30.3.11

Expresiones usuales, verbos y problemas



Hola – Hello
Adiós - Goodbye
Buenos días – Good morning
Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
Buenas noches – Good night
Por favor – Please
¿Cómo se llama usted? – What’s your name?
Me llamo... – My name is...
Mucho gusto – It's nice to meet you.
¿Cómo está usted? – How are you?
¿Está todo bien? - Is everything alright?
¿Está bien usted? - Are you ok?
Estoy bien. – I'm fine.
Bien - Good, fine, alright, ok
Muy bien - Very good or very well
Excelente - Excellent
¡Estupendo! - Great!
¡Bravo!
¡Fantástico! - Fantastic!
¡Estupendo! - Great!
Gracias – Thanks
De nada – You’re welcome
¿Qué tal? - How do you do?
Encantado/a de conocerle. - Pleased to meet you.
Es un placer. - It's a pleasure
Es un gusto conocerle. - It's a pleasure to know you.
El gusto es mío. - The pleasure is mine.
Sí – Yes
No – No
Por supuesto – Of course
Para nada – Not at all
Yo tengo un problema. - I have a problem
Es un problema serio. - It's a serious problem
No me siento bien. - I'm not feeling well
Necesito ayuda, por favor. - I need help, please
Comprendo. - I understand.
No entiendo. - I don't understand.
Mi casa es su casa. - My house is your house
Nos vemos - See you later
Adiós - Goodbye
Hasta pronto – See you soon


Una flor latinoamericana. La flor es blanca.


HABLAR. La mujer habla por teléfono.


HABLAR bien el idioma español y PRONUNCIAR correctamente las palabras de la lengua española. Curly pronuncia mal el español y habla en gringo.


SALUDAR a alguien. María saluda a Isabel.


MIRAR a alguien. El camello me mira.


MIRAR algo. Abraham mira las estrellas.


AMAR a alguien. El hombre ama a su mujer.


CAMINAR por algún lugar. Los camellos caminan por la ruta.


PREPARAR una comida. El hombre prepara un asado.


TOMAR una foto(grafía) de algo. La niña toma una foto de la nube.


COMER algo. El camello come poco.


VENDER algo. El vendedor vende velas.


LEER algo. El muchacho lee un libro en español.


LEER algo. La señora lee un diario en inglés.


HACER algo. Ella hace el pan.


SER. El hipopótamo es un animal gordo.


ESTAR. El pájaro está en la rama de un árbol llamado almendro.


ESCRIBIR en el ordenador (o en la computadora).

TENER UN PROBLEMA...


Yo tengo un problema.


Usted tiene un gran problema.


Nosotros también tenemos un problema.


Ustedes tienen otro gran problema.

Diálogo
A. Hola, (yo) soy su profesor de español.
B. Buenas tardes, mucho gusto.
A. El gusto es mío. Encantado.
B. Señor profesor...
A: ¿Qué necesita (usted)?
B: Yo tengo un problema.
A: ¿Con su español?
B: No, con mi casa.
A: Bueno, no importa. “Mi casa es su casa.”

29.3.11

As gringo as it gets: ¿Gringo yo?


Gringo is a slang Spanish word used mainly (but not only) in some Latin American countries to denote foreigners (often from the United States). The term can be applied to someone who is actually a foreigner, or it can denote a strong association or assimilation into foreign society and culture.
Although The American Heritage Dictionary classifies gringo as "offensive slang" and the Online Etymology Dictionary as a "contemptuous" word, the term may nowadays serve to refer to a foreigner and does not necessarily have always a negative connotation.
Esteban de Terreros explains in his 1787 dictionary, El Diccionario Castellano, that some foreigners in Malaga are called gringos because they have ways of pronouncing in Spanish that prevent them from speaking it in a manner that can be understood; and so some Irish in Madrid, precisily for the same reason. According to him, "Gringos llaman en Málaga a los estranjeros, que tienen cierta especie de acento, que los priva de una locución fácil y natural castellana; y en Madrid dan el mismo, y por la misma causa con particularidad a los Irlandeses" (World Wide Words). In other words, gringo is anyone   who speaks Spanish badly.
Antonio de Capmany y de Montpalau associates the word "gringo" those things one says or writes without understanding. He mentions [the] "Gringo" [language] in a category in which he includes Hebrew and Greek, two languages he is unable to understand, "Hebreo, gringo, griego: aplícase a lo que se dice o escribe sin entenderse" ("Hebreu", Nuevo diccionario francés-español, Madrid: Imprenta de Sancha, Madrid, 1817, p. 448).

