Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Español Coloquial

My favorite class this semester is probably Colloquial Spanish. It has provided an opportunity to practice communicating with some of the more subtle aspects of the language and has taught us a number of fun and useful phrases. Here are a few of my favorites so far:

Eso va a misa: Literally, "that goes to mass," it equates pretty closely to "and you can take that to the bank" in English when saying that something is indisputable. I like this phrase because if you don't agree with the person, you can respond with, "Well, I'm an atheist" or "Yeah, well, I don't go to mass, so therefore you're wrong."

¡Nones!: The plural for "No." For when you're to lazy to say, "No, no, no!"

¡Que lo haga Rita!: Essentially, "No way, José." Apparently, Rita was some famous singer and is now invoked whenever one does not want to do housework or whatever other task one is being asked to do.

Por si las moscas: A variation on por si acaso ("just in case"), Spaniards often substitute moscas for its English equivalent (por si las flies).

Estás como un queso: Literally, "you are like a cheese," this is supposed to be a compliment. To me it implies that you are smelly, but to Spaniards it apparently implies that you are attractive. I tried hitting on Claudia with this one, and she just got confused.

Let me know if you want some more Spanish pick-up lines. I'm hoping to develop a list!

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