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| INTRODUCTION |
| Carlos: Now you have to pay me in spices. What’s up spanishpod101.com, my name is Carlos and always giving me more than her two cents is Natalia. Natie, what’s the good word? |
| Natalia: Todo bien Carlos. ¿Cómo estás tú? |
| Carlos: I am chilling, I am doing all right. It’s a nice day out here. |
| Natalia: So what do you think mister? |
| Carlos: About what? |
| Natalia: Well our first newbie lesson from your last week. |
| Carlos: I know. I think it went off really well. Different format considering. |
| Natalia: Which one do you prefer? |
| Carlos: I might ask you the same question. |
| Natalia: Well I asked you first. |
| Carlos: I knew it would digress into that. I got to say I like the newbie series but the Costa Rican series will always have a place in my heart. |
| Natalia: Oh I know Costa Rican series obviously will have a place in my heart because I am Costa Rican, so yeah but I do like the newbie series. It’s kind of fun. |
| Carlos: Well no worries because either way because we still have another 12 lessons left in the Costa Rican series. |
| Natalia: Good. That means another 3 months. |
| Carlos: Yeah but let’s focus on today. |
| Natalia: Don’t tell me we are still in the mashi kashi stuff. |
| Carlos: Oh man, you are not going to like today’s conversation. I can tell already. |
| Natalia: Why not? |
| Carlos: Oh nothing, just wait and find out but we are talking about something that is prevalent in Costa Rica. |
| Natalia: Gringos? |
| Carlos: No. |
| Natalia: Nicas? |
| Carlos: Nicaraguans? No. |
| Natalia: Guys with spiky haircuts. |
| Carlos: This is my new haircut. |
| Natalia: Oh Jesus! |
| Carlos: No, no, abbreviation. |
| Natalia: Abri who? |
| Carlos: Abbreviations. Your Tica passion for shortening words. |
| Natalia: Ay Carlos, por fa. |
| Carlos: Oh exactly. Okay let’s get into today’s conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| RAMÓN: Cariño, tengo alguito para tí. |
| JULIA: ¿Un regalo? |
| RAMÓN: A ver si te gusta... |
| JULIA: ¡Qué lindos argollos! Gracias, mi amor. ¡Qué tal detallista! |
| RAMÓN: No, mi vida... |
| JULIA: Te recompenso en besos. |
| Carlos: And now with the translation. Ahora incluiremos la traducción. |
| RAMÓN: Cariño, tengo alguito para tí. Sweetie, I’ve got a little something for you. |
| JULIA: ¿Un regalo? A gift? |
| RAMÓN: A ver si te gusta... Let’s see if you like it. |
| JULIA: ¡Qué lindos argollos! Gracias, mi amor. ¡Qué tal detallista! What beautiful earrings! Thank you baby, how considerate! |
| RAMÓN: No, mi vida... Ah don’t thank me honey. |
| JULIA: Te recompenso en besos. I will pay you back in kisses. |
| Carlos: So again, that was the standard version, universal Spanish. |
| Natalia: Ahora a la conversación peruana. Here is what that conversation might sound like in Lima Peru. |
| Carlos: Now let’s hear what it would sound like in Costa Rica. |
| DIALOGUE - COSTA RICAN |
| YVETTE: Mi amor, sabes que día es hoy? |
| DAVID: ¿Tu cumple? |
| YVETTE: ¡Te olvidaste! |
| DAVID: ¡Oh no! ¿Es nuestro aniversario? |
| YVETTE: Sí, ahora le toca pagarme en especias. |
| DAVID: Sí, mita, lo que quiera. |
| Carlos: And now slower. Una vez más, esta vez lentamente. |
| YVETTE: Mi amor, sabes que día es hoy? |
| DAVID: ¿Tu cumple? |
| YVETTE: ¡Te olvidaste! |
| DAVID: ¡Oh no! ¿Es nuestro aniversario? |
| YVETTE: Sí, ahora le toca pagarme en especias. |
| DAVID: Sí, mita, lo que quiera. |
| Carlos: And now with the translation. Ahora inlcluiremos la traducción. |
| YVETTE: Mi amor, sabes que día es hoy? My love! Do you know what day today is? |
| DAVID: ¿Tu cumple? Your birthday? |
| YVETTE: ¡Te olvidaste! You forgot. |
| DAVID: ¡Oh no! ¿Es nuestro aniversario? Oh no, is it our anniversary? |
| YVETTE: Sí, ahora le toca pagarme en especias. Yeah now you have to pay me in spices. |
| DAVID: Sí, mita, lo que quiera. Yeah hon…as you wish. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Natalia: Corny. |
| Carlos: Natie, the more you say that, the more I think you are truly a softie on the inside. |
| Natalia: Carlos, you’ve never been to my house. I got like precious moments stuff and everything. Believe me. |
| Carlos: Well…. |
| Natalia: Ponies and everything. |
| Carlos: What! |
| Natalia: I got the ponies. Do you ever see the ponies? |
| Carlos: No because you wouldn’t let me in your room ever. |
| Natalia: What! That sounds terrible. |
| Carlos: Stay in the living room, do not go into my room. |
| Natalia: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Listen, focus. |
| Carlos: There is no need for you to be so defensive. It’s just an observation. I could be wrong. |
