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[starlagurl]

I got these from the Gadling blog, I think it would be really useful for anybody planning a jaunt to any Spanish speaking region, but I guess maybe it's more useful in Mexico.

http://www.gadling.com/2008/07/15/a-few-ti...nish-in-mexico/

ME ME ME
This first person pronoun ( "Yo" which means "I") is often over-used by beginners. If you end up "Yo-yo ing" too much it starts to sound very vain and self-centered. "I this and I that..." starts to sound like " Me, me ME!" to Mexican ears. Since verbs, when conjugated correctly, implicitly hold who is speaking, try to drop pronouns as they are not necessary. Children are taught at a very young age to drop the "Yo" pronoun and travelers should too.

I want....
A verb that is picked up very quickly by travelers is "querer" which means to want. "Yo quiero" (or just "Quiero") translates to "I want...", a very useful phrase except for the that fact that when used it actually translates to quite a blunt request. A better and more polite term to use is "Quisiera...." (Kee-See-EH-Rah) which means "I would like...". This term is extremely useful and is viewed by the Mexicans as a much more polite.

The dangers of asking for dairy products...who knew?
Mexico has a TON of sexual innuendos. A lot of them seem to focus on the male anatomy. "Leche", milk in Spanish, is a slang term for semen. If you need to purchase milk do NOT say "Tiene leche?" ( Do you have milk?) or you are sure to hear giggles erupt around you. To prevent this type of embarrassment the best way to ask is to say, "Is there milk?" (Hay leche? which is pronounced Ahee Lay-Chay). There is the same type of situation for eggs, known as "huevos", which can refer to testicles (ah...machismo culture at its finest). You'll sometimes hear little old ladies ask for "blanquillos" (little white ones) instead of using this offensive term.

But it sounds the same!
Many Spanish words sound very similar to English words which makes it easy to improvise and try out a word that sounds like it should be correct in Spanish. It is great to get in there and try, in fact, that is what you should be doing -- but a word of caution. Words that sound similar can have totally different meanings in Spanish than in English. For example in English we say "I'm embarrassed". "Embarazada" in Spanish means that you are pregnant. A rather large difference there, right?

[mmbcross]

That's very cute, and very true. For Spanish speakers here are some relevant comments.

During the time of Generalissimo Franco, Mr. Colin Oscar Jones was holidaying on the Costa Brava. Because lots of luggage was getting lost he was told to write his name clearly on the side of his suitcase. When he picked up his luggage at Barcelona Airport he was arrested by the Guardia. Do you know why?

He had written in large white letters on the side of his black suitcase C O JONES.

Why couldn't GM sell their NOVA car in South America?

The management of the Marine Construction Company were surprised at the negative comments on their first newspaper ad in Buenos Aires. Finally someone got the courage to tell the CEO that their logo was not exactly politically correct. MARICON.

Imagine the gossip on the social scene when Dolores Ramirez married Juan Barriga.
Dolores de Barriga.

[starlagurl]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh I don't get them.... explainnnnnnnn.

[mmbcross]

Oh! You loose the spontaneity when you have to explain. If no one else gets it, I'll explain tomorrow.

[starlagurl]

*Waiting on the edge of her seat*

[rbisset]

I got the C O Jones one but not the others, but then I don't know much Spanish.

I know Mitsubishi had to change the name of their PAJERO vehicle for the Spanish market!

[mmbcross]

I'll explain them all this evening. meanwhile I hope we get a Spanglish reader who can interpret them.

[mmbcross]

During the time of Generalissimo Franco, Mr. Colin Oscar Jones was holidaying on the Costa Brava. Because lots of luggage was getting lost he was told to write his name clearly on the side of his suitcase. When he picked up his luggage at Barcelona Airport he was arrested by the Guardia. Do you know why? He had written in large white letters on the side of his black suitcase C O JONES.

Cojones means testicles (or to be more precise, balls) in Spanish.

Why couldn't GM sell their NOVA car in South America?

In Spanish "no va" means "doesn't go".

The management of the Marine Construction Company were surprised at the negative comments on their first newspaper ad in Buenos Aires. Finally someone got the courage to tell the CEO that their logo was not exactly politically correct. MARICON.

"Maricon" is the vulgar word for "gay" in Spanish.

Imagine the gossip on the social scene when Dolores Ramirez married Juan Barriga. Dolores de Barriga.

"Dolores de Barriga" literally means "pain in the stomach" in English. Incredibly both Dolores (pain) as a christian name and Barriga (stomach) as a surname are not uncommon in Latin America, so it's not at all improbable.

[starlagurl]

Ha! Those are cute stories, thanks.

[visor2040]

A few things.

"Leche" (milk) needs the sexual context to be understood as semen. At least when I go to the store to buy milk nobody understands something different. If you (for whatever reason ) want to say semen you can say "mecos" [meh-cos] lol.

The same with "huevos" (eggs). You could ask for "huevo" (singular) at the store and they wont think of testicles. If you ask for "blanquillos" you are asking for white eggs.

Also you should note that a Mexican "Chaqueta" and a Venezuelan "Chaqueta" are two VERY different things. In Mexico "chaqueta" is used almost exclusively as a euphemism for male masturbation. In Venezuela it means jacket . If you want a to say jacket in Mexico say "Chamarra" [chah-MAH-rah].

Hope that helps