En gringo, literally "in Gringo," can refer to some "foreign, unintelligible talk."

Monumento al Inmigrante, Rivera, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1980 (Borghetti)

From 1849 onwards, Mexicans call Americans of Anglo-Saxon origin "gringos." In the late 1870s and during the 1880s, Argentinean gauchos, used to refer to new immigrants arriving from Italy and Eastern Europe as "gringos." Today, however, the term gringo is sometimes used humoristically, particularly when one learns Spanish from the very beginning, the teacher may like to say: Por favor, pronuncie claro: no hable en gringo (Please, pronounce clearly; don't speak in Gringo).

¿Gringo yo? You are a gringo!

Hunter S. Thompson (U.S. journalist, b. 1939), "Why Anti–Gringo Winds often Blow South of the [U.S] Border," National Observer, Silver Spring, Maryland, 19 August 1963: "Americans living in Latin American countries are often more snobbish than the Latins themselves" (The Great Shark Hunt, 1979).

GRINGO ONLINE
1. Diccionario de la lengua española, Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy), 22nd. edition:
gringo, ga.
• adj. coloq. Extranjero, especialmente de habla inglesa, y en general hablante de una lengua que no sea la española.
• adj. coloq. Dicho de una lengua: extranjera.
• m. coloq. Lenguaje ininteligible.
2. Wikipedia. Gringo es un término usado en español y portugués [... para referirse] a extranjeros que hablan [...] un idioma [que resulta ininteligible para aquellas] personas que hablan español.

Gringo Gazette, 14.5.2007. "Gringo Gazette" (en español, La Gaceta del Gringo) es un periódico en inglés dirigido a las comunidades estadounidenses expatriadas que residen en Baja California, México. Se publica desde 2001 y la mayor parte de sus contribuidores son estadounidenses residentes en México o estadounidenses con un segundo hogar en México. La mayor parte de los lectores de este diario son estadounidenses que viven en San Felipe, La Paz y Cabo San Lucas.

Reading the Gringo Gazette
Una mujer interesada en cuestiones gringas.

¿Yanqui yo?
El gentilicio "yanqui" (Eng. yankee) surgió a mediados del siglo XVIII y fue empleado para designar a los habitantes de la región estadounidense de Nueva Inglaterra, donde, en esa época, abundaban los colonos holandeses. Yankee proviene de Janke, el diminutivo del nombre neerlandés Jan, y hay quien afirma que yankee deriva de Jan Kaas ("Juan Queso", en holandés), pues así denominaba el colono inglés a su colega de origen holandés, conocido por jugar un papel destacado en la elaboración del queso. El apodo aparentemente incluyó luego a diversos pobladores del norte de los Estados Unidos y, durante la Guerra de Secesión, en el siglo XIX, los confederados del sur llamaron "yankees" a sus oponentes norteños. Fuera de los Estados Unidos, hoy es común designar "yanqui" a cualquier ciudadano norteamericano, cosa que probablemente se deba a la falta de un gentilicio apropiado, pues estadounidense podría ser aplicado a un mexicano, y norteamericano, tanto a éste como a un canadiense (Ricardo Soca, "yanqui," en su libro Palabras, citado en El Castellano).

