When speaking Spanish a lot is gained in the pronunciation and context. Quite inadvertently innocent English people often use swear words or ask for something they don’t really want. Here are a few blunders to watch out for when talking to Spanish speaking people.

1. Pajero
My very first faux pas, while studying in Valencia, my Tutor asked me “what cats eat”, I only had a limited amount of the language at the time, but I was convinced I knew the word for a bird.

So sitting in class all proud of myself I announced pajero, the correct word of course was parajo which does mean bird, pajero alas meant wanker. Thankfully I didn’t know this until I got home and looked it up in the dictionary when I got home as my tutor would not tell me the meaning.

My saving grace is that my classmates knew about the same amount of Spanish as I did at the time. Only my tutor got very embarrassed. But its one I never repeated again.

2. Computer

Ah the good old computer. A friend visiting a while back went into the local computer shop and thinking ‘ah Spanish is just like English, I’ll just pronounce it a little different’ so in he goes and says “Quiero Com Puta”. Well in Spanish CON PUTA is WITH PROSTITUTE, the word for Computer in Spanish is ordenador.

So unless you really want to have a good time with the ladies of the night I’d quickly learn ordenador if you want to buy a computer in Spain.

3. Con Yo

Ah how I love this one. In Spanish to say WITH is CON, to say I is YO.

Some English people mistakenly say, do you want to go with I, instead of with me. To say with me is CONMIGO. CON YO in Spanish is a part of the female anatomy which is normally well covered up and is used quite often in derogatory form in both Spanish and English. I’ll say no more but you get the idea.

4. Polla

The word for chicken in Spanish is Pollo, nice harmless word, until you give it the feminine sound polla which means Dick. So be very careful when ordering your chicken in the Spanish restaurants.

5. Ano

How many of us go around saying Feliz ano Nuevo on January 1st, thinking in all innocence that we are saying “Happy New year”.

Well what you just said is Happy new anus. Mmmm lovely, just what you want to hear on New Year’s morning. What you needed to say was Feliz año Nuevo. The ñ in Spanish is pronounced ny so the word is anyo not ano.

6. Huevos

Huevos is eggs right, correct good old simple eggs, how far wrong can you go when you say eggs? Nice harmless word. But be careful of the context as it also means a man’s balls. So he has large eggs suddenly becomes not quite so innocent.

7. Embarazado

Ah this one has to mean embarrassed yes of course, Estoy Embarazado, I’m embarrassed, Wrong think again it means pregnant, so if someone embarrassed you last night I’d be wary of telling a Spaniard that.

© Carol Barnes 2008

Carol Barnes www.top-bannana.com Speak Spanish Confidently. In less than 1 Minute A Day, You you can Learn To Speak Spanish with ease.