So two and a half months in we feel like maybe we´re making a teeny bit of headway with this whole Español language thang. Maybe. Certainly the vocab is slowly increasing... but we´re doing a fine job of butchering any structure or grammar that might have proved useful.
For the most part we can get our message accross - certainly a few visual cues and or gestures help - but if we do a good enough job the person we´re talking to will reply in full on HIGH SPEED spanish - losing us entirely. Have finally learned that asking, "como?" Will gain us a repeat in SPANISH rather than saying "huh?" which causes a switch to English. No larnin´to be done there.
Argentinian and Chilean spanish are really quite different. The Chileans talk MUCHO RAPIDO!!! and have a tendancy to cut the ends off words... they also have a real penchant for slang - so no chance there! Argentinians have a better pace but then if you meet someone from Buenos Aires theres a whole new accent. And little things like the double L! In some places its a sh... in others its a y. Sheesh!
And then ... just when you think you´re doing ok.. you ask for a fanta (to mix with beer imagine!!) and the bar person looks at you blankly! You KNOW it is called fanta - so you go in for a second attempt with new pronunciation... and a third attempt and then you start pointing and trying "naranja" (orange) until finally the bar person says "Ahhh... FANTA". What the?!!
All fun though! And ANY improvement in my spanish makes me feel better about being one of the few nationalities that is mono-lingual!
