Español for Gringos

False friends.

pie

What a Gringo thinks it means... blueberry or cherry dessert.

What it means in Spanish... foot (anatomy).  Pronounced PEE-ay

Spanish words for the English “pie” include pastel and torta.

porque

What a Gringo thinks it means... meat from a pig.

What it really means... because.

Separating and adding an accent mark -- por qué -- means “why."

mariposa

What a Gringo thinks it means... positioning for a wedding photo.

What it really means... butterfly.

Hooray For Hollywood.

Below are the Spanish translations of three famous movie-lines.

See if you can discern the original English-language phrase, name the movie in English including the name of the star who spoke the line, then translate the movie's name into Spanish and cite the year of the movie's release....

1.  Toto, siento que ya no estamos en Kansas.

2.  Salude a mi pequeño amigo.

3.  Le hare' una oferta que no pueda rechazar.



1.  Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more
Judy Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm.
From 'The Wizard of Oz' -- El Mago de Oz, 1939.

2.  Say hello to my little friend.
Al Pacino.
From 'Scarface' -- Caracortada, 1983.

3.  I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.
Marlon Brando.
From 'The Godfather Part I' -- El Padrino, 1972.

What is the difference....

Know the difference between pesadilla, mantequilla y rodilla....
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pesadilla means nightmare


mantequilla is butter


rodilla is knee

What is the difference?

What is the difference between andar, anudar and añadir?
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andar means to walk or go....

anudar means to tie, as in tie your shoes....

Another verb meaning "to tie" is atar.

añadir means to add....

Añade sal para esta receta.  Add salt for this recipe.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between mapas, tapas y papas?

mapas are maps.  The singular and plural are masculine, i.e. el mapa.

tapas  1. covers or lids    2. various appetizers common to Spain

papas are potatoes

Me gustan papas fritas.  I like fried potatoes.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between correr, corregir y correctamente?
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correr means "to run" or "to move quickly."

An adjective, corriente, is used as follows...

Desde ayer, no hay agua corriente.  Since yesterday, there's been no running water.

corregir means "to correct."

correctamente is an adverb meaning "correctly."

correcto or correcta is an adjective meaning "correct."

The word 'correctamundo' is a 'Fonz-ism' that has entered English slang due to being popularized by fictional TV character Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli, aka "Fonzie."  This slang word means 'correctly' and is not an actual Spanish word.  Source':  Wiktionary.

What's the difference?

The letter 'h' is silent in Spanish.  An exception is the c-h combination, as in  choque -- a crash or collision. To create an h-sound, the letter 'j' is used as in Jipijapa, the Ecuadorian city -- pronounced hippie-hoppa.

What's the difference between hago, higo and hígado?

hago is first-person, present-tense of the irregular verb hacer, which means "to make" or "to do."

Hago panqueques los domingos.  I make pancakes on Sundays.

higo is a fig.

hígado means liver (anatomy).

To communicate with some doctors, it's good to know names of the body's parts .. and body organs including hígado, liver .. corazón, heart .. and riñones, kidneys. 

La sangré means "the blood."  A word for "heartbeat" is latido.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between sopa, sofá y sota?
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sopa = soup  (a word for "soap" is jabón).

sofá =  sofa or couch .. note the accent mark.

sota = jack, as in jack of spades.

Name that syllable.

A key part of learning Spanish words is correct pronunciation, including which syllable to stress.

For this exercise, we start by listing three Spanish words in all-capitals. 

(All-caps lettering in Spanish does not require the placement of accent marks above vowels.  When the words are reduced to lower-case, the accent marks should be indicated except when a computer keyboard does not allow.)


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Which syllable is stressed in each of these Spanish words?

1.  AGUILA -- eagle

2.  MORTIFERO -- deadly

3.  SATELITE

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águila -- eagle -- AH-ghee-lah

mortífero -- deadly -- mohr-TEE-feh-roh

satélite -- sah-TEL-ee-tay

Good post as I never pronounce my syllables right.  I try but almost always fail and they never understand me.  Sometimes I am right on the certain words I know but they still act like they don't understand me.  Oh well, I smile.  Many times I know the word but my brain fails me just at the time I need it.  I was buying 2 things the other day and I know the word for $60, but my mind went totally blank on me.  So I just said dos treintas.  The all had a good laugh and said si.

Sophems wrote:

Good post as I never pronounce my syllables right....

I know the word for $60, but my mind went totally blank on me.  So I just said dos treintas.  They all had a good laugh....

Inspired by Sophems' remarks, we offer up another installment of....

Name that syllable.

Which syllable is correctly stressed in these three common words?

AREA
EMERGENCIA
ALMACEN -- department store or warehouse
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área -- AH-ray-ah

emergencia -- ay-mehr-HEN-cia  (no accent mark on this word)

almacén -- department store or warehouse -- ahl-mah-SEN

Sophems wrote:

Sometimes I am right on the certain words I know but they still act like they don't understand me.

It's well known among Ecuadorians that folks on the EC Coast -- which is where Sophems lives -- pronounce words differently from the locals in Quito and the highlands -- which is where most EC Gringos live.

