Buying Water - Agua Men-a-Poo!

I've blogged before about the water here in Cancun. We still buy most of ours in 20L bottles ($2), from one of the army of men who ride, drive, or otherwise roll through every area selling it. You'll be sitting at home, or lying in a hammock writing a blog post, and hear "Agua! Agua! Agua!"

 

More Funny Spanish - Calzones!

Living in Cancun, I often find myself trying to communicate with Mexicans who speak very little English. Because I speak very little Spanish, I often have to try to guess what the Spanish equivalent of a word might be.

While shopping the other day I saw a sign that made me laugh. It also reminded me that attempting to communicate the way I do can be a tricky proposition.

The sign said simply... "Calzones (Boxers)."

Mmmm - calzones...

Is Spanish less efficient than English?

In my quest to broaden my knowledge of Spanish I've been reading Webster's Worldwide English-Spanish Dictionary. I know that sounds a little odd, but this dictionary is riddled with examples of word usage, each translated into Spanish.

Now THIS is what I should be reading!

More Silly Spanish...

Yesterday Jen & I visited the beautiful Mayan Hotel Xbalamque (on Yaxchilan just north of the blue school, the first school in Cancun). 

We spent some time lounging by the pool, which is open to the public with the purchase of some food/drinks.

The pool was busier than I've ever seen it, mainly because July is high season here, with many Mexican families visiting Cancun for their summer holiday. Kids were splashing (and shooting other guests with water guns) and Jen was reading Spanish for Dummies.

At one point, she was studying Simple verb conjugations (I am, you are, etc). She remarked thay "soy" means "I am." I replied that, because of his nickname, my parents' dog Max would say, in Spanish, "soy 'Bean.'"

A bit later, she was contemplating a new Spanish word -- "retrasso" -- which means tardy (i think). I noted that it should be easy to remember, because only a retarded ass (excuse me for being politically incorrect) would be late.

Of course, I can't remember for sure how to spell the word or exactly what it means, proving that I am in fact a retrasso.

OK, gotta run. Gonna be late...

Fun with Spanish & "Pseudo Spanish"!

I woke up this morning to the sound of our puppy Diablo barking at some other dogs. I went back to sleep. But as I was dozing, I thought I was dreaming about the Spanish...


R-eh, S-ey, Teh...


I resurfaced from my "dream" & realized that Jen was in bed beside me, reading the alphabet in her new Spanish book.


Spanish is certainly in my thoughts. I'm enchanted & amused by this magical language. And I've learned enough now that I'm at the point where I can sort of guesstimate what makes an English word Spanish. Here's my recipe:

Achoo, Achoo, Achoo...

So the other day, Jen & I were sitting around & I heard an electronic voice saying something like, "Achoo, achoo, achoo..." It really sounded like someone sneezing.

It wasn't. It was just Jen learning Spanish numbers! "Ocho" = the number 8.

Here's the link if anyone is interested.

BTW: the smart phone translation apps are really pretty handy. I'm using the Talking Multi-Language Translator & Dictionary. You speak (or type) to it in English (or Spanish) & it spits out the equivalent in Spanish (or English). It's not perfect, but it's a great way to learn Spanish.

One day in the pet store, an employee used an app to explain something about our pet turtle. But he was typing for an eternity. I wanted to grab his phone, download this app & get him to speak instead, but, of course, I didn't know how to explain...

How do you say "Catch-22" in Spanish??

More Funny Spanish Language Bloopers

I've written elsewhere about the bloopers I've made while learning Spanish. But I thought I'd post a few funny Spanish bloopers that have happened to other people...


1) Fighting over a bill


Tried to say: We will pay for you (pagamos)                                
Actually said: We will fight you (pegamos)


2) Lord died for a good cause...


Tried to say: The Lord died for your sins (pecados)                     
Actually said: The Lord died for your fish (pescados)


3) I have 4 sisters...


Tried to say: I have 4 sisters and I'm the oldest (meyor)

Actually said:  I have 4 children and I am the best (mejor) 


4) Be careful what you ask for....


Tried to say: I ask (yo pido)                                                             
Actually said: I fart (yo pedo)

Funny Spanish Sex Bloopers

I recently posted a note about funny Spanish bloopers. I thought I'd write a separate post about funny Spanish sex bloopers, partly to keep the other post family-friendly & also because it's an easy way to generate some extra clicks. Anything with "sex" in the title (& lots of "sex  sex sex" in the body) is bound to attract attention! After all, you're here, right?

You said what?!?

Learning Spanish -- Funny Spanish Language Bloopers

As Jen & I learn Spanish (slowly), we have made a host of Spanish Bloopers. I'll share some of these here & update the page if (when!) they happen...

I've also heard many funny stories about other tourists. I'll relate some of those in a separate post.

Ok, here we go....