Para pronunciar • To pronounce



a como árbol
e como elefante
i como isla
o como oro
u como uvas

LAS VOCALES


a, e, i, o, u. mamá, planta, Alabama, Ana, elefante, tres, tele, verde, mil, si, Lili, civil, dos, no, Toronto, motor, uno, tú, Uganda, fruta, Cuba, aeropuerto, caer, traer, aire, Dubai, Cairo, aorta, caos, Paola, Aol, auto, sauna, Laura, teatro, idea, Andrea, leer, creer, seis, veinte, trinta, peine, peor, video, feo, Europa, deuda, euforia, dia, diario, estudiante, cien, siete, Viena, audio, precio, idioma, estadio, ciudad, triunfo, viuda, oasis, boa, loable, aloe, poema, poeta, boicot, coima, oir, soy, cooperación, coordinar, Guatemala, cuatro, cuanto, Ecuador, bueno, nueve, jueves, Luis, ruido, cuidado, continuo, cuota.



LAS CONSONATES


ca, ce, ci, co, cu, ch, cc. Canadá, casa, cama, celular, centro, ceremonia, cinco, cien, cine, colateral, comer, Colombia, Cuba, acusar, cuando, cheque, China, chocolate, acción, calefacción, infección.
ga, ge, gi, go, gu, gue, gui. gato, gas, gala, Galicia, Argentina, general, urgente, gerente, gigante, gimnasia, Egipto, agosto, gol, mango, golf, gustar, Guatemala, guaba, pague, manguera, seguir, guinea, guitarra.
h. honor, hombre, humor
ja, je, ji, jo, ju. Jamaica, caja, naranja, Japón, jefe, ejemplo, mujer, jirafa, jinete, Jimena, Jorge, abajo, joven, junio, jugar, jugo, Juan.
lla, lle, lli, llo, llu. Sevilla, milla, paella, tortilla, calle, llevar, llegada, apellido, gallina, pollito, llover, llorar, pollo, millonario, lluvia, llueve.
ñ. año, niño, uña, español.
que, qui. queso, querer, querido, Quito, quince, quinto.
r. radio, rosa, Rusia, barro, carro, tarro.
y. yogur, playa, mayo, yo.
z. zeta, zapato, zapatilla, Zapata.



Algo acaso difícil de pronunciar


g - Argentina, gigante, urgente, página, gente, género
h - hay, hoy, honesto, coherente, hotel, humor
j - naranja, caja, Jamaica, rojo, jueves, adjetivo
ll- ella, ellos, amarilla, amarillo, apellido, llave
ñ - español, mañana, año, niño, señor, señora

Los números


1 = uno
10 = diez
100 = cien
1.000 = mil
10.000 = diez mil
100.000 = cien mil
1.000.000 = un millón
10.000.000 = diez millones
100.000.000 = cien millones
1.000.000.000 = mil millones
1.000.000.000.000 = un millón de millones es un billón.

Pregunta: —¿Es mejor tener la gallina de los huevos de oro o un millón de millones?

Respuesta: —No tengo ni idea. Por el momento yo solamente sé pronunciar las vocales.

28.3.11

Falsos amigos • False friends


False friends (faux amis in French) are pairs of words or phrases from two different languages that look or sound similar, but differ in meaning.


Note that in the Spanish language...


América isn’t just the U.S.A. (esp.[= español] Estados Unidos).
AMÉRICA means the AMERICAN CONTINENT (i.e., THE AMERICAS).


Americano is not necessarily Yankee (esp. estadounidense o yanqui).
AMERICANO is ANY PERSON FROM THE AMERICAS.


Anciano isn’t ancient (esp. antiguo).
ANCIANO means RESPECTABLE OLD PERSON.

Antes isn’t after (esp. después).
ANTES means BEFORE.

Aplicación isn’t application (esp. formulario).
APLICACIÓN means IMPLEMENTATION.

Arena isn’t any stadium (esp. estadio).
ARENA means SAND.

Un arma isn’t an arm (esp. brazo).
ARMA means WEAPON.



Bizarro isn’t strange (esp. extraño).
BIZARRO means BRAVE AND CORAGEOUS.

Boda isn’t body (esp. cuerpo).
BODA means WEDDING.


