Tradiciones y Costumbres – 002

As I mentioned in the post “Tradiciones y Costumbres – 001” my wife Gina thought it would be nice to write some short pieces about Mexican tradition and culture and I welcomed the idea. Not only would it allow her to participate with me in this blog but also provide some practice material for reading in Spanish. In addition, I will give the English translation. In this piece she writes some more about Halloween.

En el día de 30 de Octubre compramos todo lo que necesitamos para nuestra cena de Halloween como carne molida, refrescos, y el tequila. También, compré unas bolsitas muy simpáticas para los dulces de nuestros pequeños invitados y también para mi Papa, que es un niño grande que le gustan mucho los dulces. Recibí llamadas de mi sobrina Pau (Fátima Paulina) para saber de que me voy a disfrazar y no le di respuesta. Mi nieto Ian estuvo muy feliz por su fiesta. Él quizo disfrazarse de Hombre Arana. Le compramos una capa y se ve muy simpático. Hicimos una calabaza de mache, es grande y bonita, y la pintamos el día siguiente. También tenemos una linterna de calabaza hecho de barro que mi Mama nos regalo.

En "¡Felíz Noche de Brujas!", el 31 de Octubre, llegamos de nuestros trabajo y estuvimos corriendo para terminar de arreglar la casa. Quedo muy bonita en tonos de color naranja, espantapajaros, fantasmas,calabazas, dulces, etc, etc. Tenemos un gran equipo. Mi Mama, Carmelita, hizo unas flores de cempasúchil y le quedaron hermosas e hizo unos ramilletes de fantasmas. Fuimos a comprar cacahuates , botanas y los dulces para los niños que tocarán nuestra puerta. Rápidamente llenamos las bolsas con dulces y chocolates pusimos la mesa con premios para nuestros niños. Mi sobrina Luisa compró las salchichas y Bob preparo las salchichas y papas a la francesa y yo preparé espagueti a la boloñesa. Nuestros pequeños llegaronn llenos de alegría y la fiesta comienza. Fuimos a pedir Halloween. Después cantamos, cenamos, platicamos y hasta los adultos nos divertimos como niños. Mis niños tienen una gran cómplice. Yo la calabaza mayor, que soy dirigente explorador...que tenemos una misión ...disfrutar sencilla y simplemente la Vida...

Hasta la Próxima...(La historia continúa)

On the 30th of October we bought everything that we need for our Halloween supper like ground beef, soft drinks, and tequila. I also bought some cute little bags for the candy for our little ones. And also for my Papa who likes candy and is like a big kid. I received phone calls from my niece Pau (Fátima Paulina) to see what kind of costume I was wearing and I didn't answer her. My grandson was very happy for his party. He wanted to disguise himself as Spiderman. We bought him a very cute cape. We made a pumpkin from paper maché. It is big and pretty and we painted it the next day. We also have a jack-o-lantern made from clay that my mother gave us.

En “Happy Night of Witches”, the 31st of October we came home from work and we were running around trying to get the house ready. It turned out very nice in shades of orange, scarecrows, ghosts, pumpkins, and candy etc. We have a great team. My mother, Carmelita, made some cempasúchil flowers and they turned out beautiful and she made some ghost corsages. We went and bought peanuts, snacks, and candy for the children who knock on our door. We quickly filled the little bags with candy and chocolates and set the table with prizes for our little ones. My niece Luisa bought the hot dogs and Bob prepared the hot dogs and french fries and I made spaghetti with meat sauce. Our little ones arrived full of joy and the party began. We went trick or treating. Afterward we sang, we ate supper, and we talked and even us adults had fun like children. My kids have a great conspirator. It is I, the great pumpkin, who is the leading explorer...and we have a mission...to live life simply and happily.

Until the next time...(To be continued)

Tradiciones y Costumbres – 001

My wife Gina thought it would be nice to write some short pieces about Mexican traditions and customs and I welcomed the idea. Not only will it allow her to participate with me in this blog but also provide some practice material for reading in Spanish. In addition, I will give the English translation. In this piece she writes about getting ready for both Halloween and “El Día de los Muertos” and about a cute little song that the preschoolers are learning:

En nuestra casa estamos preparando nuestro altar para el Día de Los Muertos por una parte y preparando para la fiesta de Halloween por otra parte. Durante el mes de Octubre hemos preparado gelatinas artísticas con colores de la temporada y arañas de goma de adorno. Estamos felices al preparar y comprar todo para nuestras fiestas. Los niños están muy emocionados de saber de que se van a disfrazar. A nuestro pequeño nieto de dos años, once meses, su maestra de preescolar le enseñó la siguiente canción:

“Caminando en Guanajuato una momia me encontré
Como no sabía su nombre, Pedro le llamé
Ay, Ay, Pedro ¿porqué estás tan feo?
Ay, Ay Pedro, ¿porqué estás tan feo?”

Y así por cada miembro del grupo se canta la canción poniendo el nombre de cada uno.

La historia continúa...

In our house we are preparing our altar for the Day of the Dead on one hand and for Halloween on the other. During the month of October we have made artistic gelatin molds with the colors of the season and decorated them with gummy candy spiders. We are happy to prepare and purchase everything for our celebrations. The children are very excited to find out what disguise they will wear. Our grandson of two years and eleven months is being taught a cute little song by his preschool teacher:

Walking around in Guanajuato I encountered a Mummy
Since I didn’t know his name I called him Pedro
Oh, oh, Pedro. Why are you so ugly?
Oh, oh Pedro. Why are you so ugly?

And so it goes for every member of the group, singing the song and using the name of each one in turn.

To be continued...

