Do you speak/will you learn Spanish?

For those of you that live on the island, do you speak Spanish? If not, why not? Those of you that will become swallows or are regular visitors, will you learn the lingo?

I always try to speak Spanish but end up playing charades with the locals ( they end up pissing themselves at me)

A little, but will learn before I go to swallow. Usually pick up lingo quite quick. Can get by in Turkey and a good amount of French.

I am totally ashamed to say NO I don´t speak Spanish. I have lots of words that I just can´t join together in sentences. I have tried umpteen times and every time I learn a new word I forget an old one. I am convinced it is an age thing. Although even when I was a kid I was useless at languages. Thankfully my grand daughter is really good at both Spanish and German. I do try and speak to people in Spanglish but they invariable speak better English than I do Spanish.

Topdog wrote:A little, but will learn before I go to swallow. Usually pick up lingo quite quick. Can get by in Turkey and a good amount of French.

Que? Gilipollez!

Sorry Manuel......you tell me what idiot, i no sure signor.

Doz Cervaza por va vor senior !

Happy hour then.

I know a few words but like Gypsy I don't know how to form a recognisable sentence with them. Blox, as long as I can order food and drink, who cares...

12 beers then, thats the spirit.

Un jarra de San Miguel por favor.

The Spanish always have it in the small glasses dont they, and always leave half an inch in the bottom.

Thats right Vince. Imagine wasting all that beer at the bottom????

Perfectspecimen wrote:The Spanish always have it in the small glasses dont they, and always leave half an inch in the bottom.

...think it's called a caña. Gypsy says that's what her wee dog's called...

Half pint dog. Mine will be a short then.

EL Fluent,

Mcqueen wrote:EL Fluent,

That's what goes down the sewers innit...

I have been doing a bit and know the basics,can get by speaking it.
But on Rosetta Stone I get fed up doing it on my own,I need a bit of a push.
Have put name down for classes in the Tech so when it restarts after summer I'll give it a go.

I can speak spanish but not canarian!!! all my grandchildren are fluent and they laugh at me when i talk as they say i say things funny but thats how ive been taught. It is best to pick it up from the natives as your understood better. But i do to try really hard to use spanish every day and i think gypsy has got it right it is defo and age thing that makes it harder.

Vera Lynn wrote:I can speak spanish but not canarian!!! all my grandchildren are fluent and they laugh at me when i talk as they say i say things funny but thats how ive been taught. It is best to pick it up from the natives as your understood better. But i do to try really hard to use spanish every day and i think gypsy has got it right it is defo and age thing that makes it harder.

Is there a big difference between the two VL?
Is it the pronunciation or what?
Give a few examples please.

Well one thing is they speak really fast here and hardly ever finish their words off especially the s's on the end of words. When i took my grandsons over to the penisular the spanish knew they were from tenerife by thier accents.

I don't want to confuse myself even more.
I'll get over the Canarian hurdle when I learn Castillian.

They say "gracias" normally in Spain but in the Canaries they say "Grassy Ass"

Dermo you Cabron!

CaribeCelt wrote:
Is there a big difference between the two VL?
Is it the pronunciation or what?
Give a few examples please.

We also use different words, like guagua instead of autobus, or leche leche instead of cafe bonbon. I tried using caña on the mainland and they looked at me as if I was mad, think they use that for someone going grey !! So very confusing.

For now hasta luego! or as they say here h'luego!

Gypsy wrote:

CaribeCelt wrote:
Is there a big difference between the two VL?
Is it the pronunciation or what?
Give a few examples please.

We also use different words, like guagua instead of autobus, or leche leche instead of cafe bonbon. I tried using caña on the mainland and they looked at me as if I was mad, think they use that for someone going grey !! So very confusing.

For now hasta luego! or as they say here h'luego!

i find the most useful phrase is, no tengo denero, espesialy to get shut of the bloody lookie lookie men the pr's and the fecking beggers.