Posts in May 2009

Word origins: Chiste (joke)

Posted by adir ferreira
May
28
2009

In the early days jokes were not told openly and, if there were people of the opposite sex present, they were told in whispers.

To designate these stories, at first obscene ones, the word chiste was used, derived from the verb chistar. Chistar meant “to whisper, to speak in a low voice” or also “to utter a sound with the intention of speaking”. Chistar is an onomatopoeic form that comes from the sound sst or chst, used to ask people to be quiet. The first appearance of chiste was in the 13th century used by Gonzalo de Berceo, in the form chista. From the context, we can tell that it referred to obscene stories:

Mostrad el Pater Noster a vuestras creaturas.  (Teach Our Lord’s Prayer to your children)
Castigad que lo digan yendo por las pasturas, (Punish them to say it over the fields)
Mas vale digan esso, que chistas e locuras, (It’s better for them to say it instead of jokes or nonsense)
Ca suelen tales mozos fablar muchas orruras (Because the words of such young lads are often vulgar)

Nos vemos prontito.

 
Posted under Culture, Language, Literature, Spanish Language, Vocabulary
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Buying, en español - Part I

Posted by adir ferreira
May
26
2009

When you walk into a store in a Spanish-speaking country, you will probably be greeted with an “Hola, ¿todo bien?, or “Hola, buenas.” This greeting requires no formal answer and a simple “hola” is enough. In Latin America, store prices do not include taxes. These are added at the cashier when paying and they add around 8,5% to the sale price.

Here are some useful sentences if you’re going to buy something en español. These are the customer’s sentences. The salesperson lines will come soon.

Estoy mirando, nada más. Gracias. – I’m just looking, thanks.
¿Aceptan (American Express)? – Do you take (American Express)?
¿Aceptan cheque viajero? – Do you take traveler’s checks?
¿Tiene(n) …? – Do you have…?
Estoy buscando … - I’m looking for …
He visto una (chaqueta) en la vitrina. – I saw (a jacket) in the window.
¿Está en rebaja? – Is this on sale?
¿Puedo mandar esto a México? – Can I have this sent to Mexico?
Es para regalo. – It’s a gift for someone.
¿Puede(n) envolver esto para regalo? – Can I have this gift-wrapped?
¿Cuánto queda con impuesto? – What’s the price on this with tax?
¿Cuál es el precio en la oferta? – What’s the sale price on this?
¿Tiene el tamaño pequeño / mediano / grande / extra grande? – Do you have this in small / medium / large / extra large?
¿Tiene un tamaño más pequeño / grande? – Do you have this in a smaller / larger size?
¿Dónde están los probadores? – Where are the fitting rooms?
¿Cuál es su horario aquí? – What are your hours?
¿A qué hora cierran? – When do you close?
¿Abren los fines de semana? – Are you open on weekends?
¿Cuánto tiempo lleva? – How long will it take?
Me voy a llevar este / esta. - I’ll take this one.
Disculpe, ¿dónde lo pago? – Excuse me, where do I pay?
Me gustaría comprar este, por favor. – I’d like to purchase this, please.
¿Puedo cambiarlo? – What’s your exchange policy?
¿Me puede dar el recibo, por favor? – Can I have a receipt, please?

 
Posted under Culture, Language, Spanish Language, Vocabulary
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El Reservado - Spanish Talk Show

Posted by adir ferreira
May
21
2009

These days I was thinking about my teen years, in the 90’s, when I had to ask my friends in the US to send video tapes of the newest Beverly Hills 90210 that hadn’t been aired in Brazil yet.

Now Internet is here to help us all out with our learning in so many ways and one of my favorites is Youtube.

I was looking for Penélope Cruz’s acceptance speech at the Oscars and found a series of interviews from a Spanish program called El Reservado.

El Reservado brings actors, directors, writers, musicians and personalities from Spanish life in general in very interesting interviews. Its host is Luis Alegre, a professor at the University of Zaragoza and also a writer, journalist and movie director.

Here are two videos from El Reservado, with actors Penélope Cruz and Eduardo Noriega, my favorite Spanish actors. The interviews last around half an hour and their speech speed is not too fast, so intermediate and advanced students of Spanish will benefit a lot from them.

