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Wait a minute. There are people who consider moving to a spanish speaking counrty, and they are too lazy to learn even basic Spanish ! Why do they expect that there will be a number of Locals who speak English, and/or a number of expats who speak Spanish, (and who, in both cases, were NOT too lazy to learn the foreign language) in order to help and be of their service all the time ? It is o.k. for a while, but not forever. Move your butts and go to language school! No matter who much talent one has, anyone can learn the Basics.
[quote=”elindermuller”]Wait a minute. There are people who consider moving to a spanish speaking counrty, and they are too lazy to learn even basic Spanish ! Why do they expect that there will be a number of Locals who speak English, and/or a number of expats who speak Spanish, (and who, in both cases, were NOT too lazy to learn the foreign language) in order to help and be of their service all the time ? It is o.k. for a while, but not forever. Move your butts and go to language school! No matter who much talent one has, anyone can learn the Basics.
[/quote]Absolutely. Same can be said of those living in the US who don’t speak English. Wherever you choose to live, it’s up to YOU to fit in to the host country.
that’s funny, elinder. yep, lazy is what they are. i’ve met some people who live here now who can only croak out a phrase or two in spanish, but these are the same people who complain about immigrants moving to the US who don’t speak English. at least here they tolerate you. try going to france and living there without the language. the french HATE people who don’t speak French — they can be some of the rudest and nastiest people ever to an American who is garbling their beloved language. and don’t kid yourself about the Ticos — they are too polite and nonconfrontational to tell you they think you’re a wanker for not speaking spanish, but i hear it all the time when they ask me how come i can speak it and most of the other gringos can’t.
[quote=”maravilla”] you’re a wanker for not speaking spanish, but i hear it all the time when they ask me how come i can speak it and most of the other gringos can’t.[/quote]
I have no idea what a “wanker” is, but I do know that over 90% of the Ticos we come in contact with in Samara would prefer to speak and learn English,
Just like where you are Maravilla, they prefer that you learn Spanish so that YOU can get ahead in that community, here they understand that for them to get ahead in THIS community it is more important that THEY SPEAK ENGLISH!
I am not saying you are wrong, I am only saying that it is another case of LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
I definitely agree with you that when I travel elsewhere in CR (away from the coast) I wish I knew more Spanish!
But I have NEVER been made to feel uncomfortable by any Tico for not being conversant in their language; conversely, they have always tried to help and between my limited Spanish and “sign language” we have always managed to communicate,
Do I wish I knew the language and all 144 verb cases such as you – absolutely! But do you need it to live in CR and enjoy living in CR, I don’t think so – – it all depends on WHERE you live in CR![quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”maravilla”] you’re a wanker for not speaking spanish, but i hear it all the time when they ask me how come i can speak it and most of the other gringos can’t.[/quote]
I have no idea what a “wanker” is, but I do know that over 90% of the Ticos we come in contact with in Samara would prefer to speak and learn English,
Just like where you are Maravilla, they prefer that you learn Spanish so that YOU can get ahead in that community, here they understand that for them to get ahead in THIS community it is more important that THEY SPEAK ENGLISH!
I am not saying you are wrong, I am only saying that it is another case of LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
I definitely agree with you that when I travel elsewhere in CR (away from the coast) I wish I knew more Spanish!
But I have NEVER been made to feel uncomfortable by any Tico for not being conversant in their language; conversely, they have always tried to help and between my limited Spanish and “sign language” we have always managed to communicate,
Do I wish I knew the language and all 144 verb cases such as you – absolutely! But do you need it to live in CR and enjoy living in CR, I don’t think so – – it all depends on WHERE you live in CR![/quote]I prefer to speak and understand decent Spanish for several reasons. One example, at an attorneys office, I am able to read and understand the protocol, I don’t need a translator and can be sure things are written properly, even if they provide the text in English as well, who can guarantee that it does not say something else ? The Spanish text is what goes to the registry.
I am also able to read and understand the laws I have to deal with on a daily basis (immigration law, real estate law, labour law …..).
Speaking Spanish saves you money. Bilingual attorneys are normally more expensive, and hiring translators also costs money.
Plus I don’t have to bother other expats with may daily problems because I can’t understand what Ticos tell me.
There is a number of Ticos who speak some English and offering their services (employees, busines people etc.). I have seen too many cases of misunderstanding. Ticos will never admit that they did not understand, and if they make mistakes, it is never their fault.
The “spanish-refusers” can not generally expect that other expats, who were not too lazy to learn, will always be happy to help for free. It has cost them time and money to learn, so why should they ?[quote=”DavidCMurray”][quote=”ddspell12″]I do not speak spanish. How much of a problem will this be![/quote]
I think beansandbooks makes good points. Our Spanish is “pidgin” and we’ve gotten along fine for seven years.
That said, anything you can learn would be helpful and it would show some respect for your environment. Too, I think an “academic” approach versus a “conversational” one is the way to go.
Spanish, for example, has fourteen verb tenses of which probably four or five are really necessary to understand. And because Spanish is what I would characterize as a “structural” language, knowing the verb constructions is important.
In English, for example, we identify who’s doing the action by a name or pronoun — [b]I[/b] eat salad. [b]You[/b] eat salad. In Spanish, the actor is identified by a verb ending — Com[b]o[/b] ensalada. Com[b]es[/b] ensalada. Sometimes, names or pronouns are used but not always.
