Monday, May 30, 2011

Este gabacho habla bastante español

Although I had heard the term gabacho before, it had never been directed at me.  But don't worry, it wasn't an insult.

I've also heard the term gabachita, which stems from gabacho.  I heard this when a waitress I was talking to in Mexico pointed to her friend (another waitress) and told me her co-worker, "la gabachita" spoke really good Spanish.  She eventually confessed that her friend wasn't a gabacha, but in fact a Mexicana, and was just pulling my leg.

Ok, at this point I guess I need to get on with it and explain what a gabacho (gabacha) is.

The truth is, you already know what a gabacho is.  Gabacho is often used instead of gringo.  And gabachita is just a variation of gabacha.  You see, the waitress I was speaking with at the bar called her co-worker a gabachita because her co-worker looked more like a a red-blooded American than a Mexican.   And that's exactly how the term is used, to refer to Americans, just like gringo.

Bolillo is another term.  It's actually a kind of white bread that you can probably find in your local Wal-Mart, and it's used to specifically refer to white Americans. 

If you're wondering whether or not the words gabacho, gringo or bilillo are offensive, well, the answer is a definate maybe. 


You see, while many Spanish speakers will be familar with these words, who considers what to be offensive various tremendously, so becareful.  When in doubt ask.  Although I suspect you're not likely to use them as much as you are to hear them. 


¡Hasta la próxima!

Monday, May 23, 2011

¿Verdad que mocoso?

I thought I'd do something a little different for a change.  I'm going to share a video with you all that I got a pretty good kick out of. 

Actually, it's a video series, called Huevocartoones, los huevos for short.  They're actually quite popular in Mexico.  In fact, last time I was there I rode with a cabbie who proudly displayed a sticker of them.

The cartoons often make a play on words, because the word "huevo" can have so many different meanings in Mexico (not all of them are polite) so there's a lot of opportunity for jokes, like the episode called "Huevos Rancheros" which is really about cowboys, but "Huevos Rancheros" are actually a very popular breakfast dish.  Not all the references are that innocent, but all in all, I find the videos just plain funny, especially the parodies of Star Trek, "Huevos en espacio".

But today we're going to take a look at the episode "En el Taller del Huevo Santa".

Before we get to the video, let me point out some interesting vocabulary you'll hear.

Huevo Santa affectionally calls the children "mocoso" and "mocosa".  I'm not sure just how affectionate he really is, because mocoso means brat.  And mocosa is of course for girls.  You'll also hear him use escuincle and escuincla, which are alternate ways of saying niño/niña.  And be careful with escuincle, it can be disrectful depending on the tone.   You probably don't want to follow Huevo Santa's example.  And while you don't hear them in this video, there's also chamaco and chamaca to refer to kids.

Santa admits to being paid a buena lana  (good money) to take the mocosos (brats) on a recorrido (tour) of his taller (workshop). 

Speaking of Santa's workshop, "está todo tirado", a complete mess, because his "vieja", wife, or better stated, old lady, isn't around.

You'll also see the word "chelas" - beers.

Well, that's it, you're on your own with the rest!  Enjoy the video, I got some good laughs out it.  Thank goodness this Santa doesn't service my part of town.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Pan con lo mismo

"Bread with the same".

That's the literal translation of today's phrase.  You may be tempted to think this is a handy phrase you can use the next time you're dining out at your favorite latin restaurant, but you'd be wrong.

So what does this mean?  Let's find out.

Have you ever had someone ask you "How's it going?" and then responded "Same as always"?  Well, this is where today's expression comes in handy. 

The next time someone asks you:

¿Cómo va todo?
How's everything going?

