it to the very end of the video, you'll see what happened to her leg, and her dramatic reaction. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdvGRL9wABs

Veneno, envenenar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dppMuI4Z8ug

Poison 2.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYvNaZRozo0

.

http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=telenovela

This is real, and the news broke right after I wrote this. A Venezuelan telenovela actress and her family were being poisoned by her Argentine assistant in Mexico: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/24/gabriela-spanic-assistant-attempted-murder-charge

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Talking about rodents, a very unusual Spanish verb

Talking about rats and mice, do you know why they are called rodents? Because they roen. In Spanish, roer means to gnaw. They are roedores because they roen.

This is the only Spanish verb I can recall that has 3 different choices for the present yo form. In the present tense, this verb is regular and irregular at the same time. Because the present subjunctive is formed from the yo form of the present indicative, the present subjunctive has 3 forms for each person! The imperative has also 3 choices. Use the one you like best. If you use yo roo, then the verb is regular, otherwise is irregular.

A very similar Spanish verb, raer (to scrape off), has two different options for the yo form of the present indicative tense as well. Yo raigo o yo rayo. Yo rayo collides with the verb rayar (to scratch). http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=raer

Yacer, to be lying, to lie, also has 3 different choices for the present indicative yo form: yazco o yazgo o yago. This verb is used mostly for dead people, so we hardly ever say yo yazgo or yo yasco or yo yago.

BTW. If you ever get a hamster, they hibernate so deeply that they look dead. They get rigid, cold, and totally unresponsive, and many people who are not familiar with these little rodents get rid of them (and most probably they won't wake up again). http://www.hamsterific.com/HamsterUniversity/HamsterHibernation.html

Hibernate= invernar. Winter= invierno.

Photos from mascotas.org

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10 expressions that are not so easy to figure out (8)

Here are 10 common random idioms you may have trouble with if you hear them for the first time:

This is the famous "veinte," the coin responsible for the expression me cayó el veinte. With pyramids and cactus and all that.

The pyramid on the coin.

Pyramid of The Sun in Mexico 

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Animals and languages

I have some examples of differences about how people in different laguages see animals, and treat animals.

Unlike English, In Spanish a dove and a pidgeon are the same animal, una paloma. In Spanish, we do not discriminate palomas by their color. In Spanish a dove is a paloma blanca, and a pidgeon is a regular gray, green, blue, purple, multicolor paloma. In Spanish, both birds are nice, and we don't really think that a paloma is more beautiful just because it's white. It's the same in Portuguese. I was a little disappointed when I heard a Newyorker telling me that a pidgeon is a rat with wings (una rata con alas). In Spanish, palomas, white or any other color, are nice. To me, what he said is some kind of "racism" towards palomas! It's not politically correct, doves are nice because they are white, pidgeons are ugly because they are not white. But that's the way some people think here and probably in other countries. But not everyone; that would explain why some people feed the pidgeons, maybe those people are Hispanic or European.

To verify this, just do a web IMAGE search for the Spanish word palomas, you'll see images of doves and pidgeons in the results. All are equal to us.

We see this image, and we think how nice, but some Newyorkers may think how yucky.

Now rats and mice. A white rat is a suitable pet. A gray street rat never. Right? Same in Spanish. For many centuries, rats were a matter of life or death (more death than life in fact!, just do some research about the Black Death). Now languages, In Spanish, in English, in German, in French, in Romanian, and some other languages, a rat (rata) and a mouse (ratón) are two different animals. In the case of rats and mice, they don't have a different name just because they are white. Correct? Same in Spanish, and the same happens with palomas in Spanish. However, however.... in Portuguese and Japanese at least, a rat and a mouse are the same animal! They use the same noun for these two species. One just happens to be bigger than the other.

In Spanish, we have only one word for squirrels and chipmunks, ardilla. One just happens to have a line along it's body. Las ardillitas are The Chipmunks, you know, the ones that sing on TV. Ahh, but a rabbit (conejo) and a hare (liebre) are different in both Spanish and English, but in Spanish turtles and tortoises are all tortugas.

This was a hit in Europe a long time ago, Una Paloma Blanca, in this case, the song is in German. They had to specify it was a white paloma. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUqpXV7vch8&feature=related

Palomas are doves and pidgeons, but these are palomitas (little doves, little pidgeons) in Mexico and Spain:

We have the word pichón, but a pichón is a chick or baby paloma.

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How do we answer the telephone in several Spanish speaking countries

We use several different expressions to answer the phone, so when you travel or watch a foreign movie don't be surprised. It's not always as simple as hello. I think no other language has a particular way to answer the phone depending on the region.

Now, in other countries, for example, In Sweden, they have a very strange way to answer the phone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkLuNk4IoJA&feature=related

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10 expressions that are not so easy to figure out (7)

Here are 10 common random idioms you may have trouble with if you hear them for the first time:

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Sí se puede. The other Spanish YES.

We have a YES that English doesn't use. This sí is used to contrast two opposite ideas, to confirm something, or to eradicate doubts about something.

Of course, in English rarely will you say that. You will use some other wording like the doctor DID say that I'm fine, this soap DOES work against dandruff. Notice how we often use this YES as an answer or contrast to a NO, like I don't like singing but I do like listening to music.

(BTW, in Mexico, the above gesture may be an insult.)

These signs above are not quite correct without the accent mark. Sí.

Sí se puede is an impersonal expression. Yes we can is not an impersonal expression. Yes we can means sí podemos, so it's not a great translation for sí se puede, but it sounds more appealing than yes, it's possible. Poder is kin to the words possibility, potential, and power.