Note: We live near the city of Guanajuato in the state that is also called Guanajuato. The city of Guanajuato is famous for its collection of mummies. The song is about walking in Guanajuato and meeting a “calaca” (humorous term for dead person) in the form of a mummy. It is a silly song but that is what it is supposed to be and the kids have lots of fun.

The photo below shows a cantaloupe melon (muskmelon) which here is called a Chinese melon or “melón chino”. In the center of the melon half there is gelatin and on top of the gelatin there is a gummy candy spider and his web is also made from gummy candy. This is typical of the surprises that I get in my lunch all the time depending upon the season and what crazy ideas Gina is cooking up.

Dialog - Ordering a Pizza

In our last dialog, “Returning Home” we left our weary travelers blocked by a passing train as they were almost home. They finally arrived safe and sound, each to his own home. Our favorite character is greeted by his wife who has been waiting anxiously for his return. Let's listen in now as they discuss what they will eat for dinner:

¡Hola mi amor! Ya llegamos.
Hello my love, we're back!

¡Hola cariño. Gracias a Dios llegaste. Te extrañé mucho. ¿Porque tan tarde?
Hello dear. Thank God you're back. I missed you a lot. Why so late?

¿Qué crees? Estuvimos a punto de llegar cuando un tren paró en el crucero y nos hizo esperar casi una hora. ¿Cómo ves?
You'll never guess. We were almost home when a train stopped at the crossing and made us wait almost an hour. How about that?

¿Qué barbaridad! Pues..por lo menos ahora estás aqui sano y salvo.
How awful! Well...at least now you're home safe and sound.

¿Ya tienes lista la comida?
Do you have the food ready?

No mi amor. Estuve esperándote para saber que se antoja de comer.
No my love. I was waiting for you to know what food you have a taste for.

Bueno, pero ya estoy aquí y tengo mucha hambre. ¿Que piensas si ordenamos una pizza?
Okay, but now I am here and I am very hungry. What do you think if we order a pizza?

Sí cariño, estoy de acuerdo.
Yes dear, I´m all for it.

Bueno, entonces tu ordena la pizza mientras voy a duchar y cambiar mi ropa. Ordenas cualquier tipo de pizza que tu quieres.
Okay, then you order the pizza while I shower and change my clothes. Order whatever type of pizza that you want.

(La señora buscó el numero de telefono de una pizeria en el directorio y hizo una llamada. El teléfono sonó un señal de llamada en la pizeria y alguien constestó...)
The lady looked up the number in the telephone directory and made a call. The telefphone rang in the pizzaria and someone answered...)

Pizza Lupillos. Buenas tardes, le atiende Paulina.
Lupillos Pizza. Good afternoon, Pauline speaking and ready to take your order.

Gracias Paulina. ¿Qué promociones tiene?
Thank you, Pauline. What specials do you have?

Una pizza grande con cuatro ingredientes por solo doscientos catorce pesos o dos pizzas medianas por ciento noventa y nueve pesos o dos pizzas chicas por ciento treinta y cinco pesos.
A large pizza with four ingredients for only two hundred and fourteen pesos or two medium pizzas for one hundred and ninety-nine pesos or two small pizzas for one hundred and thirty-five pesos.

¿La mediana con cuantos ingredientes?
How many ingredients on the medium?

Con tres ingedientes. Además tenemos;
Three ingredients. Besides that we have;

Hamburguesa especial Lupillos, Lupillos hamburger special,
Espagueti al burro, Spaghetti with butter and parmesan,
Espagueti a la Boloñesa, Spaghetti with tomato and meat sauce
Consomé de pollo, Chicken soup,
Ensalada especial de la casa, Special house salad
Ensalada dulce y essalada césar, Sweet salad and Ceasar salad

Y de nuestra barra de postres ofrecemos;
And from our desert bar we offer;

Flan Napolitano, Neopolitan flan,
Pay de calabaza, Pumkin pie
Pay de manzana y pay de piña con queso, Apple pie and Pineapple/cheese pie
Fresas con crema chantillí, Strawberries with whipped cream,
y fresas con crema natural, and Strawberries with regular cream.

¡Ay! Paulina se te fue el aire al hablar tan rápido y decirme todas las opciones. Ordeno dos pizzas medianas, una de camarón y la otra de especial Lupillos y mándame doble salsa chimichurri.
Wow! Pauline you gave me all of those options so fast and all in one breath! I'll order two medium pizzas, one with shrimp and the other a Lupillos special and send me a double portion of chimichurri sauce.

¿Algo más para acompañar su pizza?
Anything else to go with your pizza?

Sí, un espagueti al burro y un consomé de pollo. Es todo.
Yes, a spaghetti al burro and a chicken soup. That's all.

Muy bien. En total son doscientos setenta y nueve pesos. Son las 4:15 por la tarde. En treinta minutos aproximadamente su pedido está en la puerta de su casa. Rectifico su domicilio: Calzada de los Chinacos No. 5054 en Residencial Eucaliptos. Teléfono 626-5036.
Very well. The total is two hundred seventy-nine pesos. It is 4:15 in the afternoon. In approximately thirty minutes your order will be at your front door. I am confirming your address. 5054 Calzada de los Chinacos Street in the Eucalyptus neighborhood. Telephone is 626-5036.

¿Cómo sabes mis datos?
How do you know my information?

Ya tenemos registrado sus datos en nuestro sistema. Cuando el cliente nos llama, su número de teléfono inmediatamtnte aparecen en la pantalla con los datos mientras lo atendemos telefonicamente. ¿Algo más?
It is already recorded in our system. When a customer calls, their telephone number immediately appears on a screen with their information while we are talking to them on the phone. Anything else?

No, gracias Paulina.
No, thanks Pauline.