Aprovéchenlas. Nos vemos prontito.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ludhv3IB-M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbh20gz_KRA

 
Posted under Culture, Entertainment, Spanish Language
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La Entrevista de Trabajo en Español - Job Interviews in Spanish

Posted by adir ferreira
May
18
2009

Every job interview has core topics: general questions, strengths and weaknesses, education, professional development, among other. Here are some useful sentences for the ‘strengths’ part.

¿Cómo se relaciona su experiencia con este empleo en particular?– How does your experience relate to this job in particular?

¿Qué dos o tres grandes logros ilustran mejor sus puntos fuertes? – Which two or three major accomplishments best illustrate your strengths?

¿Cuáles fueron los factores que más han contribuido al éxito de su carrera hasta ahora? – Which factors most account for your career success to date?

¿Cuáles son sus principales habilidades? – What are your key skills?

¿Cuáles son sus puntos fuertes? – What are your strengths?

¿En qué áreas recibe más elogios? – In what areas do you receive the most compliments?

¿En qué le considerarían eficiente sus compañeros de trabajo? – What would your co-workers consider you effective in?

¿Por qué debería contratarlo para este cargo? – Why should I hire you for this position?

¿Qué habilidades piensa que son más importantes para este empleo? – What skills do you think are critical to this job?

¿Qué le diferencia ante los otros candidatos? – What sets you apart from other candidates?

Descríbame sus tres puntos más fuertes y dígame cómo los ha usado para realizar mejoras en su empleo actual. – Describe your three greatest strengths and tell me how you have used them to make improvements in your current job.

Durante análisis de desempeño, ¿qué áreas fueron citadas con más frecuencia como sus puntos fuertes? – During performance reviews, what areas have most frequently been mentioned as your key strengths?

 
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More meanings of common words

Posted by adir ferreira
May
14
2009

Aqui están algunas palabras muy comunes en español con sus significados adicionales.

Abandonar – to abandon.
Abandonado = scruffy, sloppy (said of a person)

Abusar – to abuse
Abusar de la comida = to eat too much

Acusar – to accuse
Él acusaba cansancio. = He showed signs of tiredness.
Tiene un acusado sentido del humor. = He has a pronounced sense of humor.

Alterar – to alter, to change
Este niño me altera los nervios. = This kid gets on my nerves.

Amasar – to amass
El panadero amasó la masa. = The baker kneaded the dough.

Apostar – to bet
Aposto al mayordomo en la puerta. = I am positioning the butler at the door.

Colonia – colony (of settlers)
Se echó colonia. = She put on some cologne.

Competencia – competency
Hubo competencia por el primer puesto. = There was competition for the first place.

Compromiso – commitment
Llegar a un compromiso = to reach an agreement
No puedo ir esta noche, tengo otro compromiso. = I can’t go tonight. I have another engagement.
Se puso en un compromiso. = He put himself in an awkward position.

Concentración – concentration
La selección francesa ha iniciado su concentración. = The French national squad has set up its training camp.

Copia - copy (of paper, etc.)
Copy (of a book) = ejemplar

Dependencia – dependence
Una dependencia de la granja = a farm outbuilding

Descubrir = to discover
Descubrirse = to take one’s hat off. (Se descubrió al entrar en la iglesia.)

Diligencia = diligence
Hizo el trabajo con mucha diligencia. (He did the work very diligently)
El juez instruyó las diligencias para … = The judge started the proceedings for …
Los bandidos atacaron la diligencia. = The bandits attacked the stagecoach.

Discutir – to discuss
Se les oyó discutiendo en el patio. = You could hear them arguing in the yard.

Facilitar – to facilitate
Esta empresa facilita ropa al ejército. = This company provides clothing for the army.

Fallo – failure, weakness
El juez emitió su fallo. = The judge passed sentence.

Ignorar – to ignore
Ignoraban su paradero. = They did not know his whereabouts.

Ilustración – illustration
La Ilustración = the Enlightenment

Nos vemos prontito!

 
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