just for laughs - funny language slips

[Mary and Enrique 8]

When my husband and I met, I didn't speak Spanish, and he didn't speak English. Somehow we hit it off and managed to get by (thanks, Google Translate!), but when he came to the States and moved in with me, we were in for a lot of failed attempts at communication.

For example, I brought him a calzone on my lunch hour on that first day I had to go back to work after his arrival. I tried to offer it to him in Spanish, not realizing at the time that calzón, in Spanish, means underwear. Things got strange very quickly.

By the time his work authorization came through, he'd learned enough English to start to appreciate slang. Unfortunately, his first day did not go so well, as he feared he was the victim of an unwanted sexual advance by his new boss.

"He tells me he is a 'ball-buster'. Is that like ghostbuster? Please explain to me how that is not gay."

I actually miss the days when things like this were a daily occurrence -- now that we both speak both languages confidently, life is just not quite as colorful. I talked myself out of recording all the funny stories as they were happening, thinking that Enrique is a grown man and it's a bit infantilizing to keep the equivalent of a 'baby book' for him -- though these days, I think he actually would have enjoyed going back and having a laugh about the old days. Alas, I have already forgotten so many of them.

I know there are many couples like us on this site. Surely there are some great stories. Care to share one of yours?

[Ban Hammer 12,861]

don't ever ask wifey to say sheet or beach.

[Susita 175]

I'm completely bilingual, my husband however is not. And even with being bilingual, my version of Spanish has a heck of a lot more Spanglish in it than his does. We had an incident just this past week that I posted in another forum:

I asked my husband to pick up some stuff on his way home from work on Thursday, for my son's gingerbread house project at school. He gets off of work @ 7:30am, so he swung by the supermarket & bought the stuff and dropped it off at the school for me (yes, he's an awesome dad/husband, I know ). Anywhoo, one of the things I asked for him to get was Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chips. He even repeated it, "chocolate cheaps, ya, ok." Well, I called and asked him if he found everything OK, and he said "I no find Nestle but I get Chips A Hoy." I soon realized instead of buying a bag of chocolate chips, he bought chocolate chip cookies. When I told him he got the wrong thing, he told me I wasn't "especific" enough & that I should have told him to get "chocochips" not "chocolate cheaps." He went back to the store, got the chocochips & gave me the chocolate cheaps.

I love Espanglish. (I speak Spanish but we still get things confused sometimes).

Also, one time I was going to Panera bread to pick up some lunch (we had my mom and grandma over) and I asked him what he wanted. He said he wanted some sandwich (I can't remember which one) but he insisted that he did not want napkins on his sangwich.

I told him that I doubted they'd put servilletas on his sandwich and he was like "no, no bacons. I don't want bacons." My mom still teases him about that asking him if he wants a napkin with his food.

[TBoneTX 43,254]

don't ever ask wifey to say sheet or beach.

NO, man, si man.

She bought me cheap. See other threads.

Ask hubby if he knows what a "calzoncillo chino" is, si man.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

After living with me in the US for almost 2 years my wife finally asked me why we call it a Flyswatter... I said "Because it's the thing we use to swat a fly", she said "Oh".

I then asked her what they call it in the Philippines and she told me the Tagalog phrase which translates literally to "thing to hit flies".

My response was, "how is that any difference than the English word Flyswatter?".

Her response, "I misunderstood, I thought you called it 'Fly's Water'!"

[Ban Hammer 12,861]

Her response, "I misunderstood, I thought you called it 'Fly's Water'!"

[Mary and Enrique 8]

hahaha, you guys are cracking me up! and Susita, if I had my $5 back for every time Enrique bought the wrong thing at the grocery store due to a little nuance like that, we could probably recoup our immigration fees....hahaha.

[TBoneTX 43,254]

don't ever ask wifey to say sheet or beach.

Or piece/peace.

[Mary and Enrique 8]

oh, another favorite: the time I was moping in bed about something stupid and enrique wanted to say "please get up so we can go to dinner". Instead, he said "please grow up so we can go to dinner".

i laughed so hard i couldn't be mad anymore.

[Robert&Karen 264]

Karen has a photo folder called "That's Just Wrong" where she puts pictures of things that work out fine in the US but would cause hysteria or laughter in the UK. Some of the things include pictures of BJ's Restaurant, Jiffy Lube, Taco Bender, Spunky Steer, sanitary napkins, and even white vans selling ice cream. She explains the differences on why such terms are not acceptable in the UK. It's hilarious! We learn new things all the time and we find that even though we speak the same language, we have entirely different meanings for things. We love it.

[wee carrington 33]

Karen has a photo folder called "That's Just Wrong" where she puts pictures of things that work out fine in the US but would cause hysteria or laughter in the UK. Some of the things include pictures of BJ's Restaurant, Jiffy Lube, Taco Bender, Spunky Steer, sanitary napkins, and even white vans selling ice cream. She explains the differences on why such terms are not acceptable in the UK. It's hilarious! We learn new things all the time and we find that even though we speak the same language, we have entirely different meanings for things. We love it.

Ask Karen how she feels about children being told to "sit on their fannies" at school by the teacher!

[Robert&Karen 264]

Ask Karen how she feels about children being told to "sit on their fannies" at school by the teacher!

Yea that's another one: The fanny pack. In the UK it is a bum bag. Fanny is a WHOLE different part!

[amyandjorge 76]

On the phone with my Jorge he said "I can't talk right now, I'm in the chicken and it's really hot!"... he was in the kitchen.

Also he says "Take off the light" and "put on the light", not sure why.

[Mary and Enrique 8]

On the phone with my Jorge he said "I can't talk right now, I'm in the chicken and it's really hot!"... he was in the kitchen.

Also he says "Take off the light" and "put on the light", not sure why.

Hahaha, Amy and Jorge -- it must be a Honduran thing! Enrique is always calling that chain restaurant, "California Pizza Chicken". It gets me every time!