Estamos para servirle, gracias por su preferencia.
We are at your service, thank you for your business.

(Pasa el tiempo hasta 4:55 y la señora de casa esta preocupada por que su esposo ya termino duchando y vistiendo y estuvo molesto que la pizza demora en llegar y el tiene mucha hambre. El dijo a su esposa, “Vuelve a llamar” y ella hizo una llamada otra vez.)
(The time goes by until 4:55 and the lady is worried because her husband already finished showering and dressing and was frustrated that the pizza was delayed in arriving and he was very hungry. He said to his wife, “Call again” and she made another call.)

Pizza Lupillos. Buenas tardes, le atiende Alejandra.
Lupillos Pizza. Good afternoon, Alexandra speaking and ready to take your order.

Gracias. ¡Oye Alejandra! Llamé hace cuarenta minutos y Paulina me atendió y me pedido aun no llega. Voy a cancelar.
Thank you. Listen Alexandra! I called forty minutes ago and Pauline took my order and it still hasn't arrived. I am going to cancel.

No, no por favor. Le damos una disculpa por la demora. Su pizza está por llegar.
No, please don't. We apologize for the delay. Your pizza is almost there.

Entonces mi pizza es gratis porque no la entregan dentro de los treinta minutos. ¿Verdad? Then my pizza is free because you didn't deliver it within thirty minutes. Right?

No. Disculpenos pero nosotros no tenemos esta promoción. Está pensando en Pizza Domino's, nuestra competencia.
No. Pardon us but we don't make that offer. You are thinking of Domino's Pizza, our competitor.

¿Entonces porque me dieron ustedes la hora de surtir y la hora de entregar? No entiendo y menos porque tengo mucha hambre.
Then why did you give me the exact time of the order and the time that it should arrive. I don't understand that and much less because I am so hungry.

(En éste momento se escuchan una moto y casi tira la puerta por tocar el timbre muy fuerte.)
(At this moment they heard a motorcycle and the doorbell was rung with such force that it nearly knocked down the door.)

Creo que la pizza llegó y voy a quedarme con ella, ya que tengo hambre y además la pizza de camarón es mi favorita.
I believe that the pizza has arrived and I am going to accept it because I am so hungry and besides that shrimp pizza is my favorite.

Muchas gracias señora.
Thank you very much ma'am.

Note: Some additional comments:

¿Qué crees?....¿Cómo ves? In Mexico, these two phrases either start and/or end many statements. You will hear them quite a bit during everyday conversations between people. The phrase “¿Qué crees?” means literally “What do you believe?” but in the sense that it is most often used it is the rough equivalent to the English “Guess what!” or “You're not going to believe this!” or “Get this!” or "Would you believe?". It normally is used in front of a narrative sentence but it can sometimes come at the end. On the other hand, the phrase, “Cómo ves?” generally comes after a narrative sentence and literally means “How do you see it?” but in the sense that it is normally used it is the roughly the equivalent of the English “How about that?” or “What do you think about that, eh?”.

se antoja de comer - Very comon phrase. It means " have a longing for" or "to have a craving for" or "a taste for".

Espagueti al burro - In Mexico, the word “burro” means “donkey” but this spaghetti has nothing to do with a donkey. In this case the word “burro” is Italian and in Italy the word “burro” means “butter”.

se te fue el aire al hablar tan rápido – This means that the person spoke very fast in rapid fire style all in one breath. It literally means that “You ran out of breath talking so fast and so much”.

chimichurri sauce – Just in case you don't know by now chimichurri sauce is about the best thing that you can put on pizza...much better than ketchup. It is made from garlic, oil, vinegar, chili, and various herbs and spices. Always order extra.

casi tira la puerta por tocar el timbre muy fuerte – This phrase means that the person who rang the bell or knocked on the door did so with great force as if to knock the door down. The verb "tirar" has many many menings. You should study it carefully.

Okay, there you have it. That would be a typical pizza order call. Talking on the telephone can be pretty intimidating for a beginner in Spanish because you can't see the other person's hand movements or facial expressions. It takes a little practice. For that reason I am giving you some homework. I want everyone to call and order a pizza!

Dialog - The Hotel

In our last dialog “The Road Trip”, we left our two travelers headed for Monterrey, Nuevo León, hoping that they would find a place to stay because one of them forgot to make reservations. Let's listen in now and see how they are doing:

Te dije que debiste hacer reservaciones antes de salir de viaje. Tu nunca me escuchas. Ahora que hay tantas exposiciones en Monterrey probablemente necesitamos dormir en el coche. Ya fuimos a seis hoteles buscando habitaciones y todos están llenos.
I told you that you should make reservations before we left on the trip. You never listen. Now that there are so many conventions in Monterrey we will probably need to sleep in the car. We already went to six hotels looking for rooms and they are all full.

¡Relájate amigo! Despreocúpate. Tengo todo bajo control. Vamos al hotel que mencionó el gasolinero que nos dijo que su cuñado es el gerente. Está muy cerca. Mira, ya llegamos.
Relax, pal. Stop worrying. I have everything under control. Let's go to the hotel that the gas station attendant mentioned where his brother-in-law is the manager. It is very close by. Look, we are already here.

¡Oye! A mi no parece bien ese hotel. Es feo y el barrio no me gusta. ¿Como sabemos que no es peligroso?
Hey! This hotel doesn't look good to me. It is ugly and I don't like the neighborhood. How do we know that it isn't dangerous?

Es solo para una noche. No pasa nada. Vamos adentro y ver si hay unas habitaciones.
It's only for one night. Nothing is going to happen. Let's go inside and see if there are any vacant rooms.

Bueno, pero no me gusta.
Okay, but I don't like it.

