Shopping in Spanish? This is what you need!

Plaza Serrano - Buenos Aires

Most of us like going shopping, or just buying little souvenirs to reminds us of our travels. But most of the time in South America you’ll get the Gringo price, it even happens to us in Bueno, Entonces… when we are trying to get projects done.

We can’t teach you directly how to know if you are getting a gringo price or the real price … that involves common sense and intuition. Most of the street stores/ people are willing to negotiate the price, and sometimes offering cash (efectivo) in stores may get you a discount.

(Note: When trying to buy things on the street from artisans or people that do their own crafts, don’t negotiate with them! Pay them what they ask for, because for most of them it’s their only income.)

So here in Bueno, entonces… we found a list of words that you should know while you go shopping!  We hope its useful for your travelling!

Want to know more Spanish vocabulary? Start your Bueno, entonces.. Spanish classes! You can get the first 40 minute class for free and see what you think.

Grab it here: http://www.generallinguistics.com

It’s that time of year again. Christmas is over but we still have New Years eve coming and The post Christmas SALES!

Oh, you know you love it. Being stuck in traffic for hours? Waiting in line for ages at the airport? Nothing says happy holidays like a delayed flight, we all have a Grinch face when it comes to this situations.

We thought we”d take this opportunity to help you brush up on your transportation vocab—we know you”ll need it! While the post is a vintage one and is a bit focused on Buenos Aires transportation in particular, the vocab can be used anywhere you go. We know that an insultos post would also be appropriate at this time, but you”ll have to wait for that:

Driving in Buenos Aires is a total and complete nightmare.  It’s as if lanes don’t exist, and there is no right-of-way for anyone– it’s all fair game.  Heck, crossing streets as a pedestrian feels like you’re putting your life at risk.  But that’s besides the point, the point being that public transportation is very, very important here.

However, Buenos Aires residents are all-too-familiar with having to find alternative transportation on a regular basis.  Why is that?  Because public transportation workers have a tendency to strike.  A lot.  If it’s not the trains, it’s the buses, if it’s not the buses, it’s the subway… In fact, these past few weeks the subways have been shut down on random days due to huelgas (strikes), because they are fighting for a raise on their salaries. Which leads us to our next item of business: transportation vocabulary!

So, like we mentioned, there are various ways to get around in the city.  First, there are coches (cars–can also be called carros or autos), which can come in the form of personal coches, taxis (same in English), and remises (private cars for hire).  Next, you have the colectivos (buses).  A slang term for buses in Argentina is bondi, but you might hear someone refer to a bus as a micro, too.  A bondi and colectivo are for short-distance buses (inner-city) and micro is for long-distance buses (between cities).

Next up, we have the trenes (trains).  First, there is the actual tren, which can also be referred to as the ferrocarril (but this is an old-fashion term– you will see it written, but not often spoken, like railway).  Then, there is the underground train, better knows as the subte (subway).  Subte is short for subterráneo (underground).

To buy boletos (tickets) on the colectivo or bondi, you need monedas (coins) or a Sube Card wich you can add credit on the subte stations or in kiosocos (Stores),  but on the other modes of transportation, you can use billetes (bills).  On the subte or the tren, you wait in an estación (station), but on a bondi or colectivo, you wait at a parada (stop).

The vocabulary regarding transportation varies from country to country, but for the most part, auto, taxi, colectivo, tren, and subte will be understood everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world.  Lastly, if you are trying to find your way around in Buenos Aires, treat yourself to a five-peso Guí­a-T– this is the public transportation Bible.  Every zona (zone), every bondi, everything you need to know to get around the city.

Want to improve your Spanish even more?  Visit the Bueno, entonces… Learn Spanish website, where you can find over 18 hours of fun, interesting Spanish classes on DVD or as downloads for your computer, ipod, or iphone.

Other vocab not mentioned in the post include: el avión (the airplane), el vuelo (the flight), and el barco (the boat, ship).

Suerte y felices fiestas!

While many of you in the Northern Hemisphere may be complaining about snow and freezing temperatures, us Gringos in South America are burning our pasty Gringo skin and being eaten alive by bichos (bugs/little critters). It’s the holiday season, after all!

We all know that whenever one leaves their country (or region) they encounter all sorts of new bichos. They may be different. They may be larger. And if you’re in a tropical location, they are most likely much more aggressive.They bite, suck your blood, or burrow themselves beneath your skin.

