Category Archives: Spanish language
C is for Comida en La Misión – Madrid.
Last Saturday while I was still in Madrid, I went to La Misión for lunch.
This restaurant is part of the group of restaurants (I don’t want to say “chain” because it might give you the wrong impression) which includes El Recuerdo and El Olvido (translated as The Memory and The Ommission, though olvido has a much more poetic connotation than its English counterpart). http://www.lamision.es/mision.htm
This is the second time I visit this restaurant and I can really recommend it for a special occasion. It’s not cheap, but the food is of fantastic quality and not overpriced at all. The wine is also decently priced and the desserts, at 2.75 EURO, are a delicious bargain!
My main reason for writing about this place however, is the little piece of text that accompanies the bill. I was so impressed by it that I just had to tell you about it. I don’t want to publish it on the net as the restaurant might not want it to be of public domain, but I have “booed” about it through the Audioboo platform. I’ve recorded it in Spanish and then attempted a simultaneous translation of it.
Here is the link, for your pleasure. Enjoy!
F is for Feliz Navidad
It’s difficult not to be caught up in the Christmas spirit, as it’s everywhere, for better or for worse.
So here is a short audio piece, which I’ve recorded through Audioboo, where I show you how to say “Merry Christmas”, “Happy New Year”, “Happy Christmas Eve” and where I talk a little bit about the “roscón de reyes”.
So, have a feliz nochebuena, a feliz navidad and a feliz año nuevo.
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V is for Vacas.
“Vacas” as in “vacaciones” (holidays), not as in “vacas” below – looks more like a toro: Carolo, could you please clarify this one for us? And thanks for the picture, of course.
P is for Problema, not Problemo.
I am currently writing the chapter ‘O is for Olé’ and thought I’d share this bit, which addresses why “sin problema” has become “no problemo”.
In Spanish, most words carry with them the feminine or masculine gender. For example, a house (“la casa”) is feminine while the sky (“el cielo”) is masculine. These two are classic examples of words that, ending in “a” are feminine while words ending in “o” are masculine.
However, sometimes this is not the case.
The exception to the rule (and there are lots of exceptions to the rule in Spain) can be illustrated precisely by the word “problema”. Although ending in an “a”, this is a masculine word: “el problema”, “un problema”, “los problemas”. So, you can see how “problema” has become “problemo” in the mouths of non-native Spanish speakers.
