Credit to Zuzax13.

Could anybody please help me out with some of these phrases? Some of these I can get an idea of how to say them, but I'd like to know for sure.

1) Where are you from?
2) How old are you?
3) When is your birthday?
4) Are you married?
5) Do you have children?
6) What do you do for fun?
7) What's your favorite ...?
8) Do you have family here?
9) Where do they live?
10) What are your wishes?
11) Let me undress you!

These are just a few questions. Any help would be appreciated.

Credit to BigBadBlkWolf

1) de donde eres?

2) cuanto anos tienes?

3) cual es tu cumpleanos?

4) estas casado?

5) tienes hijos ?

6) que haces para divertirse?

7) que es favorito?

8) tienes familia aqui?

9) donde viven ellos?

10)que quisieras?

11)permitame quitarte la ropa...


This is the way that I would translate these phrases. Sounds like you plan on doing a lot of talking...actions speaks louder than words...

Credit to Amous

My hand at it:
1) De donde eres?
2) Cuantos anos tienes?
3) Cuando es tu cumpleanos?
4) Estas casada?
5) Que haces para divertite?
6) Tienes ninos?
7) Que es tu favorita?
8) Tienes familia aqui?
9) Donde viven?
10) Que deseas?
11) Dejame desvestirte. (phonetics below)

"d" is pronounced "th" (as in "th, "though")

1) Theh thon-theh eh-rehs?
2) Koo-wahn-tohs ah-nee-ohs tee-eh-nehs?
3) Koo-wahn-tho ehs too koom-pleh-ah-nee-ohs?
4) Ehs-tahs kah-sah-thah?
5) Keh ah-sehs pah-drah thee-vehr-teer-teh?
6) Tee-eh-nehs nee-nee-ohs?
7) Keh ehs too fah-voh-dee-tah?
8) Tee-eh-nehs fah-mee-lee-ah ah-kee?
9) Thohn-theh vee-vehn?
10) Keh theh-seh-ahs?
11) Theh-hah-meh thehs-vehs-teer-teh.

(The faster you pronounce them, the better)

When you're phoning a Spanish-speaking home, how do you say, "Is so-and-so there?" -- or "Can I speak to so-and-so?". What do most Mexicans say?

Thanks,
MrBillO^™--- ~ Still the king of the GFE lapdance... ~

Don't know if it's different in Mexico, but I use..

"Puedo hablar con HERNAME, por favor"?

Maybe: ?Esta la Srta. Carmen?

On the list above, I would change

10)que quisieras? to Que quieras?

and

11)permitame quitarte la ropa...

to read 'tu ropa' (your clothes, as opposed to the clothes)

Then again, my Spanish is Colombian so YMMV.

hehe. I also say 'Quitate tu ropa' because I want HER to do it!

Bonvvnt - Please explain
This Columbian chica I met during the last trip has been sending emails. There is one phrase I just can not translate. here is a sample

'te quiero mucho, te extraño demasiato mi amor te nesecito mucho y te amo,'

The part I am having trouble with is

'te extraño demasiato' I interpet this as saying 'you strange to much' but I am sure this is incorrect or has a figurative meaning. She explain this is good and does not mean 'I am strange to much' (which might be true anyway)

BTW I been saying 'No tequite tu ropa' because I want to do it. I don't know if it si eactly correct but it seems to work.

Te extrano demasiado is poor syntax. It means "I
miss you too much." She really should write Te
extrano mucho. I can't put a tilda over the letter n in extrano because I'm typing this on a keyboard in Thailand. I've got a whole strange-looking alphabet on these keys, but nothing that looks like a squiggle over the n. The extrano is not an adjective in the sentence. It is the first person singular of the verb extranarse (to miss somebody). You are strange would be tu eres extrano or que hombre raro eres.
Take off your clothes can be said as quitate la ropa.
A tu or a mi ropa can be used to clarify whether you want her to take off her clothes or your clothes.
Don't worry about spelling or grammar. Just talk or write and don't be shy that you will use an incorrect
word or mispronounce something. Never be afraid to ask someone to repeat or explain. If you follow your own English conversations with others, you will find that you are constantly asking other Americans to repeat, clarify or explain something you didn't hear or understand.

