In this episode, we talk about the language and cultural notes that came up in the conversation you heard in the previous episode.
To understand a conversation in Spanish, you need to understand not only the language but also the culture.
Pay close attention here because otherwise, you may make a fool of yourself when trying to speak Spanish.
Language and cultural notes:
- The world for “Yes” in Spanish is “Si”, pronounced like the word “sea” (a body of water). The word for No, is the same as English “No” and the pronunciation is the same.
- “Cuanto” means “how much”. It can be used to ask about anything that is numerically measurable such as time “Cuanto tiempo” which means “how much time” or money “Cuanto cuesta” which means “how much does it cost”.
- “he” and “ha” are different conjugations of the verb “haber” which is one of the forms of “to be” in Spanish. “Vivido” means lived.
- Like in the previous unit about Introducing yourself and others, you will notice that the “I” and “you” is left out. This is implied by the conjugation of the verb.
- It is very common for people to ask if you like living in Mexico or any Latin American country. The only polite answer is yes, but you can mention small complaints about the weather or traffic after that without offending anyone. We will however also teach you how to say “no” if you really want to say that.
This is particularly true for people you have just met – I have been living in Mexico for ten years, and only with my wife’s family is it appropriate for me to complain or offer negative opinions about this place or its goings-on.
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