holdouttrout (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
holdouttrout) wrote2008-03-03 08:14 am
holdouttrout) wrote2008-03-03 08:14 am
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Dangerously Daring: The Spanish Edition
Languages are always important for a dangerously daring person to know. For instance, it is vitally important that, should you travel to a foreign country, you can ask where the bathroom is, and also be able to tell someone you love them. Everything else can be covered with pointing and charades.
Now, the boy's book has Latin phrases, which are interesting, but not terribly useful. And the girl's book has Spanish phrases, which are useful but not particularly interesting--except for the Spanish equivalent of "The real McCoy," which makes me crack up. So I went with Spanish and decided to do a (very little) bit more research.
Oh, yes. I'm sure you're thinking to yourself: She is going to talk about Spanish vocab words, which I have no use for at all. Why bother clicking on the cut?
Because I'm going to give you some unusual Spanish phrases, that's why.
Other useful phrases to know (taken from "Wicked Spanish for the Traveler"* are:
Because you can never know when super brake-cutting spies or love will strike.
*Please, don't attempt to use any of the phrases from this book. They are, usually, Really Bad Spanish and also can be very culturally insensitive. Not to mention difficult to remember.
In the comments, if you have unusual phrases you think everyone should know, you should share them.
Now, the boy's book has Latin phrases, which are interesting, but not terribly useful. And the girl's book has Spanish phrases, which are useful but not particularly interesting--except for the Spanish equivalent of "The real McCoy," which makes me crack up. So I went with Spanish and decided to do a (very little) bit more research.
Oh, yes. I'm sure you're thinking to yourself: She is going to talk about Spanish vocab words, which I have no use for at all. Why bother clicking on the cut?
Because I'm going to give you some unusual Spanish phrases, that's why.
| English Equivalent | Literal English | Spanish |
| The real McCoy | The real, real potato seller | El mero, mero patatero |
| I don't get it! | It doesn't fit in my head! | ¡No me cabe en la cabeza! |
| He's so old he can barely walk. | He's falling of age. | Se cae de viejo. |
| To get goose bumps | lit. "the flesh of a hen" | ponerse la carne de gallina |
Other useful phrases to know (taken from "Wicked Spanish for the Traveler"* are:
| English | Spanish |
| When did the brakes go out? | ?Cuando se fueron los frenos? |
| You make me hot, my chili pepper. | Me calientas mucho, chilito mio. |
Because you can never know when super brake-cutting spies or love will strike.
*Please, don't attempt to use any of the phrases from this book. They are, usually, Really Bad Spanish and also can be very culturally insensitive. Not to mention difficult to remember.
In the comments, if you have unusual phrases you think everyone should know, you should share them.
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Do not use in this context while in St. Petersberg. Even if you are dangerously daring and young and ... American. ;)
*life experience*
And you're telling me you had to LOOK UP 'you make me hot my chili pepper'? YOU? I thought you were all kinds of daring while living in Spain. Le sigh.
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Mostly I learned useful phrases like "Vale," which I still try to use in compeltely inappropriate contexts here, and "Fuerte," which has no English equivalent I can think up.
Oh, and "?Tienes fuego?," which means, "Do you have a light?" Not that I USED it, but I definitely got ASKED it.
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That is, "Don't urinate here." which I saw on signs, in several places in Lima. Evidently, that's a problem?
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The Italian phrase book had winners like:
"There are mice in my room." (I remember the word for 'mice' is 'tipi')
"If you don't slow down, I'm going to vomit!" (always helpful and gets the point across nicely)
And, of course, knowing me...
"Do you have a condom?" (Of *course* I remember that the word for 'condom' is 'protectivo'!)
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Tu es une vache espagnol.
(Translation: You are a Spanish cow.)
I learned some more... um... adult-oriented phrases in my college courses, but I wasn't sure what the rating in your post was. :)
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*grins*
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Sans vous je ne suis qu'un ver de terre - Without you I am nothing but an earthworm.
Ces truffes puantes sont surfaites - These stinking truffles are overrated.
Ne te rue pas sur mon jupon, Luc, espèce de rustaud brutal! - Stop at my petticoat, Luc, you beastly peasant!
Ce brugnon est très dur - This nectarine is very hard.
All very useful, I'm sure you'll agree...
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This one is my favorite. Can you actually speak French? I must learn, if only because I keep trying to pronounce the words out loud anyway, and even to my non-French-speaking ear it just sounds painful.
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See, I have this book. It's part of a series that I adored since teenagerhood, about a character called Angelique (see icon - and Rigel knows who I'm talking about - romantic novels, you know). It was originally written in French, and the last book or two have not yet been translated. I've read all the ones in English (fifteen or so), and I own one of untranslated French books, and it's frickin' HUGE. I've never managed to get more than about a quarter of the way through. Absolute torture. I need to know what happens. Every now and then I pick it up and have another go.
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I'll never forget, though, when I was in Spain, and struggling through literature in classes (some of it in the equivalent of Shakespearean English) I was able to fly through more modern, popular literature. That was so nice. *sighs wistfully*