Agreed, "Te extraño" is "I miss you" so she's saying she misses you 'too much'...

Think of it more as 'I am estranged from you' and it makes a little more sense.

As long as she understands what you want, go with it. I often ask the lady how to say things like that. They think it's cute...

In Colombia they would say 'your clothes' (tu ropa) but I've heard 'the clothes' (la ropa) used in DR and Mexico.

MrBill:

If you want to say, "Is Maria there?"

just say

"Esta' Maria?"

The reply will usually be something like,

"No, Maria no esta" - "No, Maria isn't here."
(you say OK, Gracias).

or

"Si, Espere un momento" - Yes - Hold on a moment.

or

they will probably ask you for your name...

RE: my question: How do you say, "Is so-and-so there?"

Thanks, fellas!

I always feel so stupid calling my non-english-speaking favorita at her non-english-speaking household. When a female voice answers the phone, usually her cousin, I usually just say "hername?", and then just kind of sit there and try to figure out what to say next. This will help a lot.

Thanks again,

MrBillO^™- ~ Still the king of the GFE lapdance... ~

Doug & Bonvvnt - Thanks,
For the explanation -this one has been eluding me for awhile. For some reason my electronic dictionary does not nclude the verb 'extranarse' & only includes extrano = strange.

I agree 100% regarding not being shy about trying to speak whatever comes to mind. I have said some things which where misunderstood and got me in little trouble (but it was just as much fun making up) and I have also said some things which she thought where very funny and of course corrected me.
I have made greater conversational strides in the last month then in the several previous years. The difference is we are writing back and forth daily and talking on the phone occasionally as well. I can now hold a simple but relatively continuous conversation on the phone - something I absolutely could not do 1-2 months ago. I have become a firm believer the 'Go find a chica & learn some spanish with her program'. We can always return to the books for a better understanding once the conversations have begun to flow.

Doug - Thailand huh, That place is great. Now that I have made the Columbian connection it is a real struggle to figure out which way to go.

Hey Diego,

Isn't saying "Esta' Maria?" kinda like saying "Is this Maria?"

What if a guy answers? What if a guy answers and he says "si, mi Maria, meet me at the Kinkle"?

Should we say "Mi nombre es Diego"?

"Esta {InsertNameOrWhatever}?" is common shorthand for "Esta ahi {}?" meaning "Is she/he/it/you there {}?". You can also say "Con {}?" which means "With {}?" but carries more or less the same significance. If they are not there, the most common answer you will get is "No se encuentra."

If a guy answers it's probably her novio or esposo or padrote and she's been lying to you anyway. Then you say "Esta la puta de {BARNAME}? Tengo el dinero que le debo por la mamada en el Domingo." But then again, it might be her father or brother...

So if it's her father or brother then we should say "mi nombre is cf/ja"?

And what's a {}?

{} is lazy typing for the first {InsertNameOrWhatever}. And if you can pronounce cfja in Spanish you're welcome to say it. Where are your bike pictures?

Redongdo,
>Isn't saying "Esta' Maria?" kinda like saying "Is >this Maria?"

No, that would be ?Es Maria?

The verb for "to be" as in a place is "estar"
while the verb for "to be" as "exist" is "ser",
so: "Soy un hombre. Estoy en Mexico."

Abuelo,

Thanks for the enlightenment...I'm slowly seeing the light.

I've always understood the "estar" to indicate a temporary condition...so a place would qualify as in the song "Estoy Aqui" by Shakira. But wouldn't say..a state of mind also qualify? "Estoy triste" or "estoy feliz" if you don't wanna be negative. Of course a mental state could be considered a "place" too I suppose.

The "ser" verbs indicate a more permanent or intrinsic state so you're example of "soy un hombre" makes sense...except in Bambis or Mikes Disco.

Am I correcto?

