After I studied abroad in Germany during high school, I decided that I also needed to learn a language that would be useful in the US. I took three years of Spanish in college, and I was proficient enough to read the newspaper. It was my goal to study abroad in Spain, because I knew that this would cement my language skills. Because I was majoring in German, however, I was strongly encouraged to spend a semester in Germany. I must admit that I regret taking that advice, because my Spanish skills rapidly deteriorated from that point and today I speak pidgin Spanish, in the present tense only. This is in spite of living in Albuquerque, Miami, and Hyattsville. ( My current neighborhood is probably half native Spanish- speakers.)
Nonetheless, on many trips my minimal language skills are still the best in the group. I find myself desperately consulting dictionaries and trying to recall how to conjugate verbs. I prepare carefully to ask a question, which works as long as the answer is something I expect. Heaven help me if someone says something unsolicited. Today I think a man on the street told me I looked like a queen in my hat, but it could also have been a completely different hat related comment. It does make for interesting, if slightly baffling, conversations.
5 comments:
Your Spanish will improve as the holiday goes by.
Think positive - did the man treat you like royalty?
Just having come back from places with entirely different alphabets as well as languages, I was blisfully unaware of what anyone might have been saying. Is English prevalent at all as a second language?
I can relate, my spanish also sucks now from lack of practice - AND I lived in Spain.
English seems to be common in the really touristy areas, like a handful of restaurants and a few tourist sites. But when I'm negotiating the grocery store or at museums, English is rare and people would clearly prefer to speak to me in Spanish.
English seems to be common in the really touristy areas, like a handful of restaurants and a few tourist sites. But when I'm negotiating the grocery store or at museums, English is rare and people would clearly prefer to speak to me in Spanish.
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