(Ellos bajaron del coche y entraron el hotel con precaución.)
(They get out of the car and enter the hotel with caution.)

Buenas tardes.
Good afternoon.

Buenas tardes, caballeros. ¿En qué puedo servirles?
Good afternoon gentlemen. How may I help you?

¿Hay habitaciones disponibles? Queremos dos habitaciones sencillas.
Are there rooms available. We want two singles.

Si señor, hay dos disponibles.
Yes sir, there are two vacancies.

¿Cuánto cuesta cada habitación?
How much does each room cost?

¿Quieren ustedes habitaciones por horas o por toda la noche?
Do you want the rooms by the hour or for the entire night?

Por toda la noche ¡por supuesto!
For the entire night of course!

Cientoveinte pesos señor.
One hundred twenty pesos sir.

¿Incluye desayuno?
Does it include breakfast?

No, señor, solo incluye un baño en cada habitación. Nada más.
No sir, it only includes a private bath in each room. Nothing else.

Nos permite ver los cuartos.
Can you let us see the rooms?

Si, cómo no. Primer piso los dos cuartos a la derecha el 101 y 103. Aquí están las llaves.
Sure, why not. First floor, the two rooms to the right number 101 and 103. Here are the keys.

(Los viajeros subieron las escaleras ante el asombro de ver tantos huéspedes subir y bajar en compañía de algunas chicas.)
The travellers climb the stairs and are surprised to find so many guests going up and down accompanied by young ladies.

Oye mi amigo, hay mucho tráfico aquí ¿ no?
Listen my friend, there's a lot of activity here isn't there?

Ya vez, no es para tanto. Aparentemente el hotel es muy popular.
You see, it's not so bad. Aparently this hotel is very popular.

¿Qué te parece la habitación?
What do you think of the room?

Es muy sencilla pero por lo menos está limpia y no tenemos otra opción.
It is very plain but at least it is clean and we don't have another option.

Bueno, vamos a pagar la noche, y a ver que pasa.
Okay, let's pay for the night and see what happens.

Note: Some additional comments:

¡Oye! A mi no parece bien ese hotel. Es feo y el barrio no me gusta. - The reason that the hotel looked ugly and was in a bad neighborhood is because our two innocent travelers stumbled upon a “hotel de paso” which we might call in English a “no-tell motel”. In other words, it is a hotel that rents rooms by the hour to men and their escorts for “amorous encounters”. That is why the clerk asked them if they wanted rooms by the hour or for the entire night.

Primer piso los dos cuartos a la derecha el 101 y 103. - In Mexico the ground floor is called the “planta baja” and is even labeled in elevators with the letters PB. The “first floor” is the floor directly above the “planta baja” and is what we might call the “second floor” in English.

Los viajeros subieron las escaleras ante el asombro de ver – The phrase “ante el asombro de ver” generally carries the meaning “surprised to find” or “amazed to see”. Our innocents were happy to see that the hotel was popular but they didn't realize why. Perhaps they thought it was because of the room rate is pretty cheap by any standards, especially for Monterrey.

Note the twin peaks of Cerro de la Silla in the photo below. This mountain is a famous symbol of Monterrey.

Dialog - Moctezuma’s Revenge

In today's dialog we have a couple of guys who are co-workers at a local manufacturing plant and they are setting out together to visit another plant in a distant city but one of them has a little problem. Let's listen in and see what it is:

¡Bip! ¡Bip! ¡Biiiiiip! (Ruido de un claxon)
¡Beep! ¡Beep! ¡Beeeeeep! (Sound of a car horn)

¡Ya vengo!
I´m coming already!

¡Biiiiiip! (Ruido de un claxon de nuevo)
¡BEEEEEP! (Sound of a car horn again)

¡AHÍ VOY!
I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!

(Ruido de una puerta de un carrro abriendo y cerrando)
(Sound of a car door opening and closing)

Buenos días amigo. ¿Ya listo?
Good morning my friend. Are you all set to go?

Más o menos.
(More or less)

¿Cómo amaneciste?
How are you this morning?

No muy bien.
Not very well.

¿Por qué? ¿Qué pasó?
Why? What happened?

Tengo chorrillo.
I've got the runs.

¡No me digas! ¿Fue la comida de anoche?
No, don't tell me! Was it the food last night?

Pienso que no. Fue la quesadilla que comí en la calle ayer. Ahora estoy pagando doble.
I don't think so. I´ll bet it was the quesadilla that I ate in the street yesterday. Now I am paying double.

Pobrecito. Entonces, no vamos a almorzar hasta que tu te sientas mejor. ¿Okay?
Poor thing. Then let's not eat breakfast until you feel better, okay?

¡Oye! Hay una gasolinera a la derecha. Párate porfa.
Hey! There is a gas station there on the right. Stop please.

¿Para qué? Ya tenemos gasolina.
Why? We already have gasoline.

No me preguntas eso. Ya tu sabes. ¡Párate! ¡PÁRATE!
Don't ask me why. You already know why. Stop! STOP!

Note: I have some additional comments:

¡Bip! ¡Bip! - The letter "i" in the Spanish "Bip" takes the place of the double letter "e" in the English "Beep". There is also a restaurant chain here in Mexico that is owned by Walmart called V.I.P.'s. The first time someone said "Let's go to V.I.P.'s I thought they said "Let's go to Beep's". It wasn't until we arrived at the restaurant that I understood what happened. The Spanish letters "b" and "v" are very similar in pronunciation. Some people will even tell you that they are pronounced exactly the same way but that just isn't so. The letter "b" is more aspirated (bigger puff of air) in both languages and the tongue doesn't touch the teeth. With the English "v" the upper front teeth touch the curled inward bottom lip and with the Spanish "v" the teeth don't touch the lip nor is it aspirated much. Even so, when spelling out things you will sometimes hear a Spanish speaker differentiate between "b" and "v" by calling the former "b grande" and the latter "v corta" or "uv" (oo-vey) meaning the letter that looks like the letter "u".

