onecrazymother ([info]onecrazymother) wrote,
@ 2007-11-11 10:59:00
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My spanish sucks
Yesterday we took my mother-in-law to get a new computer, and [info]1cmf got it all set up for her. (I'm so, so happy that she is doing better, and is home!)

I offered to test drive her internet connection, and so was hanging out online at her computer. Didn't feel like reading LJ from her computer, so I was reading google news. (I normally get my news as a feed, here on LJ.) I noticed I could choose to read it in Spanish, and did so, muddling through the articles, attempting to understand.

I thought the King of Spain had asked the President of Venezuela to call him more often. Er, he apparently told him to Shut Up. I get a big F on my translation project this weekend.

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[info]spiralsongkat
2007-11-11 04:11 pm UTC (link)
If it's any comfort, I heard that the King was using a style of speech that one typically uses when speaking to children. So, perhaps it wasn't the classical, courteous Spanish we learned in school.

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[info]onecrazymother
2007-11-11 04:53 pm UTC (link)
hmm, or he could have just have been using the "tu" form instead of the "Ud." form. There are two ways of speaking, a formal extra respectful type, and a an informal type, only used for one's intimates, or for children. If I understand correctly, this difference is in use in Spain, but isn't a frequently used distinction, for example, in Mexico. So with my backyard neighbors, if they were over for dinner, I should say, "Por favor, come," if I wanted to say, "Please, eat." But if I just had their five year old over for lunch, I would say, "Por favor, comes." With my Mexican neighbors, next door, I would say, "Por favor, comes," to the adults or the children, though if I reverted to the Ud. form, they would understand what I meant, and recognize that I had learned one form of Spanish, the Spain-Spanish, in school, and might or might not correct me, saying something along the lines of what I remember (possibly incorrectly) frin school they might say, "por favor hablame para tu." ("Please, speak to me with the tu form.")

I'm not sure about Venezuela, but I would expect that conversations between heads of state would normally revert to the most respectful ever used.

This is rambly.

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[info]spiralsongkat
2007-11-11 05:24 pm UTC (link)
Perhaps when what one is saying is, "Shut up," one is less likely to use the most formal and courteous language? (I probably would, though; you know me.)

When addressing me, you need never apologize for being rambly. :)

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[info]thudthwacker
2007-11-12 04:26 pm UTC (link)
Perhaps when what one is saying is, "Shut up," one is less likely to use the most formal and courteous language?

Unless one is Japanese, at least.

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[info]fings
2007-11-12 03:50 am UTC (link)
Mi Espanol no es bueno, pero mi amor habla.

Edit: "pero", no "perro". Estupido. Gracias a mi amor.

Edited at 2007-11-12 03:54 am UTC

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[info]yolen
2007-11-12 03:56 am UTC (link)
Tu amor no lo habla perfectamente, pero me defiendo en hablar en espanol. Escribiendo espanol, asi-asi.

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[info]barking_iguana
2007-11-12 04:14 am UTC (link)
No entiendo "defiendo".

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[info]onecrazymother
2007-11-12 04:18 am UTC (link)
yo tambien

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[info]yolen
2007-11-12 04:23 am UTC (link)
Defend.

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[info]onecrazymother
2007-11-12 11:30 am UTC (link)
so, is this right?

Your lover doesn't speak it perfectly, but I defend myself in my speaking of Spanish. Writing Spanish, that I can do.

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[info]yolen
2007-11-12 03:06 pm UTC (link)
The 2nd sentence is more like " Writing, Spanish, so-so". But what you wrote cuts the mustard, too ;). YAY spanish translation :).

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[info]yolen
2007-11-12 08:00 pm UTC (link)
Also, "mi amor" means "my love". "My lover" would be "mi amante".

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