As I've gotten older, I have tended to lose to abilities I used to have speaking Spanish.
I have forgotten many grammar rules.
I have lost most of an ability to learn the manners of speaking of the local population.
Some of it may be pronunciation.
Most restaurants I eat at offer a breakfast fruit plate of cantaloupe, watermellon, pineapple and papaya. I don't like papaya so I order, fruta sin papaya." Sometimes they hear, "fruta si papaya," and pile on the papaya. No big deal and they fix it with a smile on their face.
That leads me indirectly to ask the following of fluent English speakers of hispanic descent.
If someone says, "Soy durmiendo" or "Estoy americano," does it sound as weird as someone saying "I will make it tomorrow" when he really means "I will do it tomorrow" for something that has nothing to do with making anything?
I'm sure there other examples in English and Spanish but these are the two tytpes of example I think of right now.
Thanks, it will ease a curiosity I've had for a long time.
English/Spanish Clumsiness
Soy Americano is correct as in I am American which is not a temporary condition but a permanent condition. Estoy durmiendo is correct as in I am sleeping which is a temporary condition not permanent.
Hacer, to make, is a verb used in many ways to state what someone, something is up to [doing now] or has achieved or is going to achieve, etc. Que haces? or ¿Qué estás haciendo? is what are you doing now. So hacer can be "make," "made" or "doing", "done" etc. Hecho in Mexico, Made in Mexico.
I don't think you read the question. I know the correct usages. My question was do that sound as weird or funny or clumsy as the mistakes foreigners make. Like saying "I will make it tomorrow" when he means "I will DO it tomorrow." Or "I will tell she," instead of "I will tell her."
In my experience most Mexicans don´t care so much about the many mistakes a foreigners makes as long as the message is clear. There are a few who will just not want to deal with it and then you know where you stand. It appears common for someone to repeat what you said corectly and for you to agree that is what you meant to confirm that is what you meant to say.
alleycat1 wrote:In my experience most Mexicans don´t care so much about the many mistakes a foreigners makes as long as the message is clear. There are a few who will just not want to deal with it and then you know where you stand. It appears common for someone to repeat what you said corectly and for you to agree that is what you meant to confirm that is what you meant to say.
Of course with total of 11 years in Mexico, that's a given. Thanks
Articles to help you in your expat project in Mexico City
Mexico has activities for everyone: from exciting adventure to peaceful relaxation, high culture to rowdy street ...
One thing that you will start to notice in Mexico City is how different neighbourhoods feel differently and, as ...
No matter what your favourite sport is, chances are that you will find a place where you can watch or play it in ...
It’s a long weekend in Mexico and my best friend left so in order to cheer myself up a bit (an excuse at ...
All Tequila is Mezcal, but not all Mezcal is Tequila.
It's no secret that Mexico has some of the best cuisines in the world. After all, it is the most exported, and ...