Cándido isn’t spontaneous (esp. espontáneo).
CÁNDIDO means INNOCENT AND NAIF.

Carácter isn’t character (esp. personaje).
CARÁCTER means TEMPERAMENT.

Carpeta isn’t carpet (esp. alfombra).
CARPETA means FOLDER.

Champiñón isn’t champion (esp. campeón).
Un CHAMPIÑÓN is a MUSHROOM.


Come isn’t to come (esp. venir).
COME is the 3rd person singular of the verb TO EAT.

Consistente isn’t consistent (esp. coherente).
CONSISTENTE means THICK AND STRONG.


Dinero is no dinner (esp. cena).
DINERO means MONEY.

Estar embarazada isn’t to be embarrassed (esp. estar avergonzada).
ESTAR EMBARAZADA means TO BE PREGNANT.


Extranjero isn’t stranger (esp. desconocido).
EXTRANJERO means FOREIGNER.

Éxito is no exit (esp. salida).
ÉXITO means SUCCESS.


Fábrica isn’t fabric (esp. tela).
FÁBRICA means FACTORY.

Farmacia isn’t farm (esp. granja).
FARMACIA means PHARMACY.


Gracioso isn’t gracious (esp. gentil).
GRACIOSO means AMUSING.


Grosería isn’t grocery (esp. mercancía).
GROSERÍA means A BAD WORD.

Idioma isn’t idiom (esp. modismo o espresión idiomática).
IDIOMA means LANGUAGE.


Librería isn’t library (esp. biblioteca).
LIBRERÍA means BOOKSHOP.


Ocurrencia isn’t occurrence (esp. aparición [de una palabra en un texto]).
OCURRENCIA is a WITTY REMARK.

Parientes aren’t parents (esp. padres).
PARIENTES are RELATIVES.

Policía is not policy (esp. política [respecto a algo o a alguien]).
POLICÍA means POLICE.

Precio is not prize (esp. premio)
PRECIO means PRICE.


Pretender is not to pretend (esp. fingir).
PRETENDER is TO INTEND TO DO SOMETHING.

Realizar isn’t to realize (esp. darse cuenta).
REALIZAR means TO ACCOMPLISH.


Ropa isn’t rope (esp. soga).
ROPA means CLOTHES.

Sensible isn’t sensible (esp. sensato).
SENSIBLE means SENSITIVE.