Any time I encounter a taxi-driver or other 'new' person whose dialect is incomprehensible to me, I just say to myself:  'This guy must be from the coast.'

cccmedia

I hear the Spanish here on the coast is called Cholo Spanish, lol.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between bandera, bandeja y bandido?
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bandera is a flag or banner.

bandeja is a tray.

bandido is a bandit.

Ok just so I know how to pronounce the "j" in Spanish, how is it pronounced?  I know the "g" is like an "h", most of the time.  I lack a person to practice with.  My husband thrills he's far more superior in speaking Spanish than me and when the cabbies don't understand his directions, I take over and he gets offended, and bitches at me.  But they normally understand my directions better.  😊  Maybe cause I'm female and they have more patience I don't know.  I've had my share that don't, but I always make it home if I'm alone.  Btw, cccmedia, are you like me and up really really late at night? 

Since you are a gambler, like me, let me throw this at you and we will see if the moderators think it's not the place (like I said I am a gambler, lol), I'm thinking of sending off for a DNA test they offer thru most of the US ancestral websites by mail and performed by mouth swab, to determine percentage of heritage.  I think my grandmother was 100% Cherokee Indian but not for sure and she's no longer around for me to ask.  If you think gambling is a near future guarantee in ecuador I was thinking.....maybe if my percentage was high enough, the tribe may be interested in starting a casino here, if elections go that way.  Thoughts?

Sophems wrote:

the "j" in Spanish, how is it pronounced?  I know the "g" is like an "h", most of the time...

I think my grandmother was 100% Cherokee Indian but not for sure and she's no longer around for me to ask.  If you think gambling is a near future guarantee in ecuador I was thinking.....maybe if my percentage was high enough, the tribe may be interested in starting a casino here, if elections go that way.

The 'j' is called jota in Spanish.  It's pronounced HOH-tah .. and that 'h' sound is how all syllables begin if they have a 'j' at the beginning, followed by a vowel.  jonrón -- homerun -- is pronounced hohn-ROHN .. for instance.

The name Juan is so common that I think that you and the Gringo world understand what 'j' followed by 'u' means in pronouncing certain names or words.

The letter 'g' is pronounced like the English 'h' in gira and other words and syllables that start with 'gi" or 'ge.'  However, in Spanish words that begin with ga- or go- or gu- (guía), the 'g' is pronounced the same as in English.  Guía, a noun that  means "guide," is pronounced GHEE-ah.

As for other topics you're introducing -- such as the wild idea that U.S. Cherokee Indians could open a casino in Ecuador -- we'll have to discuss that elsewhere.

Discussing casinos and American Indians on the 'español for Gringos' thread
would be flamboyantly...

cccmedia

What's the difference?

What's the difference between a bono, a mono and a moño?
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bono is a bonus.

mono is a monkey.

moño is a hair bun.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between the verbs ayudar, ayunar y anadar?
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ayudar means "to help" or "to assist."

ayunar means "to fast"  (refrain from eating).

anudar means "to tie" or make a knot.  Sometimes spelled añudar.



In the original version of this post, anudar/añudar was misspelled.  Kudos to eagle-eyed VIP member Nards Barley for immediately catching this error.

cccmedia wrote:

anadar means "to tie" or make a knot.  Sometimes spelled añadar.

Neither spelling in my Oxford app. You sure it is not "atar"

You spotted it, Nards, the spelling was incorrect.

The correct spelling is anudar or añudar -- meaning "to tie" or make a knot.

You are also correct about the other word, atar.  It means "to tie" or "to tie together."

Good job.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between tos, dos y osos?
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tos is a noun meaning "cough."  It's feminine:  la tos.

dos means "two."

osos are bears.  Singular:  el oso.

Who can honestly say they have heard that word used?


"POR CADA PANA QUE SE PASE A TUENTI, TÚ Y ÉL GANAN $5 DÓLARES DE SALDO"

Oxford Spanish-English

"[u]pana2[/u] masculino y femenino (Venezuela familiar) (amigo) chum (familiar) buddy (inglés norteamericano familiar), mate (inglés británico familiar)"

Nards Barley wrote:

Who can honestly say they have heard that word used?


"POR CADA PANA QUE SE PASE A TUENTI, TÚ Y ÉL GANAN $5 DÓLARES DE SALDO"

Oxford Spanish-English

"[u]pana2[/u] masculino y femenino (Venezuela familiar) (amigo) chum (familiar) buddy (inglés norteamericano familiar), mate (inglés británico familiar)"

In accordance with this thread's tradition of translating Spanish phrases to English, I offer the following translation...

For each friend you refer to Tuenti, you and he get five dollars (added to your) balance(s).

Slang words for "friend" seem to vary from country to country.  In Colombia you may hear parce and mano used.  Not mano as in "hand" -- mano, short for hermano ("bro").

Wordreference.com cites pana as Venezuelan slang for "friend," in accordance with the entry Nards provided.  The non-slang translations for pana at that website are for two types of cloth -- corduroy (rough) and velveteen (smooth).

What's the difference?

