Lost in Translation

One would think that living with a native Spanish speaker would help me to more quickly learn the language. This is not entirely the case. Studying on my own might be a more effective choice. When I ask how to say something in Spanish, Latino typically repeats the word in English. When I piece together my limited knowledge of Spanish into a question or phrase, he usually just goes along with it. One day I asked him, "Quieres comprar un puerco?"

"Si."

I thought briefly about what I had just said and I realized my mistake. "Did I just ask you if you want to buy a pig?"

"Yes."

"And you said yes?"

I am pretty sure no one has accused Latino of not being easy going. Apparently what I meant was "carne de puerco" which translates directly to "meat of pig."

Another day I said that I had forgotten how to say wings in Spanish. I asked him to remind me. He responded, "Repeat after me: Tu...eres...el...hombre."

"You are the man?"

"Oh yes. I am."

I think I will stick to my Spanish audio CD's.

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