I am really enjoying speaking to a new friend from South America on Facebook. He found my dress of the day and sent me a hello, in Spanish. Hola!
I don't normally reply to Hi and Hello or I want to get to know you better. I think if anybody has something important to say, or witty, they can say it to me in public.I have hundreds of Facebook friends. I would never et anything important done if I engaged in idle chitchat. I stick to subjects I am researching. Travel. Writing speeches. (Travel arrangements. Family. Paying bills, Household renovation. Unless it's arranging a physical meeting. However, it was an interesting reminder of the greeting in Spanish, which I had heard many times, but not actually used when speaking to a real person. So I looked up the words to answer his questions and translated his replies to me.
Here are some words and sentences I created or heard from my contacts. Don't worry about the accents. Just think that the accents are to help you know, to tell you which syllable to emphasize.
The sentences below read in English: I am taking a coffee break. Forgive me if I do not reply. or only intermittently, until after Tuesday. I am very busy with moving. My spouse is recovering from an operation. I am busy packing to move. A Toastmasters contest in the middle of the night.
Estoy tomando
un café.
Perdóname
si
no respondo,
o solo
de forma
intermitente,
hasta
el martes.
Muy ocupado
con empacar
para mover.
Un esposo
recuperándose
de una operación.
Y un concurso
internacional
de toastmasters
en medio
de la noche
mi tiempo.
Realmente disfruto
la oportunidad
de hablar
español.
Muchas gracias.
Individual words to practise
Spanish (Español) - English
(un) café - (a) coffee
disfruto - I enjoy
Español (note the ny) - Spanish
esposo - spouse/husband
estoy - I am (oy is the ending for I)
el martes - Tuesday (literally the Tuesday)
(me) gusta - I like
intermitente - intermittent
la (los) - the (the plural)
la oportunidad - the opportunity
muchas gracias - thank you/many thanks (muchas - much/many)
no - not/don't
perdóname - forgive me/pardon me
realmente - really
respondo - respond/reply
(mi) tiempo - (my) time
si - if
English - Spanish (Español)
(a) coffee - (un) café
don't /not - no
(I) enjoy - disfruto
forgive me/pardon me - perdóname
husband/spouse - esposo
I am - estoy (oy is the ending for I)
if - si
intermittent - intermitente
I like - me gusta
(the) opportunity - (la) oportunidad
really - realmente
reply/respond - respondo
Spanish - Español
thank you - muchas gracias
the - la (plural los)
(my) time -mi tiempo
Tuesday - el martes (like the French Merdi, and the Portuguese, Mardi Gras, fat Tuesday)
Others
ahora - now
acqui - here
bien - good/well
como? - how?
con - with
concurso - contest
en - in
estas - you are /are you (to a female)
hasta - until
hay - have
Hola! - Hello!
independientes - independents
internacional - international
la noche - the night
mal - bad
muy - very
nuevo - new
orgulloso - proud
una pausa - a break, as in coffee break
presidente - president
romper - to break
trabajo - work
usted - you (formal, to a stranger or acquaintance, like 'and you, Madam' or 'and your good self')
y - and
English
my wife - esposa/mi mujer (memory aid: my 'her indoors')
Useful Websites
google translate
http://www.elidublin.com/the-5-most-reliable-online-translators/
Translation services, in alphabetical order
Babylon
Bing translator
Systran
translate Google
wordreference
Useful Websites
Online etymological dictionary (giving the root of English words)
About the Author
Angela Lansbury is the author of 20 books, 10 by traditional publishers, ten self-published through Lulu.com the print on demand system.
Angela's books include:
Poetry Workbook - A handy book for yourself or a friend who is a poet, adult or schoolchild. The poems are amusing and there's a handy guide to all the formats, such as the two main styles of sonnet, the numbers of syllables in haiku, villanelles and so on.
In addition to other posts on this blog, please bookmark and share linkes with your colleagues and friends and family to the two most written and most read of my other 20 blogs:
travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com
dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com
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