It’s disgusting, we know. But these situations do happen, and we at Bueno, entonces…feel that it is imperative that you, Gringo, learn Spanish and know how to explain a) what has bitten you, b) what has burrowed itself in your skin, or c) what has infested your house.

Plaga=Infestation

Repelente de Insectos=Insect repellent

Picadura=Bite

Tengo alergia a las picaduras de…/I am allergic to (type of bug) bites.

Tengo una garrapata.=I have a tick.

Araña=Spider

Mosquito=Mosquito

Hormiga = Ant

Escarabajo=Beetle

Pulga=Flea

Chinche=Bedbug

Mariquita/Vaquita de San Antonio=Ladybug

Mantis Religiousa=Praying Mantis

Abeja=Bee

Garrapata=Tick

¡OJO!Each bug name (and whether to refer to a bug as an insecto or bicho) varies from country to country, so make sure to double check with a local or Googlearlo antes de irte (Google it before you go). Yes, Googlear is a verb in Spanish, too.

So there you have it’s mosquito bites? No problem. Bedbug infestation? Piece o’ cake. Tick burrowed beneath your skin? Well, not great, but at least you know how to explain yourself!

If you want to further explain what the hell is going on with your skin, we recommend you buy whole Bueno, entonces… program. We also have clips of our Spanish classes on Youtube – go check them out and get a taste of our style. Become a fan of Bueno, entonces… on Facebook to interact with other users in our Spanish-learning community and learn useful (and hilarious) Spanish phrases!

Interesting Fact: Not all authorities agree on which letters make up the Spanish alphabet. Crazy, right? This here is the closest thing to an official Spanish alphabet (from the Real Academia Español. )

A: a
B: be
C: ce
CH: che
D: de
E: e
F: efe
G: ge
H: hache
I: i
J: jota
K: ka
L: ele
LL: elle
M: eme
N: ene
í‘: eñe
O: o
P: pe
Q: cu
R: ere
S: ese
T: te
U: u
V: ve
W: uve doble
X: equis
Y: i griega (E griega)
Z: zeta

Want to hear the words? Check out this great site that has the Spanish alphabet audio clips. Yup, they don’t include the ‘ch’ or ‘ll’ on that site. Because sometimes they take those ones out. Or they add ‘rr’. And sometimes the ‘w’ is called ‘doble v’ or ‘doble u’ or ‘w’ is not included at all. Oh yeah, and the ‘v’ (as in Victor) is sometimes ‘uve’.

Come on Spanish, get your act together.

To find out more about Spanish grammar, check out Bueno, entonces…Learn Spanish and speak and understand native Spanish in five weeks! (You can also check out clips from our Spanish classes on Youtube!)

A few years ago when you told your friends that you were coming to South America,most of them would have said to you: “You know it’s Dangerous”, “Are you going to be safe?”

Well, we are not going to lie about it, South America has its issues, but who doesn’t? Countries in Latin America have their pros and cons (los pros y los contras), and one of their main pros is that there is a big RISK (Peligro) of  falling in love with the country you visit. Have you ever talked to a Colombian about the civil war in their country, or better yet, read the appropriate articles about the situation and not ONLY the sensationalist press(Prensa Amarillista)? That is the biggest outcome on the image of Latin America in general, it only pops-up on the news every time something bad happens.

But times are changing (Pero los tiempos están cambiando) and in that contient that begins with Colombia and ends in Argentina, holds 371,000,000(Trescientos setenta y un millones) happy enthusiastic souls. Good things happen in Latin America everyday, that’s why they wake up every morning with a smile, because their issues are just a little part of their lives, and they try to overcome them every  day, just like you. When you step a foot in Latin America you will receive a “smile-tan” all over your face, and that would be reflected on your experiences of traveling or living in Latin America. The three things we recommend you are basic, be respectful (respetuoso), comprehensive(comprensivo), and have a positive attitude (actitud positiva) -  the recipe  to a successful experience with the Latinos!

So come to Latin America, read about it, practice your spanish, experience the culture, and try new things! It would be a mind opening, this culture is more than amazing! Here are some useful links for countries in South America!

www.colombia.travel

www.peru.travel

www.ecuador.travel

www.paraguay.travel

www.chile.travel

________________________________

Feel like learning Spanish to travel all over South America? Get Bueno, entonces… now and you’ll be speaking and understanding native Spanish in just five weeks! We also have clips of our Spanish classes on Youtube – go check ‘em out and get a taste of our teaching style.

