Say this not that! II

Hola chicos,

Last week I brought back “Say this, not that” by request, which had very positive feedback, so here we go again:

 

Don’t say: Voy a tener divertido, for I’m going to have fun

Say: Voy a divertirme

 

Don’t say: Soy x pies y x pulgadas – In Spanish we “measure” our height rather than “being” our height – makes more sense, don’t you think?

Say: Mido x pies y x pulgadas

 

Don’t say: MAma and PApa – as in putting the stress on the 1st syllable

Say: maMÁ y paPÁ (mamar = to breast feed, so if you put the stress on the 1st syllable you are saying that someone is breastfeeding – and you’re calling your Dad a potato – awkward!)

 

Don’t say: No bueno (unless you want to sound like a total Gringo)

Say: No es bueno

 

Don’t say: Encontré a mi novia en… (unless your girlfriend was actually lost and you found her)

Say: Conocí a mi novia en… (use this if you meant to say that you met her somewhere)

 

Don’t say: ¿Qué haces? – when you want to know what a person does for a living – this actually means “what are you doing?” – as in right now

Say: ¿A qué te dedicas? – which is really much better because it’s all encompassing – the answer welcomes what someone does for a living, if they are a student, if they’re a stay at home parent, etc.

 

Don’t say: El agua es frío

Say: El agua es fría – I know, the gender doesn’t seem to match, but it actually does.  Agua is a feminine word that uses a masculine article in the single but a feminine article in the plural – el agua – las aguas – but the adjective still needs to be in the feminine.  This is specifically designed to confuse you or piss you off.  Sorry.

 

Don’t say: Quizás voy al x…

Say: Quizás vaya al x…  (remember to use the subjunctive after “quizás”)

 

Ok chicos, that’s it for today.  Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Besos,
Caro