¿Cómo amaneciste? - I translated this as "How are you this morning?" but it literally means "How did you dawn your day?". I like to answer this by saying "vivito y coleando" or "alive and tail wagging". Other people might answer by saying "acostado y en ayunas" which means "lying down and fasting" because the minute they opened their eyes they were still lying down and hadn't yet had their breakfast.

Tengo chorrillo - This is the "good old boy" way of saying the more polite "Tengo Diarrea", or "I have diarrhea". The word "chorrillo" suggests a slow trickle or drip of something.
The opposite is "Estoy estreñido" which means "I am constipated". Be careful. If for constipated, you say "Estoy constipado" you will be saying "I have a stuffed up nose". Wrong end, my friend!

Fue la quesadilla que comí en la calle ayer - To "comer en la calle" means literally "to eat in the street" but it really means to buy some food from a street vendor or from a temporary food stand.

Entonces, no vamos a almorzar hasta que tu te sientas mejor - To "desayunar" means to have a light breakfast like coffee and a sweet roll. To "almorzar" means to have a heavy breakfast of bacon and eggs, etcetera.

Dialog - Shopping for Clothing

On Sunday Morning my wife Gina and I had the following conversation about how we were going to spend the day:

¿Hoy qué vamaos a hacer?
What are we going to do today?

Vamos a Uriangato/Moreleón para comprar ropa.
Let's go to Uriangato/Moreleón to buy clothing.

Bueno. Ya vámonos.
Okay. Then let's get going.

Note that “vamos” literally means “We go” and “vámonos”, which is actually an idiomatic expression, means “Let's go” and has a sense of urgency to it as in “Let's go right now”.

The place that she wanted to go is actually two places. They are the towns of Uriangato and Moreleón which are twin cities located in the southernmost part of the State of Guanajuato about an hour's ride from Irapuato. We usually just go to Uriangato and we have an established routine that we like to follow. Uriangato is one of the leading manufacturing cities in the textile industry in Mexico. For that reason it is a good place to buy clothing at a discount. There are several kilometers of outlet stores that handle all types of clothing and it there is a “tianguis” (tee-AHNG-eez) or outdoor market flavor to it. We can buy currently fashionable clothing for Gina at about half the normal retail price. Unfortunately there isn't much in the way of clothing that is suitable for me. For that we generally have to visit Omar the tentmaker in Guadalajara. We like to arrive in Uriangato fairly early because it takes quite a bit of time to cover all of the territory on foot and so we like to arrive about ten o'clock before it gets crowded and before the day gets too warm. There was no danger of that this time, however, because the day was cool and overcast from the remnants of all the hurricanes and tropical storms even though we are well inland. After we arrived and parked our car in a convenient lot we started walking down the street and Gina quickly spotted something that interested her. She was looking for pants that are called “pescadores” or “fishermen” in Mexico but in the United States they are called “pedal pushers”. She wanted them to be of a stretch material which they call “licra” (LEE-kruh) here. Apparently people just adopted the sound of the DuPont trademark name for spandex and use it for any type of stretch material. We went to investigate what she saw and I recorded the following conversation which is quite typical:

Mira los pantalones tipo pescador ahí en esa tienda.
Look at those pedal pushers in that tienda over there.

Si, vamos a ver.
Yes, let's go have a look.

Buenas tardes, señora.
Good afternoon, ma'am.

Buenas tardes. ¿Me muestras un pantalón de pescador, talla mediana, color rosa, por favor?
Good afternoon. Can you please show me some rose color pedal pusher stretch pants in medium size?

Es unitalla y aquí esta.
The size is “one-size-fits-all” and here it is.

Cuanto cuesta?
How much?

Solo ochenta pesos.
Only eighty pesos.

Bueno. ¿Qué otras colores tiene?
Okay. What other colors do you have?

Hay azul marino, verde olivo, negro, café y gris.
There is aqua marine, green olive, black, tan, and grey.

Deme un negro y un gris también.
Give me a black and a grey also.

Aquí tiene. ¿Quiere qué le muestre algo más?
Here you are. Would you like me to show you something else?

Sí, una blusa de color azul cielo, como la de aparador, talla treinta y dos.
Yes, a sky blue colored blouse like the one in the display, size thirty-two

Aquí tiene. También tengo colores fuscia, beige, y marrón. Son muy bonitas y de muy buena calidad.
Here you are. I also have it in fuschia, beige, and brown. They are very pretty and they are very good quality.

¡Ay qué bonitas! ¿Cuánto cuesta?
My how pretty! How much?

Ciento veinticinco cada una.
One hundred twenty-five each.

Bueno. Deme la azul y también la marrón.
Okay. Give me a blue one and also a brown one.

¿Algo más?
Something else?

No, por el momento es todo. Gracias. ¿Cuánto le debo?
No, that will do for now. Thank you. How much do I owe you?

Son doscientos cuarenta de los pantalones y doscientos cincuenta de las blusas. Entonces son quinientos noventa pesos.
That will be two hundred forty for the pants and two hundred fifty for the blouses. That comes to a total of four hundred and ninety pesos.

Aquí esta seiscientos.
Here is six hundred.

Su cambio es diez pesos. Espere un momento y los pongo en una bolsa de plástico.
Your change is ten pesos. Just a momnet and I will put them in a plastic bag.

