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| INTRODUCTION |
| Natalia: I am from Ticoland. |
| Carlos: What’s going on? My name is Carlos and I am joined here by Natalia. Naty, ¿cómo te va? |
| Natalia: Me va muy bien por dicho. |
| Carlos: Here we go Natie. Lucky #7, let’s make it count. |
| Natalia: Don’t we always? |
| Carlos: You hear that, you gotta love the confidence, listeners. |
| Natalia: Okay well in our last lesson, we looked at the expressions “güila, qué verde” along with the verb “bretear.” Now Carlos, what are we looking at today? |
| Carlos: Today we are going to focus on nationalities and learn how to ask where someone is from. I mean take it from me. This is a very useful lesson. Anyone going to a Spanish speaking country can use this one. |
| Natalia: Well now before we jump into today’s lesson, I just want to remind everyone that this lesson reference newbie lesson 7. So if you pick that one up too, then you will be able to understand the comparisons we are making at a deeper level. So Carlos, let’s get into today’s conversation. |
| Carlos: All right, now to get things going here, let’s get back to the newbie lesson there Señora Rossi and Seños Gutierez are speaking to each other in an office and here is what we heard. |
| DIALOGUE |
| SRA. ROSSI: ¿De qué país es usted? |
| SRO. GUTIEREZ: Yo soy estadounidense. ¿Y usted, de qué país? |
| SRA. ROSSI: Yo soy argentina. |
| SRO. GUTIEREZ: ¿De qué ciudad es usted? |
| SRA. ROSSI: Yo soy de Mendoza. |
| Carlos: This time with the translation. Ahora incluiremos la traducción. |
| SRA. ROSSI: ¿De qué país es usted? What country are you from sir? |
| SRO. GUTIEREZ: Yo soy estadounidense. ¿Y usted, de qué país? I am American and you ma’am, what country? |
| SRA. ROSSI: Yo soy argentina. I am Argentinean. |
| SRO. GUTIEREZ: ¿De qué ciudad es usted? What city you are from ma’am? |
| SRA. ROSSI: Yo soy de Mendoza. I am from Mendoza. |
| Natalia: It sounds like a pretty standard conversation to me. |
| Carlos: Yeah I think that will be understood just about anywhere in the Spanish speaking world but now let’s hear what this might sound like in the Spanish spoken in Costa Rica. |
| DIALOGUE - COSTA RICAN |
| MARISOL: ¡Hola, gringuito! ¿De qué país eres? |
| RAFAEL: Soy canadiense. ¿Y tú, de qué país? |
| MARISOL: Diay, soy de tiquicia. |
| RAFAEL: ¡Qué suerte la tuya! ¿De qué parte? |
| MARISOL: Soy de Puerto Viejo. |
| Carlos: Once again slowly. Una vez más, esta vez lentamente. |
| MARISOL: ¡Hola, gringuito! ¿De qué país eres? |
| RAFAEL: Soy canadiense. ¿Y tú, de qué país? |
| MARISOL: Diay, soy de tiquicia. |
| RAFAEL: ¡Qué suerte la tuya! ¿De qué parte? |
| MARISOL: Soy de Puerto Viejo. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Carlos: You know Natie, I just saw the light. I mean the importance of the regional series just hit me. I mean even though these two conversations are about the same topic, they sound so different. I mean not only the sound but the vocabulary. I mean the formation, everything. |
| Natalia: Now Carlos, you know what we feel when we meet someone from the US and all of a sudden someone from Australia, sometimes I don’t think you speak the same language. |
| Carlos: Yeah you know that is true. Sometimes I can’t understand that myself and I am pretty sure they have trouble understanding me but Natie, listen in your esteemed opinion, where do you think we should begin? |
| Natalia: Well let’s begin by looking at how the question – what country are you from sir was asked in the newbie lesson 7. |
| Carlos: Okay so there we heard |
| Natalia: ¿De qué país es usted? What country are you from sir? |
| Carlos: Now Natie if you’d be so kind, remind us how that sounded in our Costa Rican version. |
| Natalia: ¡Hola, gringuito! ¿De qué país eres? |
