An American friend of mine would constantly whack her boyfriend on the shoulder and say, “Get your mind out of the gutter!” You see, her boyfriend was an aficionado at "albures". Anyone learning Spanish and planning on traveling to Mexico needs to be forewarned about them, especially if you are a woman. You see in Mexico, anything at any given moment could have two meanings. I remember one time when I was traveling by myself in some city in southern Mexico when I got lost. It started to rain and I went deeper and deeper into some unknown "colonia" (neighborhood). I hailed a taxi and gave him my hotel’s address. I made some silly comment about the rain to which the "taxista" (taxi driver) replied, “¿Te gusta mojarte?” (You like to get... Show more

For my husband’s family, New Year’s is generally a family event. We all get together for enormous quantities of food, drink, music and talk. Children run wild, "comadres chismean" (ladies gossip), the men play poker and we all drink and are merry until the clock strikes midnight, at which point we eat 12 grapes so that our 12 wishes for the New Year will materialize. This year is different. This year we did anything but the traditional familial gathering. We went to Playa del Carmen to stay with my "cuñado" (brother-in-law). An apartment that may cost 1000 pesos in other parts of the Republic, like in Xalapa for example, will cost around 4500 pesos in Playa. So my husband, his daughter, our baby, my "suegra" (mother-in-law), my "cuñado"... Show more

Chilanga Banda (Juan Jaime López; performed by Café Tacuba) Check out the video here: Ya chole chango chilango,Cut it out, chilango (guy from Mexico City). ¡qué chafa chamba te chutas!What a crappy job you have. No checa andar de tacucheWearing a suit doesn’t suit you. ¡y chale con la charola!Your badge is no good.    Tan choncho como una chinche,As fat as a flea, más chueco que la fayuca,As crooked as contraband, con fusca y con cachiporra With pistol and with billy club, te pasa andar de guarura.You dig working as a bodyguard.    Mejor yo me echo una chelaI’ll down a brew, y chance enchufo una chavaAnd maybe pick up a girl. chambeando de... Show more

Christmas time here is Veracruz is unique not only within Latin America, but also within Mexico. Beginning about mid-December, posadas and la rama are expressions of the holiday season. Posadas (inns) are held throughout Mexico and are generally religious fiestas in which people ask for shelter for the baby Jesus. In my suegra’s house, one group of people goes outside with candles and a ceramic baby dressed in white. The other group stays inside. Together, we sing a call-and-answer song that depicts the biblical moment in which Mary and Joseph went looking for an inn. We huddle together and drink warm ponche (punch) and eat pambazos (round, bean, lettuce and tomato sandwiches). The night ends with a piñata and plenty of treats for... Show more

Once you’ve mastered slang in any given language, you know you’re immersed. You’re in up to the crown of your head and there is no going back now. In Mexico, there are words and phrases that are used throughout the Republic. Phrases like, “¿Qué onda?” (What’s up?), chido (cool), and simón (yes) are common enough and understood by the majority. However, there is a vast vocabulary that is specific to any given region. Take, for example, Mexico City. People from Mexico City are often referred to as chilangos. They generally have a way of speaking that is unique in intonation and vocabulary to, for example, people in Yucatán, Chiapas, or Sonora. Within Mexico City, there are numerous areas that also have their distinctive way of... Show more

I remember my Spanish teacher in college reading off a list of vocabulary words that appeared in a short story. She came to the word ya. “Pues, ya es ya,” she said and quickly moved on. We all looked at each other blankly. It’s a short word, seemingly inoffensive. It is also quite deceiving. A simple word that simultaneously means now, already, later, and enough poses a challenge for language learners. My son, who is only one, holds his hands up and says, “¡ya ya ya!” when he doesn’t want to eat any more vegetables. In this case, it means enough. My husband came home yesterday and asked me, “Did you pay the phone bill yet?” I said, “Ya lo pagué.” (I already paid it.) Then he turned to his daughter, “Have you cleaned... Show more

Learning another language is hard enough. Learning to pronounce like a native is even harder. The most obvious challenge to Spanish pronunciation is the r and double rr sounds. However, the vowels can also be tricky. By themselves, they’re straightforward and easy to master. Once you get going in a rolling conversation though, the vowels often pose the biggest threat for mispronunciations. A few weeks ago, my stepdaughter brought home a book of trabalenguas (tongue twisters). We sat down together and went through them. I realized that this is an excellent way to pay close attention to the individual sounds that one makes while speaking. Here are a few simple tongue twisters to get you started. R con R cigarro, R con R barril, ... Show more

I’ve never been much of a TV watcher. I must say, though, that it is a good way to learn another language. My professors in high school and college recommended watching telenovelas, or soap operas. The dialogue and gestures are so exaggerated it’s easier for English speakers to intuit what’s happening, even if they don’t get all the words. Unlike American soaps, Latin American telenovelas are not eternal. They are, as their title suggests, novels acted out on television. After three to six months of airtime, there will inevitably be a grand finale. They are a great way not only to learn the language, but also to get a glimpse into Mexican society. I am in no way saying that society is accurately portrayed in the novelas, but rather,... Show more

Before I leave behind for the time being the tú and usted topic, I want to share a couple more personal experiences with you to help paint a picture of the complexity of the issue. Experiencia #1 My husband has a friend he calls Don Manuel. Don is a sign of deep respect. They speak to each other using usted (formal - you, singular). This always seemed peculiar to me because they are contemporaries in their respective fields, are almost the same age and go out together on occasion with the guys. When they do hit cantinas, I’m sure everyone else at the table uses tú, but my husband and Don Manuel insist on using usted. Usted can be a way to demonstrate respect. My husband uses usted to let Manuel know that he admires his academic... Show more