Free Spanish Lesson #14 – Fun Spanish Words!

In English, when we’re writing a letter that will be used as an example in business or in a textbook, we usually address it with something like, “Dear John” or “Dear Jane”. And, we usually sign it, “Sincerely, John Doe” or “Sincerely, Jane Doe”.

John and Jane Doe, who are obviously married and model citizens, also have their names on government and employment forms as they show us, by their perfect examples, the correct way to fill out those difficult forms.

Some of us tend to get frustrated as “John” and “Jane” seem to be the epitome of perfection in our society, and we are just the “average Joe” never able to reach their level of perfection.

When I was living in my first Latin American city, I always heard about a guy named “Fulano” [foo-lawn-oh]. Everyone seemed to know him, but I never had the opportunity to meet him.

After a while, I learned that his full name was “Fulano de Tal” (Fulano of Such). As time went on, and I lived in a few more cities, everyone still talked about this “Fulano” guy.

After a while of being immersed in my new language, I finally realized that “Fulano de tal” was the long lost relative of “John and Jane Doe” and their son “The Average Joe”. I think he was their second Latin American cousin twice removed whose parents fled from America in the late 1800s after the Gold Rush.

He has since traveled throughout Central and South America and seems to have the genetic makeup of all three of his American counterparts.

I also found out that “Fulano” has two brothers named “Mengano” and “Zutano”. They just happen to be first cousins with “Tom”, “Dick”, and “Harry” in the United States. So, when people refer to any “Tom, Dick, and Harry” in the U.S., they can also refer to their cousins “Fulano, Mengano, and Zutano” in Latin America.

Moral of the Story: Next time you are talking to someone in Spanish and they mention “Fulano”, you’ll know that they are talking about “The Average Joe”, “John or Jane Doe”, or just “so and so”.

¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)

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Written by Dave Clark with Try a Free Spanish Lessons

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.