Obvious... But Wrong
by Gerald Erichsen
Asistir: Means to attend or to be present. Asisto a la oficina cada día, I go to the office daily. To say "to assist," use ayudar, to help.
Atender: Means to serve or to take care of, to attend to. If you're talking about attending a meeting or a class, use asistir.
Bizarro: Somebody whose way is brave, not necessarily strange. The English word "bizarre" is conveyed better by extraño or estrafalario.
Boda: If you go to a wedding or wedding reception, this is what you're going to. A body (as of a person or animal) is most often cuerpo or tronco.
Campo: Means a field or the country (in the sense of living in the country, not the city). If you're going camping, you'll probably be staying at a campamento or even a camping.
Carpeta: Although this can refer to a type of table cover, it doesn't have anything to do with carpets. It most often means a file folder (including the virtual kind) or a briefcase. "Carpet" is most often alfombra.
Compromiso: Meaning a promise, obligation, or commitment, it does not usually convey the sense that one have given up something to reach an agreement. There is no good noun equivalent of "compromise" that would be understood that way out of context, although the verb transigir conveys the sense of giving in to, yielding to, or tolerating another person.
Constiparse, constipación: In verb form, it means to catch a cold, while una constipación is one of the words that means a cold. Someone who is constipated is estreñido.
Contestar: It's a very common verb meaning to answer. To contest something, use contender.
Corresponder: Yes, it does mean to correspond, but only in the sense of to match. If you're talking about corresponding with someone, use a form of escribir con or mantener correspondencia.
Decepción, decepcionar: Means disappointment or to disappoint. To deceive someone is to engañar a alguién. Something deceptive is engañoso.
Delito: There's seldom much delightful about a crime. (Delito usually refers to a minor crime, as contrasted with a serious crime or crimen.) The feeling of delight can be a deleite, while the object that causes it an encanto or delicia (note that the latter word often has a sexual connotation).
Desgracia: In Spanish, this is little more than a mistake or misfortune. Something shameful is una vergüenza or una deshonra.
Despertar: This verb is usually used in the reflexive form, meaning to wake up (me despierto a las siete, I wake up at seven). If you're desperate, there's a true cognate you can use: desesperado.
Disgusto: Derived from the prefix dis- (meaning "not") and the root word gusto (meaning "pleasure"), this word refers simply to displeasure or misfortune. If you need to use a much stronger term akin to "disgust," use asco or repugnancia.
Destituido: Someone who has been removed from office is destituido. Someone without money is indigente or desamparado.
Éxito: It's a hit or a success. If you're looking for the way out, look for una salida.
Fábrica: That's a place where they fabricate items, namely a factory. Words for "cloth" include tejido and tela.
Fútbol: Unless in a context that indicates otherwise, this means soccer. If you want to refer to the popular U.S. spectator sport, use fútbol americano.
Fútil: This refers to something trivial or insignificant. If your efforts are futile, use ineficaz, vano or inútil.
Ganga: It's a bargain. Although ganga may be heard in Spanglish as a word for "gang," the usual word is pandilla.
Inconsecuente: This adjective refers to something that is contradictory. Something inconsequential is (among other possibilities) de poca importancia.
Introducir: This isn't truly a false cognate, for it can be translated as, among other things, to introduce in the sense of to bring in, to begin, to put, or to place. For example, se introdujo la ley en 1998, the law was introduced (put in effect) in 1998. But it's not the verb to use to introduce someone. Use presentar.
Largo: When referring to size, it means long. If it's big, it's also grande.
Minorista: Means retail (adjective) or retailer. A "minority" is una minoría.
Molestar: The verb doesn't have sexual connotations in Spanish, and it didn't originally in English either. It means simply to bother or to annoy. For the sexual meaning of "to molest" in English, use abusar sexualmente or some phrase that says more precisely what you mean.
Once: If you can count past ten, you know that once is the word for eleven. If something happens once, it happens una vez.
Pretender: The Spanish verb doesn't have anything to do with faking it, only to try. To pretend, use fingir or simular.
Realizar, realizacón: The verb can be used flexibly to indicate something becoming real or becoming completed: Se realizó el rascacielos, the skyscraper was built. To realize as a mental event can be translated using darse cuenta ("to realize"), comprender ("to understand") or saber ("to know"), among other possibilities, depending on the context.
Recordar: Means to remember or to remind. The verb to use when recording something depends on what you're recording. Possibilities include anotar or tomar nota for writing something down, or grabar for making an audio or video recording.
Ropa: Clothing, not rope. Rope is cuerda or soga.
Revolver: As its form suggests, this is a verb, in this case meaning to turn over, to revolve, or otherwise to cause disorder. The Spanish word for "revolver" is close, however: revólver.
Embarazada: It might be embarrassing to be pregnant, but it isn't necessarily. Someone who feels embarrassed tiene vergüenza or se siente avergonzado.
Emocionante: Used to decribe something that's thrilling or emotionally moving. To say "emotional," the cognate emocional will often do fine.
En absoluto: This phrase means the opposite of what you think it might, meaning not at all or absolutely not. To say "absolutely," use the true cognate totalmente or completamente.
Sano: Someone who is sane is en su juicio or "in his right mind."
Sensible: Usually means sensitive or capable of feeling. A sensible person or idea can be referred to as sensato or razonable.
Sensiblemente: Usually means "perceptibly" or "appreciably," sometimes "painfully." A good synonym for "sensibly" is sesudamente.
Sopa: Soup, not soap. Soap is jabón.
Suceso: Merely an event or happening, sometimes a crime. A success is un éxito.
Tuna: Order this at a desert restaurant and you'll get edible cactus. The fish is atún (False Friends often Lead to Mistakes).

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