Aquí tiene señora. Gracias por su compra. Hasta la vista.
Here you are ma'am. Thanks for your purchase. We'll be seeing you.

Gracias. Adíos.
Thank you. Goodbye

Note: If you go:

If you haven't been to Uriangato you definitely ought to go. It is only about an hour's drive from Irapuato and if you get on the new autopista to Morelia and Ixtapa is is a very safe and pleasant drive with lot's of beautiful scenery. Be sure to get off at the “Morelia Libre” exit and then just follow the signs to Uriangato. As you enter the town you will be on a street with a divider. You will see vendors along this street but I suggest that you keep going until the divider ends and the street narrows down between buildings on either side. Continue on for about a block and you will come to two very good parking lots. The one on the left at #89 Obregon (which I prefer) is called is called “Estacionamiento Obregon) and the entrance is beside the Hotel Diamante and Restaurant Colibri. They charge twenty pesos for all day and the lot is secure and has clean bathrooms. There is another good lot on the right called “Estacionamiento La Cuadrilla” which also has plenty of room and clean restrooms. We usually follow Calle Obregon until it splits and then we bear to the right for a couple more blocks and turn left on Calle San Miguel and go one block to the town square. There we plop down at the Café Costeño for a nice capucchino and recharge our batteries. Sometimes I just like to sit in the square for awhile and just watch the little kids chase pigeons and take in the sights and sounds. Then we grab a twenty-five peso cab ride back to our starting point and retrieve our car for the trip home. The whole ordeal can take four or five hours (if you go with a woman) so be sure and wear comfortable shoes. Oh yes, and if you sport one of those St. Francis bald spots you better wear a hat. Oh, yes, I almost forgot...if you do go with a woman you better take plenty of pesos and some big woven plastic shopping bags to carry all the stuff.

Dialog - The Neighbor

In our last dialog entitled “The Neighbor's Dog” we left our favorite couple settling down to watch television because their neighbor's dog had kept them awake with his barking. Now it is the following morning and they spot the neighbor coming to see them. Let's listen in and see what happens:

Mira. Ahí viene el vecino.
Look. Here comes the neighbor.

Vas a quejar de su perro ladrando toda la noche?
Are you going to complain about his dog barking all night?

No. Dile que ahora no estoy.
No. Tell him that I'm not here right now.

¿Por qué?
Why?

Porque yo no quiero nada que ver con él.
Because I want nothing to do with him.

Pero ¿por qué?
But why?

Porque él siempre me pide un préstamo.
Because he is always asking me for a loan.

Mira, cariño. No es para tanto. Es nuestro vecino y en todas maneras necesitamos ser sociables.
Look dear. It's not that bad. He is our neighbor and no matter what we need to be polite.

(Sonó el timbre de la puerta y el hombre abrió.)
(The doorbell rings and the man opens the door.)

¡Que milagro! Mira mi amor. Es nuestro vecino. Pásale vecino.
What a miracle! Look my love. It's our neighbor. Come in, neighbor.

Buenos días, amigo. Disculpe las molestias.
Good morning friend. Excuse the bother.

¡Noooombre! No hay nigún problema. ¿Que hay de nuevo?
What are you talking about! There is no bother. What's up?

Nada. Solo vine a saludarte y pedir un pequeño favor.
Nothing. I just came to say hello and ask a little favor.

A poco no, vecino. ¿En qúe te puedo servir?
Of course, neighbor. How can I be of service.

Espérame cariño. ¿No vas a ofrecer algo a nuestro huésped?
Just a minute dear. Aren't you going to offer something to our guest?

Tienes razón mi amor. Siéntese vecino y vamos tomar un cafecito.
You're right my love. Sit down, neighbor and let's have a little coffee.

No gracias. Ya almorzé hace un rato.
No thanks. I just ate a little while ago.

Bueno, ¿entonces en qúe te puedo ayudar?
Okay. Then how can I help you?

Quiero construir una casita para mi perrito porque mi esposa no le permite dormir en la casa y el se siente incómodo dormir afuera. Tengo la madera pero me falta una sierra eléctrica. ¿Me puedes prestar la de tuya?
I want to build a little dog house for my little dog because my wife won't let him sleep in the house and he feels uncomfortable outside. I have the wood but I lack an electric saw. Can you lend me yours?

Si, mi amigo pero ¿sabes qúe? Te presté mi sierra eléctrica hace tres o cuatro semanas y todavía no me la devuelves. Si mal no recuerdo está en la repisa en lado izquierdo de tu cochera. ¿Recuerdas?
Yes my friend but you know what? I lent you my electric saw three or four weeks ago and you haven't returned it yet. If my memory serves me it is on the shelf on the left side of your garage. Remember?

Ay, vecino. Tienes mucha razón. ¡Qúe vergüenza!Tengo mucha pena contigo. Perdóneme por favor. Me retiro y voy a devolverlo tan pronto como termino mi proyecto. Nos vemos entonces. Muchísimas gracias.
Ooops, neighbor. You're are right. How embarrassing! I feel very sheepish. Please forgive me. I'll go now and I will return it as soon as I finish my project. I'll see you later. Thanks a lot.

No hay de que, vecino. Cuida tus dedos, eh.
You're welcome neighbor. Be careful of your fingers, eh?

(El vecino salió y el hombre cerró la puerta.)
The neighbor left and the man closed the door.

¡Hijole! ¡Qúe idiota!
Wow! What an idiot!

Shhhh, ¿que pasa si el vecino te oye?
Shhhh, what happens if he hears you?

A mi no me importa.
I don't give a damn.