So without understanding the verb endings, you really can’t tell who’s doing what or to whom.[/quote]
that and the use of female,male adn formal words and uses always get me. To me, romance languages seem to flip things backwards, to them, we do no doubt. That sometimes is a stumbler to me when trying to string words together to order, I try it out in a restaurant at times. Soemtimes, they think I am fluent and I quickly get lost or they get a bit turned off when I have that deer-headlights look:lol:
As we have a lot of Spanish speakers in area, try to practice, though a lot of Mexican folks do not speak as fluent as Central American. I am told by other Spanish speakers, a but choppy and poor. Try to practice. David brings up a good point, the arrnagement of words to them and to English speakers much different….[quote=”maravilla”]that’s funny, elinder. yep, lazy is what they are. i’ve met some people who live here now who can only croak out a phrase or two in spanish, but these are the same people who complain about immigrants moving to the US who don’t speak English. at least here they tolerate you. try going to france and living there without the language. the french HATE people who don’t speak French — they can be some of the rudest and nastiest people ever to an American who is garbling their beloved language. and don’t kid yourself about the Ticos — they are too polite and nonconfrontational to tell you they think you’re a wanker for not speaking spanish, but i hear it all the time when they ask me how come i can speak it and most of the other gringos can’t.[/quote]
My brother-in-law, works part time in symphony…..F/T in another, non-artistic job. few yrs back, he got a chance to go to France for over a week to play in a version of Christmas Carol. Wife’s sister went along too and did some touring, on her own and with other wives of the musicians. She was surprised how nice the French were to her, esp as their reputation is long and ingrained. The rudest person to her was a fellow from Africa, one of areas of prior- French colonialism. He was very rude and snide to her in restaurant as she did not speak French. A white, native frenchwoman actually came over and apologized to her. She was only there a week and was not planning to stay, nor had this trip been long planned to even try to become fluent in French….
[quote=”elindermuller”]Wait a minute. There are people who consider moving to a spanish speaking counrty, and they are too lazy to learn even basic Spanish ! Why do they expect that there will be a number of Locals who speak English, and/or a number of expats who speak Spanish, (and who, in both cases, were NOT too lazy to learn the foreign language) in order to help and be of their service all the time ? It is o.k. for a while, but not forever. Move your butts and go to language school! No matter who much talent one has, anyone can learn the Basics.
[/quote]For me, its about move=survival likely…that said, though, I know a few words and phrases, but if I moved would make a effort, despite never having a good aptitude for languages. Not my country, so its up to me, if living or staying long time, to make the effort, not the Tico/a I talk to. Would ask if they speak English, but if not, would make the effort to speak their language or learn…..Why trying to practice now…
[quote=”lisamarie6987″][quote=”maravilla”]if you are going to live in a Spanish culture, you really do need to learn the language. without out it, the humor, the irony, the political jokes, and the culture will be out of your grasp. i cannot even imagine living in a foreign country without language skills. i learned spanish before i moved to mexico, and i learned french before i moved to france. so moving here was a slam dunk, but there is always room for improvement and i spent more than a year going to spanish classes here. there is more to life in this country than hanging out with gringos, being able to order a beer, or ordering off a menu. you will miss so much of what it really means to live here if you are the outsider who can’t communicate. besides, learning a foreign language will stave off alzheimers. and what would you do in an emergency? could you call an ambulance, or the police, or run to a neighbor for help? what if your car breaks down? how will you tell a taxi where you need to go? what if you wound up in a hospital? speaking spanish might just save your life, and this old adage that no matter how well you speak it, you will always revert to your native tongue in an emergency is a falsehood. when i had to go to the ER after a bad fall and a messed up ankle, it never occurred to me to try and tell someone what happened to me in English and then risk not getting proper care. spanish is fun, and it’s a lot easier than english, and if you can speak spanish, you can then understand french, italian, and portuguese. what a bonus. plus there are more than 500 cognates in spanish. once you learn those you already have a vocabulary.[/quote]
Maravilla…you maske perfect sense. I am deep in Rosetta Stone Spanish presently and learning more and more each dasy. My daily telemuda news is getting easier for me to understand. I won’t be perfect but I will get by and be able to learn more as the months go on.[/quote]
have seen those for sale, but was hesitatn, price aside, to try as I got easily lost trying German some yrs ago, by lesson 2, was lost.:(
I have found that Visual Link Languages’ Spanish is best program for the way my mind works. I can study early in the morning before work, over the day I can remember the sentence patterns even if I am sitting in a boring meeting in the afternoon.
My property in Costa Rica is on You Tube, enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra0J5gqonsA
The couple of seconds may be a bit ruff with the video stop of a second or two, but eventually you get to my property. The song is called “I never knew a woman who could drink so much rum…..” The tune is by a group from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Tom
Portland, OregonTom:
Thanks for posting this great video! Chris and I had fun watching, especially the beginning. Some years ago, when we were considering buying in the [i]gorgeous[i] Orosi, we walked across the bridge in the rain. Just across on the right is an amazing little restaurant. There, they wrap fresh trout around a long stick and deep fry it…YUM! Amazing crispy skin and tender, tender fish….thanks for refreshing our memories![/i][/i]
I agree with you Tom. I too have found the Visual Link Spanish to be the most helpful. Thank you for your video – I really enjoyed it, I have visited the Orosi valley a few times and really love the place, although we did end up buying in Puntarenas because I wanted to be on the beach!! Loved your music too.
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