Better yet – you can now get the first 40 minute class for free! Try it out here: http://www.generallinguistics.com

Just to go with the trend of the number 11′

SEE! You are reading our post!

We could actually give you just 10 reasons or 12 reasons about why you should learn SPANISH but today we just feel like giving you 11, we just don’t know why yet. But here they are:

Once 11. It’s not romantic but sounds really cool.

Diez 10. There is more than one way to say I Love You.

Nueve 9. You can always wear a t-shirt that says: “watch what you say, this gringo is bilingual”

Ocho 8. It’s spoken by more than 320 million people around the globe.

Siete 7. It can increase your job opportunities.

Seis 6. It will transform your traveling experience.

Cinco 5. To be able to enjoy the warmest and richest culture on earth; the Latino culture. (clearly this latino is not biased!)

Cuatro 4. To develop your creativity – language stimulates the imagination.

Tres 3. To be able to sell your product or service to one or more of the 350 million Spanish speakers in this world.

Dos 2. To meet your Latino/a

Uno 1. Because learning Spanish is fun! 

Well, are you convinced? We don’t mind how you learned, we just want to assure you it’s the right thing to do because it will open the doors to a whole new world.

Here are some spanish courses that will probably teach you spanish but are not as fun or economical as Bueno, Entonces… We don’t know if they give you a free trial but here are the links to their websites:

Rosseta Stone

Rocket Language

Primsleur Approach

Bueno, Entonces…

There are 12.500.000 results for “Spanish Classes App” so you can continue searching or just try our app and see it yourself.

Feel like learning Spanish? Get Bueno, entonces… now and you’ll be speaking and understanding native Spanish in just five weeks! We also have clips of our Spanish classes on Youtube – go check ‘em out and get a taste of our teaching style.

Better yet – you can now get the first 40 minute class for free! Try it out here: http://www.generallinguistics.com

So we decided to start this section, because in different Spanish speaking countries, things may be called different.    

So let’s get to the word of the day, HOTDOG yes the classic sausage and bun. It’s a really easy word to learn and it could save you from starving in an Spanish speaking country. The name pretty much changes depending on the country, not only it’s name but also the ingredients.

So here are the names depending on the country:

Argentina: Pancho

Pancho in Salta, Argentina

Bolivia: Mencho

Chile: Completo

Colombia: Perro Caliente

Paraguay: Pancho

Peru: Hot Dog

Uruguay: Pancho

Venezuela: Perro Caliente

Guatemala: Shukos

Mexico: Dogo

Salvador: Chévere

Spain: frankfurt

You can use them in the following way:

Te puedo pedir un ________________  y una cerveza por favor. ( Can I ask you for a _________ and a beer please)

Cuanto cuesta el   ________________? (How much is the _______________?)

The ingredients vary depending on the country but we can assure that there is an infinite of combinations.  The ingredients go from the classic sauces, to the avocado they put in Guatemala and Chile, or the amazing salsa criolla from Argentina.

Guatemala - Shukos

So it’s good to know how to ask for a Hot Dog in different places in the world. Sometimes when you are traveling your stomach miss’s familiar taste, and you may just need a Hot Dog.

Bueno Entonces, we keep teaching you simple things, for the street, not  the test.

AND it’s kept interesting, so you want to keep watching. Check out the first class for free here: http://www.generallinguistics.com

So in English you say MILF when there is a really hot mom that you will like to… just try this Spanish phrase brought to you by Bueno, entonces…

Con esa mamá, para qué juguetes?

It translates: With that mom why would you need toys?

In spanish it does not sound as agressive as MILF in English. It’s more moderate, and it appeals more to the beauty of the mom rather than the action of having sex with her.

HOW IT WORKS: “Con” is a preposition and “esa” is a demonstrative pronoun to refer to “mamá” mom. The pronoun “para” denotes the reason and “qué” is an interrogative pronoun that Clustered to the noun “juguetes” toys, inquires the nature, quantity, intensity, of something.

TIP: When you an interrogative pronoun don’t forget to add the accent! Here is a list!

_______________________________________________

Check it out http://www.generallinguistics.com/

Want to learn more useful phrases in Spanish? Check out Bueno, entonces… Learn Spanish Levels I & II. We teach you everything from grammar and vocab to slag and figures of speech because we teach Spanish for the streets, not for some boring test.