| Natalia: I got a little soft. I guess I do. |
| Carlos: A little – she has a little soft side. |
| Natalia: Carlos! |
| Carlos: Natie, you are cushy. |
| Natalia: Ush ush! I think you know… |
| Carlos: Natie got a real soft butt… |
| Natalia: Shut up! I think – you know I think in Spanish. |
| Carlos: Yeah. |
| Natalia: And then I speak in English. Tengo un lado suave. |
| Carlos: Okay so you got a smooth butt… |
| Natalia: ¡Ya ya callese! |
| Carlos: Whoa! Whoa! No need to be so defensive. |
| Natalia: Definitely Carlos! I do have feelings. I know it doesn’t look like it, but I do have feelings. You know I had a puppy once. |
| Carlos: And she killed it. |
| Natalia: No I loved them. |
| Carlos: Yeah okay like Lennie Of Mice and Men who loved this funny Rabbit till he broke his neck. Love him and pet him. |
| Natalia: Carlos! Carlos! What does this have to do with the lesson, nothing? |
| Carlos: Nothing but let’s move on to abbreviations. |
| Natalia: I think that would be a wise move. |
| Carlos: So in our Tico conversation, we had a number of abbreviations starting with |
| Natalia: “Cumple”. Shortened from “cumpleaños”. |
| Carlos: I got that. |
| Natalia: Carlos, I was just explaining. |
| Carlos: No I see this a lot in Costa Rican Spanish. The most common I hear and I must say the only one that has invaded my everyday speech is “porfa”. |
| Natalia: Oh yeah “porfa” is used all the time. |
| Carlos: Except when I went back to the states and I spoke Spanish, I noticed myself saying “porfa” and I had to make an effort to complete it and say “por favor”. |
| Natalia: You see, he is getting used to the whole Costa Rican Spanish. |
| Carlos: Natie be abbreviated from Natalia. Why do you think Ticos are so far not abbreviating? Is it just another laidback outcome of “pura vida”. |
| Natalia: Well I don’t know. I guess it’s simple. It just makes you – you know we speak really fast. So it just makes it faster if you abbreviate I guess. |
| Carlos: Well see, I have always felt that abbreviations present another difficulty for the person learning the language. I mean take an example from the Tico conversation. “Tu cumple” your birthday. Now if I had no idea what “cumpleaños” meant, how am I supposed to know that “cumple” means the same thing. |
| Natalia: It’s all about context and nuance Carlos. When someone is learning, they will pick up and connect the pieces just like you did. |
| Carlos: No, no I can see that and no one specifically told me that “porfa” was an abbreviation of “por favor”. I just kind of heard it being used when I was expecting to hear “por favor”. |
| Natalia: Exactly. |
| Carlos: So do we have another abbreviation that should be mentioned. |
| Natalia: Claro. In the newbie conversation, we heard Ramon call Julia: |
| Carlos: “No, mi vida…” Ah don’t thank me honey. Wait, literally translated, that doesn’t mean my life right? |
| Natalia: Yeah but we use it a lot less seriously. We might translate it as honey. |
| Carlos: I guess that might be weird in English like hello my life. |
| Natalia: Well it depends you know but usually here you can call “mi vida” to just anybody. |
| Carlos: Okay and then what about in our Tico conversation? |
| Natalia: So in our Tico conversation, we heard “Sí mita lo que quiera”. |
| Carlos: I don’t know what “mita” means as you wish? |
| Natalia: “Mita” is an abbreviation of “mamita”. |
| Carlos: Ah okay that makes sense now and I know how much you like that word. |
| Natalia: Why? Well my mom calls me “mita” what’s wrong with it? |
| Carlos: Nothing, it’s just easy to get a raise of you sometimes. |
| Natalia: Carlos, you know obviously if my mom says “mita” I am cool with it. If a guy on the street says “mita” or “mamita” oh my god! |
| Carlos: That’s what I am talking about. |
| Natalia: You think it’s easy with me. Wait until the tables are turned. |
| Carlos: What? If someone calls me “mita” I would be like, why are you calling me that? |
| Natalia: Exactly. |
| Carlos: I’m a dude, bro. |
| Natalia: Exactly. |
| Carlos: Well Natie, I know that you will come with that when I least expected but why worry because now we have localisms. |
| Natalia: Demasiado, Carlos. Demasiado demasiado exagerado. |
| Carlos: I disagree Natie, never enough. |
| Natalia: What would you like to talk about today in localism sir? |
| Carlos: Anniversaries. Come on, anniversaries can be nice. |
| Natalia: Well anniversaries can be nice but all the same roses and the thing and the dinner and – yeah it’s just much of the same repetition and routine and all that. |
| Carlos: No it could get corny and you know what, you are right about the repetition but I do have an annoying example. |
| Natalia: Tell me. |