And if you have nothing new and exciting to tell them about, you can simply say:

Pan con lo mismo
The same as always

There are probably many ways to express this idea, but here's another one that's very Mexican:

Atole con lo mismo
The same as always

If you don't know what atole is, here's a picture:



Well, now you know what it looks like, but if you want an explanation of exactly what it is, you can read about it here, or if you prefer, here, in Spanish.  There is actually more than one recipe for atole, you can googlear it (yes, this is a real verb, te lo juro.  Click the link and see for yourself) and find quite a few.

I'm pretty sure Mexicans aren't the only one's who use this phrase, but you will definitely impress some people with this one.

If you want something a little less slangly and more universal, you can go with:

Lo mismo de siempre
The same as always

And there you have it.  We didn't talk about anything earth shattering, but these phrases will make you sound a little less like a gringo and more like a native speaker.

¡Hasta la próxima!

Monday, May 9, 2011

¿Cómo va la chamba?

I remember the first time I heard the word chamba.  I also have very vivid memories of the first I used it, because I got laughed at.   Don't worry, the laughter turned out to be a good thing.  My amigo was impressed with my knowledge of Mexican slang. 

Enough patting myself on the back.  Let's get to the task at hand.

¿Cómo va la chamba?

If you don't know what this means, let me rephrase it.

¿Cómo va el trabajo?

I'll be you know what it means now.  That's right, chamba is simply a colloquial way of saying 'job'.

Tengo demasiada chamba
I have too much work

Busco chamba
I'm looking for work

¿Cómo va la chamba?
How's the job going?

Jale is another word for work.

¿Cómo va el jale?

Jale also means "pull", and it's common to see this on doors in Mexico. 

There's also the verb chambear. Wanna guess what it means? If you're thinking it means to work, then you're 100% correct.

Estoy chambeando, te llamo luego
I'm working, I'll call you later

¿Tienes que chambear hoy día?
Do you have to work today?

¿Chambeaste ayer?
Did you work yesterday?

There's also chambeador and chambeadora.  Or trabajador and trabajadora.  Both of which mean a hard working person.

Se solicita mecanico chambeador y responsable
Looking for a hard working and responsible mechanic

Remember, these terms are colloquial.  If you actual find yourself looking for work in Spanish, the word you want is empleo,  and stick with the more formal term trabajar.  

These words are pretty straight forward and easy to use.  If you never noticed them before, I'll bet you start noticing them all the time now.  At least that's what usually happens to me when I learn something new.

¡Hasta la próxima!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Estoy hasta el tope y apenas es lunes

This is one of those expressions you'll find yourself using a lot.  At least, if you're like me you will.  

Before we get started, there are a few interesting words you may not be familar with, so let's talk about those before we cover the entire phrase.

Let's start with topeTope can be translated as "the upper limit", "to the top" or maybe "to the rim".    So you can say something like:

Llene el vaso hasta el tope
Fill the glass to the rim

Apenas, at least in this context means barely. 

Apenas te conozco
I barely know you

"Hasta el" or "hasta la", can generally be translated as "until".

Camina hasta la esquina y dobla a la derecha
Walk until you get to the corner and turn right

¿Cuanto tiempo te vas a quedar? Hasta el lunes
How long are you going to stay?  Until Monday

Now we're ready to look at our phrase.

You may have already put some of this together, but let's talk about it anyway.

When you say "Estoy hasta el tope", you're literally saying your filled to rim.  Clearly this makes no sense.  But figuratively it means "I'm fed up". 

Estoy hasta el tope con el trabajo
I'm fed up with my job

Interestingly enough, if you change "con" to "de", the meaning changes rather drastically.

Estoy hasta el tope de trabajo
I've got a ton of work

Consider that one a bonus.  Let's get back to the task at hand.

"Hasta el tope" is just one option.  Here's another one.

Estoy harto de mi trabajo
I'm fed up with my job

Estoy harto de tí
I'm fed up with you

Or simply...

Estoy harta
I'm fed up

Notice I used "harta" this time.  Ladies you'll want to use "harta".

That's it. Pan comido, ¿verdad?


¡Hasta la próxima!