| Carlos: Hey Gringo, what country are you from? You know, I definitely heard the term Gringo before many, many times I mean even before I moved to Costa Rica and if I remember correctly, it’s not necessarily a positive term. |
| Natalia: Well here in Costa Rica, the word Gringo has become the default way to generalize any light skin person from the US or Europe. I think that the term is used so much now that it’s lost all its negative connotations. |
| Carlos: Now you know I think that’s true and you know now that I think about it and I’ve even heard people from Canada and the US refer to themselves as gringos. |
| Natalia: Completely. |
| Carlos: But in the Costa Rican version we didn’t hear Gringo but gringito – oh wait! Wait, hold on, Natie I think that is the diminutive. |
| Natalia: Carlos, little by little well you remember. Qué chiva. |
| Carlos: Qué chiva. That’s from one of the lesson too. Natie, what effect does using the diminutive form of Gringo have? |
| Natalia: There is less of a chance of offending someone if the diminutive is used. This is more personable. |
| Carlos: Okay but like on the other hand |
| Natalia: In a negative way, we could say “Ese gringo es un dolor”, that Gringo is a pain. |
| Carlos: Wait, is that what you are saying that day? |
| Natalia: Let’s continue Carlos go! |
| Carlos: Okay. Once again in newbie lesson 7, we heard the question |
| Natalia: ¿De qué país es usted? What country are you from sir? |
| Carlos: And in our Tico version, it sounded like |
| Natalia: ¡Hola, gringuito! ¿De qué país eres? |
| Carlos: Hey Gringo, what country are you from? All right, now Natie and that’s the question but how does Rafael respond to this? |
| Natalia: He says, “Soy Canadiense.” |
| Carlos: Oh I am a Canadian. Natie, once again something is unclear for me. |
| Natalia: Yes Carlos. |
| Carlos: All the way back in lesson 2, we heard the phrase “¿Cómo estás?” which if I remember correctly it means how are you. |
| Natalia: Good memory. |
| Carlos: Okay and one could respond with “Yo estoy bien.” I am well. |
| Natalia: Yep exactly, so what’s your point? |
| Carlos: Well in newbie lesson 7, we heard “Yo soy estadounidense. ¿Y usted, de qué país?” |
| Carlos: I am American and you ma’am what country? |
| Carlos: Why doesn’t señor Gutierez say “Yo estoy estadounidense.” |
| Natalia: Estadounidense, Carlos. |
| Carlos: estadunie- |
| Natalia: estado |
| Carlos: estado |
| Natalia: uni |
| Carlos: uni |
| Natalia: dense |
| Carlos: estadounidense |
| Natalia: Yes. |
| Carlos: estadunidense |
| Natalia: estadounidense |
| Carlos: That’s all I need is some practice. Okay why doesn’t señor Gutierez say “Yo estoy estadounidense.” I mean wouldn’t that mean I am an American too? |
| Natalia: Bueno Carlos, esa es una buena pregunta. That’s a good question like the verb Estar, the verb ser also means to be. |
| Carlos: Okay so what’s the difference? |
| Natalia: Patience Carlos, I am getting to it. The difference is impermanence. |
| Carlos: Okay you are going to have to elaborate on this. |
| Natalia: Claro. It sounds more complicated than it really is but in Spanish, we use the verb ser to refer to something that cannot be changed. |
| Carlos: Yeah like for example |
| Natalia: “Yo soy tica.” I am a Tica no matter what, I will always be a Tica. |
| Carlos: Okay so when I say “Soy de Nueva York.” I am from New York I use ser because I cannot change nor would I ever want to change the fact that I am from New York. |
| Natalia: Right now Carlos, if I ask you, ¿Cómo estás?, how are you, how would you respond? |
| Carlos: Well I would say “Estoy muy bien”, because I had a great day. |
| Natalia: Okay but now suppose I were to have asked you this yesterday, just after that you lost your wallet, missed your boss, got pooped on by a bird, then how would you respond Carlos? |
| Carlos: Well I probably would have said “Estoy deprimido.” |
| Natalia: So it’s safe to say that how you were yesterday and how you are today are not the same. |