Note: I have a few comments:

Ahí viene el vecino – The literal translation for this is “There come the neighbor”. Obviously we don't talk like this in English so I translated it as “Here comes the neighbor”. This is just another example of how we must learn “chunks” of a language and their meanings and not just translate word for word. The only way to be able to do this on the fly is to memorize them.

no quiero nada que ver con él – The literal translation is “I want nothing to see with him” but in English we say “I want nothing to do with him”. This particular chunk, “nada que ver con” is very useful. You can also preface it with the verb “tener” as in “No tengo nada que ver con él” or “I have nothing to do with him”.

¡Noooombre! No hay nigún problema. - The word “nombre” means “name” but when pronounced long and drawn out it takes on the meaning of “What's the matter with you!” or “Why do you need to ask?” or “Don't even mention it!” or as I translated it “What are you talking about!”. It is quite common. I don't know the origin. Perhaps it is a contraction of “No hombre”.

No es para tanto – A very useful phrase. It means “It's not so bad.” or “It's not so bad as all that”.

Ya almorzé hace un rato. The verb “almorzar” means to eat a heavy breakfast or “brunch”. The verb “desayunar” means “ to break the fast” and it means to eat a light breakfast like a donut and coffee.

Si mal no recuerdo - “If bad I don't remember”. We would more typically say in English “If my memory serves me” or “If I remember correctly”.

Tengo mucha pena contigo. - Very common phrase. It literally means “I have much shame with you”. We might say in English “Shame on me”. I used “I feel very sheepish” because it seemed to fit.

A mi no me importa – I translated it as “I don't give a damn” as that is roughly the meaning that it tries to convey. This phrase seems harmless but be careful with it.

Additional Note:

¡Que milagro! - You will knote that I gave this phrase the literal translation of "What a miracle! In the comment section below my friend Eddie Willers pointed out that instead of "What a miracle" it suggests a meaning like "long time no see". I should have mentioned that. Thanks, Eddie. I think you could also say it means something like "Well, look who's here!"

Dialog - Supermarket Parking Lot

In the last dialog episode we took our shopping cart through the supermarket checkout and today we are going to see what happens when someone takes their shopping cart out to their car. There is a phrase used in the dialog that is quite common in Mexico but may confuse you if you aren’t familiar with it. The phrase is “echar aguas”, literally “to throw water” but it is generally used to mean “watch out” or “look out” and the word “aguas” by itself is used to mean “danger” or “be careful”. The first time I encountered it I had only been in Mexico for a short time and I was riding in the passenger seat of a pickup truck and another man who I didn't know well was driving. We came to a busy intersection that we needed to cross and he said to me “¡Échame aguas!” and I thought he meant “Throw water at me”. I was startled, to say the least, but thinking that he might be thirsty I said “No tengo agua pero tengo un poco Coca-Cola”, “I don’t have any water but I have a little Coca-Cola”. He looked at me kind of wild eyed and repeated several times “¡Échame aguas!”, “¡Échame aguas!” and he pointed out the window on my side. Then I wondered if he wanted me to throw something so I threw my Coca-Cola out the window. By this time the guy was really freaking out and I was getting worried. I didn’t realize that he was asking me to give him the “all clear” on my side so that he could cross the road. He wouldn’t talk to me afterwards and I had to wait until I could find someone to explain to me what had happened. Yes, you are right. I felt really stupid, but sometimes that’s how you learn. I am telling you about it so that it won’t happen to you. In any case I learned that when someone shouts “¡Aguas!” they don’t mean “water”…they mean “danger”. So, here is a lady who just went through the supermarket checkout and is going to take her shopping cart out to her car. As she clears the door a young man approaches her and says politely: ¿Le ayudo cargar, señora? Can I help you with your things, ma’am? (Can I help you load, ma’am?) Sí, está bien. ¿Te llevas mi carrito? Mi coche es el Chevy azul allá entre el coche blanco y la camioneta roja. Yes, alright. Can you take my cart? My car is the blue Chevy over there between the white car and the red pickup. No problema señora. No problem lady. Aquí estamos. Déjame abrir la cajuela. Here we are. Let me open the trunk. ¿Dónde me puedo poner las cosas señora? Where do I put the things, ma’am? Por favor, pone los envases con líquido parados en un lado por se vaya caer y regar si no están bien tapados. Please put the containers with liquids standing to one side so they won’t fall over and spill out if they aren’t capped very well. ¿Dónde pongo los huevos? Where do I put the eggs? Ponlos en el asiento adelante porfa para no se vayan a romper. Déjame abrir la puerta. Put them in the front seat please so they won’t break. Let me open the door. ¿Y la bolsa de alimentos para los perros señora? And the bag with dog food, ma’am? Esa ponla en el asiento trasero. Put it in the back seat. Ya terminé señora. Todo está acomodado. (Sound of a trunk closing) Súbase por favor señora. Yo le echo aguas. I’m done, ma’am. Everything is put away. (Sound of a trunk closing) Get in, ma’am. I will watch out for you. (I will guide you.) [Note: The phrase “echar aguas” has nothing to do with water. It means to “watch out”] Muy bien muchacho. (Sound of a car door closing and a car starting) Very good young man. (Sound of a car door closing and a car starting) Sale, sale, sale, viene, viene...¡ALTO! Espere a que pase el carro negro. Ahora quebrándose, quebrándose, quebrándose todo. Ahí estuvo. (Thumping noise as the young man thumps on the trunk lid as a signal to stop). Okay, okay, okay, come on, come on…STOP! Wait until the black car passes. Now turn the wheel, turn the wheel, turn the wheel all the way. That’s it. (Thumping noise as the young man thumps on the trunk lid as a signal to stop). Gracias joven, aquí está para un refresco. Thank you young man, here is something to buy a soda. Gracias a usted, señora. Que le vaya bien. (Sound of a car departing) Thank you lady. May you go well. (Sound of a car departing) Note: Here are some comments: Súbase por favor - The verb “subir” means “to raise up” or “to lift up” but when used in the reflexive form “subirse” it means “to get in” as in “to get in a car” or “to get on” as in “to get on a train”. In a similar fashion the verb “bajar” menas “to lower” or “to take down” but when used in the reflexive form “bajarse” in means to “to get out” as in “to get out of the car” or “to get down off the train”. Sale, sale, sale, viene, viene...¡ALTO! The word “sale” is the third person present tense of the verb “salir” which generally means “to leave” However, I consider the word “sale” to be an idiomatic expression all by itself because like “àndale” and “órale” it can mean various things depending upon the context in which it is used. This verb “salir” has many meanings and it is a verb that you should study carefully. The word “alto” means “stop” (halt) in this dialog but “alto” can also mean “high” as in altitude and it can also mean “loud” as in a loud voice. Ahora quebrándose, quebrándose, quebrándose todo. - The verb “quebrar” means “to break” or “to go bankrupt”. In the sense that it is used here it means the same as we would say in English, “Now start cutting the wheel over” when someone is backing up to let them know that they have clearance to start their turn. In the dialog the phrase “quebrándose todo” is used where we would say “Now cut the wheel hard”.. I don't even know if it is “correct” Spanish but I do know that you will often hear it when someone is guiding another out of a parking space.