Soy confuso

Red, Estas correcto, mas o menos, y estas confudido tambien, casi siempre. With the states of mind it can get confusing. Good states like "feliz" seem to often be refered to as a characteristic of the person therefore using "ser" (Soy feliz) whereas bad states like "triste" seem to use "estar" (Estoy triste). Just an observation. Interestingly, being dead uses "Estar", in theory due to the religious influence of the soul being immortal therefore death is temporary. And the bike pic's are where?

should be "como" siempre(=like always)

"casi" siempre makes no sense(=almost forever?, or almost always?).

When a descritive adjective is used with either ser or estar the meaning can change.

Red esta listo. (Red is ready).
Red es listo. (Red is an alert person).

estar is used with geographical locations or states of being. Ser defines characterisitics even if they are short lived.

La fiesta fue divertida. (The party was fun).
Red estaba boracho. (Red was drunk).

There is obviously a lot more.

Here is an important one.

Maria es bonita. (Maria is pretty)
Maria esta bonita esta noche. (Maria seems very pretty to me tonight).

Diego, "almost always" is what I was saying, not "like always". Makes sense to me.

Well Like Always it Almost Always makes sense to me.

Sometimes anyway

Who was where when with the what now?

Looking' for a little help from my friends...

In Papagayo's in NL Boystown, I usually walk up to a chica or group and start chatting (my Spn is workable); I usually let THEM suggest going to a table, and I usually respond with "Besas bien?" And if they say yes I say "Pues, muéstrame..."

(I do this to screen out those who prefer not to really kiss.)

What I'm trying to say is "Are you a good kisser" and I feel like I'm not quite saying that. Wondering what one of you who speaks natively/fluently would say. Also, what do you call "French kissing" (tongue action) in Spanish?

Muchas gracias amigos...

It probably means more to say: "Te gusta besar?" (Do you like to kiss?) A woman who enjoys kissing will probably be a good kisser. Then saying "Pues, muestrame" should get you off to a good start.
French kiss is the literal translation of the english: Un beso francés. I am sure that each country also has its slang version, but this should work everywhere.

Some phrases about kissing in Spanish. Use them to seduce your target chica.
"Boca pequeñita y dulce saliva, cielo garantizado para quien la besa"
"Los besos son como pepitas de oro o de plata halladas en tierra y sin un gran valor, pero preciosas porque revelan que cerca hay una mina"
"El beso es el contacto de dos epidermis y la fusión de dos fantasías"
"El primer beso no se da con la boca sino con los ojos"
"El verdadero paraíso no está en el cielo, sino sobre la boca de la mujer amada"
"La mujer es embellecida por el beso que uno pone sobre su boca"
"El más dificil no es el primer beso, sino el último"
"El unico idioma universal es el beso"

O my god with lines like those THEY'LL be paying ME! Thanks a lot dude!!!

Waterfast,

Those are fun and good. Thanks for taking the time. People do read and learn from such efforts.

A nit:

""El más dificil no es el primer beso, sino el último" "

Isn't it "Lo mas dificil?"

Explorer,

Sure. I would say "El primer beso no es el mas dificil, sino el ultimo."

Harry

"El mas dificil no es el primer beso, el ultimo lo es."

Lo mas dificil would be more situational, not necessarily referring to the kiss per se (although maybe that is what you wished?)

"dificil, sino el ultimo" sounds a bit awkward.

Saying "el ultimo lo es" puts a bit more emphasis into it.

Concarne

How's about:

Lo mas dificil no es el primer beso, sino el ultimo


???

That sounds right to me.

I was going to defer to Waterfast but since he hasn't responded:

He isn't the author of "El más dificil no es el primer beso, sino el último" nor did he claim to be. It was penned by Paul Geraldy who was highly acclaimed for his love poems. It doesn't need rewriting.

The neuter article lo is used with adjectives to form abstract nouns: lo importante, that which is important; lo bueno; the good; lo más dificil, that which is most difficult. Therefore it would certainly be the appropriate article in this case. However, the use of el would certainly be understood, and as pointed out by Reytj, is the correct form of the quote. It is a great line because it can be interpreted to have different meanings depending on the context in which it is used.