| Carlos: Okay I have a friend who is dating a Tica. They have been together for four months. Do you know how I know that? |
| Natalia: How? |
| Carlos: Because the girl insists on celebrating every month as if it’s an anniversary. |
| Natalia: Well she is very happy about it. So each month, she probably believes in like giving him a little card, a little, little candy saying like oh baby, this is for you for our month together. |
| Carlos: Okay but anniversary is annual as in every year but I will say to be honest with you Natie, I have been guilty of the same thing. |
| Natalia: Why am I not surprised, not one bit. |
| Carlos: It was high school, I was young. Relationships didn’t have a long shelf life. I met her in second period and it was over by 8th. |
| Natalia: And how old are they? |
| Carlos: Well my age 27. |
| Natalia: Wow! |
| Carlos: That’s what I am talking about. It’s like weird. I will be like oh what’s wrong with you. Happy anniversary, it’s been a month. |
| Natalia: Let the man be and let the woman be. |
| Carlos: It’s the woman. The man is like, you know this is annoying but I can’t say anything. |
| Natalia: Well, well, well I am not whom to give like relationship advice. Tell him to smile and say thank you. |
| Carlos: I did. I just said smile and nod man! Smile and nod. Now Natie, is there any specific way that anniversaries are celebrated by Ticos? |
| Natalia: I will be honest with you. I honestly don’t think we celebrate that. I mean when there is like a married couple, they do celebrate the 50 years and they do the party, mariachi, and they do all that but not like every year. |
| Carlos: So wait, I got to wait for 50 years to celebrate my anniversary with my wife? |
| Natalia: No, no, no, no, no you can… |
| Carlos: I am not going to live that long. |
| Natalia: No you can celebrate every year but it’s not like a common thing. We don’t do like in the states. Guys you know like take them out to dinner and do this and this and that and maybe just like a little present. |
| Carlos: Like to put what, cream in my coffee or something? |
| Natalia: You know actually, Carlos, no actually? |
| Carlos: Where did you go honey? |
| Natalia: No when it’s the anniversary, it’s kind of like they pat their own selves in the back like one more man, one more. |
| Carlos: Okay but you know what, there is a very interesting phrase in the conversation. |
| Natalia: What’s that? |
| Carlos: “Ahora le toca pagarme en especias.” |
| Natalia: That’s a classic. Now you have to pay me in spices. |
| Carlos: I’ve never heard that before. It’s kind of wild. I mean you got to pay me in spices. What does that mean here? |
| Natalia: Let me break it down for you. |
| Carlos: When can I say…. |
| Natalia: Well yeah exactly, exactly. You have to find a way and somebody you trust a lot and just make it sound like it’s joking right? |
| Carlos: Like I may have to do that in english. Baby, now you got to pay me in spices. |
| Natalia: Well, Carlos if you do it without voice, obviously it is going to sound differently but let me break it down for you. |
| Carlos: Break it down Natie! |
| Natalia: I will. Let me break it down for you. Spices. |
| Carlos: Yes. |
| Natalia: So you think of spices are like what, dust? |
| Carlos: Yes. |
| Natalia: Okay so think if you have to pay me something in spices, how much do you have to do for me? Give me a whole lot right? |
| Carlos: Yeah. |
| Natalia: Exactly. So you have to pay me in spices means you have to do something really big to make this up. |
| Carlos: You know I wonder if that has anything to do with the spice trade in the age of exploration. |
| Natalia: You are the history nerd, look it up. |
| Carlos: You know what, I will and I will do even better. I will post it in the forum. |
| Natalia: Well you do that. |
| Carlos: Now is there any other way the phrase is used? |
| Natalia: Actually well, the thing is that you can use pay me spices when you are like requesting sexual favors for somebody, I know you have to pay me like that because you did something really bad and now you have to pay me in spices. |
| Carlos: That’s kind of dirty. |
| Natalia: Carlos, let’s keep going with the conversation please. |
| Carlos: Sex in the Cinnamon. |
| Natalia: Okay. |
| Carlos: Spicy! |
| Natalia: Let’s go back to “arroz con leche” Remember this… |
| Carlos: Oh that brings the whole new level |
| Natalia: You remember the Cinnamon? Oh my god! |
Outro |
|---|
| Natalia: I think Carlos, that’s enough for today. Tengo mucho sueño. |
| Carlos: Okay you know we did cover a lot today, but we’ll see you tomorrow. |
| Natalia: Nos vemos mañana. |
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