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¡Mucho ojo MTA!

This is one of the MTA bilingual signs

There is almost always something wrong with the MTA Spanish translations. It's not the translation per se, which is almost perfect, but it's too literal. They are trying to be funny in English, but the jokes and the wit are not always portable between languages, and this is one of those examples.

The result in Spanish is not cool. The Spanish version is much longer than the English version, because they explain too much. It's as if the MTA thinks the Spanish speaking population needs a more extensive explanation than the English. It's also as if they think we are dumb customers, and they want to make sure we absolutely understand their warnings.

They translate the gap as the space between the train and the platform. In fact, there is one translation mistake (Spanglish) here, as a platform in a train station is called andén, not plataforma.

In English, they just mention your footwear, but in Spanish they emphasize that it's the footwear you are wearing. I mean, they want to make sure you don't get confused with some footwear you may be carrying in a shopping bag. Nope! It's the footwear you are wearing at that moment!

Mantenga su estilo, stay in style, just sounds kind of dumb and unnecessary in Spanish. In any case we would say no pierda el estilo, don't lose your style.

In Spanish, they are telling us to be careful upon getting on, and upon getting off the train as well. In English they don't even mention that!

For stay aware they could simply say fíjese. If they mean stay aware of pickpockets or situations, and if they want to be witty, they could say ¡mucho ojo!, (lit: much eye! or open your eyes! or be aware! or watch out!). Yes! in Spanish we have our own witty expressions that wouldn't translate to English, and they would make their signs more appealing!

In English, they are telling you to stay clear from the closing doors, in Spanish they are telling us to get far from the clossing doors. They could simply say no obstruya las puertas, don't block the doors.

The MTA is just trying to avoid a lawsuit in case a customer suffers an accident, but they are trying harder with Spanish speaking people. Well, maybe it's good, maybe not. Maybe they care more about their Spanish speaking riders than about their English speaking ones.

This translation issue could be that the translator prefers to play safe, so s/he over translates instead of falling short of information, but they could create a more appealing Spanish version from scratch, using our own Spanish language charms, instead of translating something that ultimately will sound stilted.

The good thing is that literal, matching translations sometimes make things easier for students.

(The lady in the image above is pop culture character La Chilindrina, from El Chavo TV series, known in all Spanish speaking countries -except Cuba- the U.S., Brazil, and some more. Even Hugo Chávez quotes them on his speeches.)

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Pepe, Beto, Pancho. V2.0

Here are some examples of diminutives for common Spanish names for men and women. These ones are used in Mexico, unless otherwise specified, but they might be valid in other countries.

In Spanish these short names are less formal than in English. For example, Bill is Memo. But in Spanish you will never hear of a president who calls himself Memo Clinton or even Memo González. These names are not used on official documents neither on credit cards.

Notice the amount of nicknames including CH. Spanish people seem to like that sound.

If you have more short names, perhaps for other countries, please let me know by using the link below, so that I can add them.

nombres español spanish short names

20100712 Version 2.0 originally posted on 20070721 (spanishNY.com) top

My old book

These are photos of my old book. Have you heard about Don Quixote? My book is even older.

This is a religious/moral book, apparently, it's a manual on how to confess people, and their penitences. It has an index of sins. It was written by the economist Martín de Azpicueta, who was personal advisor to three popes.

The date is MDLXXV, that is 1575. On the Yo El Rey section, the date is one year older, 1574. In 64 or 65 years, this book will be half a millenium old. Apparently (my Latin is not that great) it was printed in Antwerpen (Amberes, Belgium). Remember that Belgium and Holland were part of Spain at that time. Some sections of the book seem to have been printed in Italy (Papal States).

Parts of the book are in Spanish, very old Spanish, like this one:

I the King.

Diez (10) was spelled Dies, and if the King signed it that way, then it was 100% correct.

Antonio de Erasso was the personal secretary of the King. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the most famous Spanish writer, was already active during this period, so Erasso's name appears also on some of Cervantes' works.

Parts of this antique book are written in Latin.

Gregory XIII was a Pope. A very important one. Thanks to him, nowadays we use the Gregorian Calendar. The day this calendar was adopted in the United States (or colonies), September 2, 1752, after midnight, the next day was september 14, 1752. 11 days vanished. For example, September 11, 1752, didn't exist in the United States, but in Mexico it did, since catholic countries switched to the Gregorian Calendar many years earlier.

It has dated handwritten notes, like this one in 1679. Some notes are in Spanish, some are in Latin.

Remember that parts of what is now the United States were part of Nueva España (Mexico), so they mention regions of today's Mexico and Today's United States in this book. The leafs are in great shape for a nearly 500 year old book. This is because it's cotton paper. It feels like paper money.

The Spanish Empire was really big. Holland (thus, probably Manhattan), Belgium, Germany, parts of Italy, most of the Americas including Mexico, and parts of the United States, the Phillipines, and many other countries, we all were a single family.

Visit this album for larger, readable photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192863&id=235876052320&ref=mf

It's remarkable that after nearly 500 years, they still publish books about Azpilcueta and his work:

Details of Book: El Doctor Navarro Don Martin De Azpilcueta Y Sus Obras: Estudio Histrico-Crtico Book: El Doctor Navarro Don Martin De Azpilcueta Y Sus Obras: Estudio Histrico-Crtico
Author: Mariano Arigita Y. Lasa
ISBN:

1145896820

9781145896826

978-1145896826

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