Want to give it a test ride? Now you can watch the Bueno, entonces… Class 1 completely free, streaming instantly on your computer. Just head here and sign up below for Free:
http://www.generallinguistics.com/

It seems to be that everyone in the Western world has it in their head that Latin lovers are the sexiest, most romantic lovers on Earth. Hm.  Well, sexy I can agree with… romantic?  That depends on a lot of things.

Take it from a gringa who has been living abroad for over four years in various Latin countries: I have met my fair share of Latino men, and they aren’t always all that they’re cracked up to be.  But they aren’t all bad, either– Let me explain…

Okay, example:  This past weekend salí­ a un bar (I went out to a bar) with a friend.  We were there charlando (chatting), and a group of four or five Argentine guys came up to us and we started to talk.  They were all childhood friends from about two hours outside of the city (what is called the provincia), and were in town for the night to celebrate one of their cumpleaños (birthdays).  Earlier that night, I had come across a fair share of chamuyeros (bullshitter/sweet-talkers), so I was getting pretty frustrated with the situation.  Anyway, I started talking to this one guy who didn’t seem all bad, and he asked me what I thought of Argentinos (typical line…).  I told him the truth– that I thought that most Argentine men were chamuyeros and thought that all foreign girls were un besofacil (an easy kiss).  He was assuring me that I had it all wrong, and that I had only met the wrong Argentine guys.  He did his chamuyo thing…and somehow swayed me into thinking that maybe this guy wasn’t all that bad.  Then, just as I was almost convinced, he pulled the line ‘Bueno, siempre querí­a saber como es besar a una americana… ¿A vos no tenés ganas de probar el beso Argentino?‘ (Well, I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to kiss an American… Do you not want to try an Argentine kiss?)  ¡Por Dí­os! Typical, typical, typical.

This kind of stuff happens all the time here.  And not only here, but around Latin America as a whole.  With that said, decent Latino men are not impossible to find, and often the chamuyeros aren’t even all that bad– they are just raised in a culture where they are expected to act like that.

Another aspect of the Latino men to be careful about?  Cheating.  It’s a terrible thing to say, but these guys are a little notorious for it.  Meter los cuernos/cachos o ser infiel.  However you say it, cheating is cheating and in this culture is almost accepted, yet still very taboo.  But keep in mind that men are not the only ones cheating– women are just as guilty!

Alright, alright, with all that said, Latinos are not terrible by any means at all– the culture is just different from that of the United States, Canada, the UK, etc…, so I am giving this information solely for the purpose of a bit of a heads-up for those of you heading into Latino territory anytime soon.  Also, the majority of the men that I have met, I have done so in Buenos Aires, which means that most of them are city-dwellers rather than country boys.  And what does that mean?  Imagine only meeting men in New York City, and not being exposed to those of the rest of the country.  Big difference, right?  And that pretty much goes for any major city in the world.

And last but not least, I have met loads of positively lovely Latino men over the past few years, so this post is not so say that they aren’t out there, but you just might have to dig a little to find them…!  Let us know what your opinions and experiences are of Latino men– We’d love to hear what your point of view is!  And, please, feel free to disagree! –And stay tuned, we will have a ‘Latin Lovers’ post coming up in the next couple days about Las Latinas!

Feel like learning Spanish to take on all of the chamuyeros? Get Bueno, entonces… now and you’ll be speaking and understanding native Spanish in just five weeks! We also have clips of our Spanish classes on Youtube – go check ‘em out and get a taste of our teaching style.

Better yet – you can now get the first 40 minute class for free! Try it out here: http://www.generallinguistics.com

WARNING: STEAMY VOCAB AHEAD. This may not be office appropriate.

We pride ourselves in providing the most useful Spanish phrases, so here is some important vocabulary that we hope you have a chance to utilize at some point (looks like David already has) :

Tenés/Tienes condones? Sí­, tengo condones/preservativos. Do you have condoms? Yeah, I have a condoms. 

Eso es una locura. This is crazy

Más fuerte Harder

Despacito / mí¡s lento. Slower

Despacito / suavecito. Softer

¿Estás acabando / terminando / llegando? Are you coming?

Estás tomando pastillas? Are you on the pill?

La pastilla del dí­a despúes / dí­a siguiente. Morning After Pill

Fue increí­ble. That was incredible

¿Dónde está mi ropa? Where are my clothes?

La pasó muy bien. I had a good time

Now that is the kind of learning Spanish program that we can really get behind. Just try that with Rosetta Stone…

Be safe. Be responsible. Be bilingual.

It just makes life so much easier.

(Check out more clips from our Spanish classes on our Youtube page!)