Now For Something Compeletly Different

We're in the lull between getting the house ready to sell and the packing process, so my mind turns back again to my new favorite subject: learning Spanish.

Someone suggested that I go back and fix up my blog entries from Costa Rica, now that I'm home and have a keyboard that not only is in English, but has a space bar and a shift button.

But I can't bring myself to toy with the mixed up essence of those entries. Mabye later, but right now they still seem like little pieces of the magic.

So I listen to Spanish radio, watch the Spanish soaps, which are quite entertaining, and translate every sign I see. I have also become a blatant eavesdropper.

The other day I stopped at the mini mart to get a cold drink and a car wash. There was a sign above the soda fountain dispenser in English and in Spanish. Big, bold font. This is what it said:

" No Free Refills".

That was the English.

Now for the Spanish.

"Por Favor, Tienen Pagar Cada Vez Llenan Su Vasa Con Refresco."

After I had translated this, I laughed. Now if you are a Spanish speaker, don't hold me to exactness, but it said,

"Please, You have to pay each time your fill your glass with soft drink. "

This is why I love Spanish and it's such a challenge to learn. Three abrupt words inEnglish, an eloquent request in Spanish. Complete with "please". I know that the English version could have been worded differently, but it wasn't. Same for the Spanish. But I think this was a good example of the different mindsets of the languages.

The English only has one verb conjugation for "you". It might mean one person; "hey you!", or it might mean five people standing there. "Hey you people!".

But in Spanish, there are two different conjugations; one for one person, one for many people.

Not only that, there is the formal "you", what you would say to a guy hooking your car up to a tow truck, or the president of your company, and the informal, personal "you". "You are so wonderful my darling sweetheart", or "you are a good cook, mom."

I think this is a great idea. It makes it all harder to learn, but once you know the road rules, there seems to be a bigger variety of language choices.

I really want to learn to speak in this melliferous manner. It seems so, well, musical. And it would be a good antidote to my tendency to just want to get to the point. !!!!! Now!!!

I know what you're thinking, if you know me. That that's just what we all need; more ways for Karen to talk! And talk. But it won't be so bad. Maybe it will cut down on what I say in English, and you guys can get a break.

When I was in Costa Rica, I had to speak slowly and simply. Some days, I would just give up talking from the sheer exhaustion of trying to get it all right. So I was pretty low key.

So please, don't anybody warn the Spanish speaking world what's in store for them when I get this thing down. They don't need to know, yet.