A basic question...

"Hay" is used for "There is/are". How is this said in other tenses? Por ejemplo "There was/were" or "There will be". Gracias.

Here is the simple way to do it...

There were two girls = Fue dos chicas

There will be two girls = Va a estar dos chicas


There will be folks here who may try to correct my second phrase in exacting detail... but trust me, this is the easiest way to go for someone learning new tenses, and it will be understood.

Thanks Diego but I am actually looking for the grammaticaly correct terms.

"Fue dos chicas" is more like "It was two girls"
"Fueron dos chicas" "They were two girls"
"Va a estar dos chicas" "There is going to be two girls".
"Van a estar dos chicas" "There are going to be two girls".

I am asking about "hay" specifically because it is not a normal verb (technically not even a verb I believe) and doesn't follow the conjugation rules. Maybe there isn't a form of it other tenses.

Here's my textbook says:

In Spanish hay two past tenses: Preterite (action is completed) and imperfect (action not yet completed). Preterite form is "Hubo" (Hubo mucha comida en la fiesta anoche). Imperfect form is "Había".

There will be = Habrá

Unfortunately, hay dozen more tenses for hay.

cf said:

"Fue dos chicas" is more like "It was two girls"
"Fueron dos chicas" "They were two girls"

Yeah, I should have said "Fueron dos chicas" or "Estaban dos chicas".

Anyway, I think I like "Estaban dos chicas" better than "Hubieron dos chicas"...

I have been trying to contact my FAV and she is on vacation to Mexico City. While she speaks very good english her sister speaks nill other than "Maria no esta, vacacione, Mexico City" trying to ask the sister when she is expected to return. Is there a simple sentence I can use to try to ask the sister when she will return to TJ. Thanks for the help.

Oldsailor

Cuando regresa Maria a Tijuana ?

Ashtray in Spanish?

...anyone

Ashtray is "cenicero".

How would you simply say: "I want to make soft passionate love to you."

Quiero hacer el amor contigo, suave y apasionado.

Quiero hacerte el amor suave y apasionadamente.

Wow, eight months since this section got used...

Here's what I need help with...

..."to allow myself to be attracted to"...in the past tense...

As in: I shouldn't have allowed myself to be attracted to her.

Some things just do not seem to translate well. This is one of them. having said that my Spanish is probably only 4th or 5th grade level. Maybe Porker, Young brig, Kendricks, or another expert could chime in. They all speak some pretty good spanish.

This is the best thing I could think of

No me deberia haberme dejado ser atraido a ella

It would probbaly be better to use more common syntax. Like

No deberia haberme caido por ella ( I should not have fallen for her)

No deberia haberla dejado hechizarme ( I should not have allowed her to cast her spell on me)

Hope it helps.

"No hubiera dejado que ella me gustara."

"No hubiera dejado que ella me gustara."

I usually hate it when people don't answer questions directly but in this case I'm not going to give you a direct answer because I want to point out a communication strategy that will serve you well in other situations.

When you aren't fluent in another language, try to avoid complex grammatical structures whenever possible.

In your example, it's much easier to say "I made a mistake to fall for her" or something similar, using the simple past tense plus infinitive.

If you think about what you're trying to communicate, not how to translate an exact expression, you can almost always come up with a fairly simple, straightforward way to get the thought across.

Best wishes,
TG

Good Job Mr bad example. That is the best tanslation. Dont know why I did not think of it. LOL. reflexive and conditional verbs in the past tense always kick my has.

I think TampaGringo has the right idea. It is easier and probably better understood to just say "I should not have fallen for her" or something like that.

Hey Batster why didn't you think of that?

Dumb Pauncho says "Yo no tenia razon (para ?) quererla.

But my Spanish sucks.

Hey, does anyone know an easier way to say, "too much"? "Demasiado" is just too many syllables for my meager brain at 5 AM or so. What is the most common way to say it in Mexico?

Thanks!

Demasiado is the way to say too much. No va-le means it isn't worth it, but somebody might take that to mean you are not worth it. Better to just learn demasiado.