What's the difference between the nouns respuesta, repuesto y repostería?
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respuesta is an answer or response.

repuesto means "spare part" or "replacement part."

respostería is a pastry shop.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between the nouns vereda, veranda y verdura?

vereda means a path or lane.

veranda (spelled the same in English) means a roofed area outside a house on the same level as the ground floor.

verdura  is a vegetable.  A synonym is vegetal.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between vela, tela y muela?
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vela is candle.

tela is cloth or fabric.

muela is molar (back tooth).

What's the difference?

What's the difference between fama, cama, mama y mamá?
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fama means fame.

cama is a bed.

mama -- MAH-mah -- means breast or mammary gland.

mamá -- with the accent mark -- means mom.

cccmedia wrote:

fama means fame.

cama is a bed.

mama -- MAH-mah -- means breast or mammary gland.

mamá -- with the accent mark -- means mom.

Here are several dichos or sayings for the above words...translations approximate, unless there's an English equivalent!

Cría fama y échate a dormir - Become famous and you can relax, you've got it made (literally "Grow fame and (you can) lie down to sleep")

En la cama y en la cárcel se conoce a los amigos - In bed and in jail, you come to know who your friends are

El que no llora, no mama - The squeaky wheel gets the grease (literally, "The one that doesn't cry, doesn't suckle")

But for mamá, all the many sayings seem to use the more respectful "madre" for Mother instead of Mom.  I like this one, maybe because it rhymes like so many dichos do:
No tengo padre ni madre ni perro que me ladre - I'm all alone in this world (literally, "I have no father nor mother nor dog to bark for me")

What's the difference?

What's the difference between sastrería, tintorería y convendría?

sastrería means tailor shop.

tintorería is the dry cleaners.

convendría is a conditional form of the verb convenir, which means "to suit" or "to be advisable."

Me convendría acompañarte en tu visita con el sacerdote.  It would suit me to go with you on your visit to the priest.

Convenir can also mean "to agree."

Nos convinimos en una hora y un lugar.  We agreed on a time and a place.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between vacunar, vicuna y vacar?

vacunar means  "to vaccinate."

vicuña is a llama-like animal or its fleece.   bee-KOON-yah.[/i]

vacar means "to take a leave of absence" or "to become vacant."

What's the difference?

What's the difference between mantequilla, marisquería y maquillaje?

mantequilla is butter.  A synonym is manteca.

marisquería is a seafood restaurant or shellfish bar.  A word for "seafood" is mariscos.

maquillaje -- mah-kee-YAH-hay -- means "make-up" (facial enhancement).

What's the difference?

What's the difference between guardería, portería y lavandería?
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.Guardería is a child daycare center or nursery.

Portería is a front desk, reception area or lobby.

Lavandería is a laundry.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between masticar, mosca y mostaza?
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Masticar means "to chew."  A synonym is mascar.
Chewing gum:  goma de mascar.

mosca means a fly (small insect).  It's also a colloquial term for money or 'dough'.

mostaza is mustard.

cccmedia wrote:

mosca means a fly (small insect).  It's also a colloquial term for money or 'dough'.

Another dicho:

En boca cerrada no entran moscas - literally, "In a closed mouth no flies enter", English equivalents "Silence is golden" or "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt"...

What's the difference?

What's the difference between hormiga, hormigón y holgura.

Una hormiga is an ant.

Hormigón is concrete.

Holgura is sufficient means or comfort.

Ellos tienen holgura, pero no son ricos.

They're comfortable, but they're not rich.

What's the difference?

What's the difference between caña, gana, lana, rana, sana y banana?

caña is cane, such as sugar cane (caña de azúcar).

gana is a third-person form of ganar, which means "to win or to earn."
Un buen abogado gana mucho dinero.  A good lawyer earns a lot of money.

lana is wool.

una rana is a frog.

sana means "healthy."  The masculine form is sano.

banana is a fruit with a yellow peel.

cccmedia wrote:

banana is a fruit with a yellow peel.

Please be aware that in Valle del Cauca and Cali, Colombia, una banana is used to mean a sweet, a candy, they also say un dulce or un bon bon.  For the fruit they say banano and the smaller varieties are guineos.

And there is also another meaning, you should be aware there is a sexual connotation using banana coupled with the verb pelar, to peel, there's even a popular song by El General:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVgVF9ptRkQ

Here's the lyrics written out, in Spanish:
http://www.musica.com/letras.asp?letra=2081191

"Juana Juana pelame la banana (x2)
si no me la pela, me la pela tu hermana(x2)"

Roughly,
"Juana Juana peel the banana for me
if you won't peel it for me, your sister will"

What's the difference?

What's the difference between meter, motor y matar?

meter means "to get into."
No meta en mis asuntos.  Don't meddle in my affairs.
La rana metió en la piscina de la urbanizacion.  The frog jumped into the complex's pool.  (example from wordreference.com)

motor is an engine or motor.

matar means "to kill."

What's the difference?

What's the difference between clave, clavo y esclavo?

clave (noun and adjective) means "key" in the sense of something essential.
llave means the key to your house, car or office.

clavo means "nail" -- the type you hammer into a wall.
uña is the nail on your finger or toe.

esclavo means slave.
Feminine version is esclava.