| Carlos: Well hopefully if a bird pooped on me yesterday but I guess yeah you can say that. |
| Natalia: And what verb do you use to express yourself in both of these cases. |
| Carlos: Well I used Estar. |
| Natalia: Exactly. Here the verb Estar indicates an impermanent state. Moods change, nationalities don’t. |
| Carlos: Hmm I think I got it you know but one more example would help. |
| Natalia: Umm let’s say “Estoy cansado” I am tired “EStoy feliz” I am happy. |
| Carlos: Okay so since those changed, you use estar. Yeah okay I think we get it slowly but surely. Once again, in newbie lesson 7, we heard. |
| Carlos: “Yo soy estadounidense. ¿Y usted, de qué país?” I am American and you ma’am, what country? |
| Carlos: And in our Tico’s version it sounded like |
| Natalia: ¡Hola, gringuito! ¿De qué país eres? |
| Carlos: I am Canadian. It’s about that time for us to go over some localisms. Natie, we’ve heard the term Gringo, let’s get a little deeper into it. Do you know where this word comes from? |
| Natalia: Well now, I am going to tell you a story. |
| Carlos: Okay hold on, let me get ready. |
| Natalia: When the US army during the Mexican, Army war you know how the soldiers would go into the villages, the people – the only thing they could say in English was green go, green because of the outfits they were wearing. So they would go like green go, green go. So it’s sort of like they were kicking them out of the place. |
| Carlos: Wow! We got a regular historian here ladies and gentlemen. |
| Natalia: So you see. |
| Carlos: Wow that’s wild. So we’ve looked at how the term can be made endearing and also negative. Natie, is this term racially orientated, geographically orientated, I mean what? |
| Natalia: Well, now-a-days, it is just in general. Any person that looks like it’s from another country, we just go gringo and it’s nothing personal. |
| Carlos: Okay so you are now telling us to go, wait hmm! Marisol responds to Rafael’s question “¿Y tú, de qué país?” with |
| Natalia: Diay, soy de tiquicia. |
| Carlos: I am from |
| Natalia: tiquicia. Yeah that’s actually a very funny term. |
| Carlos: Okay I am listening. |
| Natalia: It means Tico land. |
| Carlos: You mean like candy in like a land of Ticos like candy land? |
| Natalia: Yes I am from Tico land, something like that. This term is used by Costa Ricans when we refer to Costa Rica. |
| Carlos: Ah no doubt. So like now I can go on the street and I can ask someone “¿Eres de tiquicia?” |
| Natalia: Carlos, I don’t think anyone but a Tico should use this term. |
| Carlos: Why not? |
| Natalia: Well I think it would sound silly. I think it’s good for foreigners to learn but you might get looked at strangely if you use it. |
| Carlos: Oh okay point taken. |
| Natalia: It will be like saying good day mate to an Australian. Why do you laugh at my Australian accent. |
| Carlos: Okay Rafael’s response is pretty enthusiastic. Do you remember what he said? |
| Natalia: ¡Qué suerte la tuya! ¿De qué parte? |
| Carlos: Umm how lucky you are! |
| Natalia: More like you are so lucky and Marisol is from Costa Rica. As a matter of fact, she is very lucky. |
| Carlos: Wow you hear that national pride spanishpod101 listeners, I mean that is such patriotism. |
| Natalia: It’s my country, it’s a great place. You are here Carlos, where did you come because it’s great. |
| Carlos: Alright, fair, guilty. That’s why I am here. I mean I got to admit, things have been right since I’ve arrived. |
| Natalia: Well you met me. Qué suerte la tuya Carlos. |
| Carlos: Let’s see. We call that pride or just all out vanity. |
| Natalia: That’s called reality. |
Outro |
|---|
| Carlos: There will be plenty of other lessons for us to continue this. And don’t forget to reference this lesson with newbie lesson 7. Compare, contrast, learn, advance. |
| Natalia: Okay, hasta la próxima. |
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