Batster,

The problem is that expressions using should, would or could usually require the verb to be in the conditional or the subjunctive. These are entirely different sets of conjugations and are definitely for advanced learners.

My suggestion for novice leaners is to concentrate on learning the simple present tense, simple past tense, and the "going to" future, which is formed using the present conjugation of "ir+a"+infinitive. If you don't know what these are, even the most basic Spanish text for beginners will explain them.

Learning to speak and communicate effectively in basic Spanish is very easy. Don't complicate the learning process more than necessary.

If you learn to conjugate and use the simple present and past tense verbs, including common irregular verbs, and learn the "going to" future, learn a few common expressions, and work on building some vocabulary and mastering reasonable pronunciation, you'll be able to converse in most situations very rapidly.

TG

TG,

I have been working on and off in Mexico for 10 years and this year will be my 5th year of fulltime residence in Mexico. My Spanish is actually pretty good. I am real good with slang. But I have never had a spanish lesson and lots of times complex grammar kicks me in the ass. I always admire those who have it down pat. I also have the worlds worst accent, I have decided I will never get rid of it. But for all that I operate every single day in the Mexican business and political environment and seldom recurr to english. But I feel sorry for those who have to listen to my Spanish.

Siempre digo a mis conocidos mexicanos que soy trilingue. Hablo bien ingles, hablo mas o menos bien espanol, y hablo perfectamente bien pendejadas. That always gets a laugh.

I agree with you though that you should just try to keep it simple.

batsterquienhablapendejadas

Batster

Con su traduccion yo creo que soy trilingue tambien porque las groserias son muy importante. Quizas podemos abrir un negocio ensenando gringos con ser pendejos.

Batster,

We're in somewhat similar situations. I've been living full-time in Costa Rica for over two years and am married to a Costa Rican. My family speaks no English and I sometimes go for weeks without hearing or speaking a word of English. Although I'm conversationally fluent, my Spanish still isn't great.

The one thing I have learned and wanted to share with others who are trying to learn the language is that it isn't really that difficult to learn enough Spanish to carry on intelligible conversations if you concentrate on keeping things simple and don't worry about learning all the advanced grammar, etc.

My suggestion is to think about the idea you're trying to communicate and come up with a way to say it using vocabulary and grammar you DO know, rather than thinking of what you want to say in English then trying to translate it into Spanish.

The example that we are both responding to went something like "I should never have allowed myself to become attracted to her." This is very complex grammar. I don't have any idea how to say this correctly in Spanish - AND I DON'T CARE! I do know how to express the same idea in simple Spanish.

TG

No debia haberme dejado legar tan atraido de ella.

That's awful long for someone who doesn't speak Spanish. Try this

"hice un equivocacion gustando ella" or "hice un equivicacion con ella"

Which is "I made a mistake liking her" or "I made a mistake with her"

It is very basic but will get the point across


Mr. Bill if you dont want to say Demasiado try saying "es mucho" which means "it's a lot". Not the same but will work the same.

TampaGringo,

I agree with everything you say. It usually does not pay to try a straight translation.

I think that my first attempt is still the best one for me. "No deberia haberme Caido por ella" I should not have fallen for her. But Bad example nailed the literal translation right on the head.

Hey Beavis are you still around Mexico or are you down around the equator? I dont think we need too teach most gringos how to be pendejos. I think we are pretty damn good at it without any practice. LOL. At least I am.

batsterkingofthependejos

Tampagringo; and acabar de (infinitive)
meaning "I have just ....." in place of the past tense sometimes serves.

Hey Batster I am at home in Corpus Christi. As for teaching gringos como ser pendejos, de acuerdo. Casi todos pueden ser muy facil pero solo en la idioma de ingles. El mayor de los pendejos aqui no se pueden hablar casi nada en espanol.

Trying to learn Spanish from scratch and received an email from a female friend who in closing stated "Portate mal y cuidate mucho" and I'm having problems figuring this out. The dictionary didn't have anything for "portate" and "cuidate".

Misbehave and be careful.