Dialog - Supermarket Checkout

Okay. In the last dialog episode we went to the supermarket deli counter and bought some lunch meat. Now we are finished with our selections and we need to take our shopping cart to the checkout counter which they usually refer to here as simply "la caja" or "the box" which is short for "cash box". This is where the "cajera" (cah-HAIR-ah) or " female cashier" will ring up our purchases. A male cashier would be a "cajero" (cah-HAIR-oh). It literally means "box person" or "cash box person". The point that I am getting at is that there is sometimes quite a difference between the actual meaning of a word or phrase and the literal translation that you might get from a dictionary. What I try to do in these dialogs is compare what people generally say in Mexican Spanish with what we say in English. Many times the phrases can't be matched word for word. That is why it is good to practice the dialogs and even memorize them…YES, I said memorize them! That way you will have the words and phrases already in your head. You can always substitute a word or phrase when needed to match actual current situation. If you try to translate word for word in your head as you are listening or speaking you will soon get very confused. Of course there might be variations in the dialog from one part of Mexico to the other but I think that you will find the following dialog fairly standard throughout the country.

So, as we wheel our "carrito" (shopping cart) into the checkout line and approach the checkout counter the girl says:

Buenas tardes, Señor. ¿Encontró todo lo que buscaba?
Good afternoon, Sir. Did you find everything that you were looking for?

Sí, gracias.
Yes, thank you.

¿Puedo empezar a marcar?
Can I begin the checkout?

Sí, por favor.
Yes, please.

Son cuatrocientos treinta y ocho cincuenta. ¿Su forma de pagar va a ser en efectivo o con tarjeta o vales de dispensa?
That will be four hundred thirty-eight fifty ($438.50 in pesos). Will you be paying in cash or with a credit card or with food stamps?

Voy a usar mi tarjeta de crédito Visa. (Voy a usar mi tarjeta Visa.)
I am going to use my Visa credit card.

¿Me permite su tarjeta? (¿Me presta su tarjeta?)
Can I have your card?

Aquí tiene.
Here you are.

Gracias. ¿Desea donar los centavos?
Thank you. Do you want to donate the cents? (centavos)

Sí, ¡Cómo no!
Sure, why not!

¿Me regala su firma? (Su firma aquí, por favor.)
Can I have your signature? (Please sign here.)

Por supuesto, Señorita.
Of course, Miss.

Bueno, aquí está su tarjeta y su ticket. Gracias por su visita. ¡Qué le vaya bien!
Okay, here is your card and your register receipt. May you go well.

Note: Here are some follow up comments:

1.) ¿Puedo empezar a marcar? This literally means "Can I begin to mark?". In this case the infinitive form of the verb "marcar" is used to mean "to register" or "to count".

2.) ¿Me permite su tarjeta? (¿Me presta su tarjeta?) The verb "permitir", "to allow" and "prestar", "to lend" are used for politeness instead of something more direct like "Dame su tarjeta" or "Déjame tener su tarjeta" which would sound very aggressive and impolite. Similarly we use "regalar" in "¿Me regala su firma?" to mean "Can you give me the gift of your signature?" instead of "¡Firma aquí!" or "Sign here!".

3.) ¿Desea donar los centavos? - Do you wish to donate the centavos? Since a Mexican centavo is only worth about a tenth of a U.S. penny people usually let the cashier round off the total to the peso and they donate the centavos to the Red Cross or to the "Bomberos" (Firemen) or whatever particular cause the supermarket happens to be sponsoring at the moment. You don't have to say "yes" but it will raise some eyebrows if you don't.

4.) Bueno, aquí está su tarjeta y su ticket. The word for "receipt" is actually "recibo" but that is used for a more formal or detailed receipt. A register receipt from a cash register is usually called a "ticket".

5.) ¡Qué le vaya bien! I am always a bit puzzled as to how to best express this in English. It literally means "May you go well" or "May you journey well". When I lived in Nuevo León people would say "¡Qué le vaya bien!…¡Ándale". The word ándale (or ándele) generally means "come on" or "hurry up" but it also can mean "Now you've got it!". When I buy something in a store and people said "say "¡Qué le vaya bien!…¡Ándale!" I always translate it for myself as "Y'all come back!" or "Come back soon!". Without the ándale appendage I consider it to mean "Y'all take it easy!".