?Sabes la diferencia que existe entre "tu" y "usted"?.
Un peque?o ejemplo ilustrara muy bien esta diferencia.
El director general de un banco, se preocupaba por un joven director "estrella" que despu?s de un periodo de trabajo junto a el, sin parar nunca ni
para almorzar, empieza a ausentarse al mediod?a.
Entonces el director general llama al detective privado del banco y le dice:
"Siga a Mart?nez una semana entera, no vaya a ser que ande en algo malo o sucio".
El detective cumple con su cometido, vuelve e informa.
"Mart?nez sale normalmente al mediod?a coge su coche, va a su casa a almorzar, luego le hace el amor a su mujer, se fuma uno de sus excelentes habanos
y vuelve a trabajar".
Responde el director:
"?Ah, bueno, menos mal, no hay nada malo en todo eso!
Luego el detective pregunta: ?Puedo tutearlo, se?or?
Sorprendido el director responde: "Si, como no".
Y el detective dice:
"Te repito: Mart?nez sale normalmente al mediod?a, coge tu coche, va a tu casa a almorzar, luego le hace el amor a tu mujer, se fuma uno de tus
excelentes habanos y vuelve a trabajar".villadelfin - 5-27-2006 at 01:39 PM
I always like your jokesOso - 5-27-2006 at 04:05 PM
It isn't a Mexican joke. Idioms vary. In Cuba, if one were on the way to "catch the bus", one might say "Voy a coger el gua gua." Whereas that same
comment, in Mexico, might send poor Firulais scampering for the hills...SiReNiTa - 5-27-2006 at 04:18 PM
great joke...and i suppose all of you know that the diffenrence between tu and usted is a matter of respect...like...if you were talking to some one
you do not know very well or is a person of authority or someone very respected or of old age...one would say usted...but if we are talking to friends
and equals and family (with the exception of mom's and dads) it is a more commenly used term...Sallysouth - 5-27-2006 at 05:57 PM
Serinita, No, I did not know that! Thank you and I think I have made a mistake or two, like when I am trying to communicate with Mijas Nanny, I sure
hope I didn't offend her!! I should know better, but from the mouth of "babes" so to speak!!!She speaks No English and my Spanish is very
different...I think she still likes me tho....Nice to have you on this board! SallyOso - 5-27-2006 at 11:25 PM
I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as your general attitude is one of respect. Most Mexicans understand that gringos have difficulty with
Spanish and make allowances.
The first time I screwed up bad with this was within my first year or two in Mexico City. A newspaper vendor passed by and I wanted to buy a paper,
so I called out "Oye". He turned around with an obviously offended expression and replied "Oye tu." Luckily, my wife-to-be was with me and jumped in
to explain that I was just a stupid gringo that didn't know any better and didn't intend to offend. Later, she explained that I should have said
"Oiga", and that this differentiation in level of respect was particularly sensitive when perceived societal staus levels were in fact widely
separated. Since then, I have been very careful to use usted when speaking to strangers who appear to be poor, but I still delight in using tu for
politicians and "los popof" and letting them figure out if I'm being deliberately disrespectful or I'm just a stupid gringo that doesn't know any
better.Sharksbaja - 5-27-2006 at 11:29 PM
????elgatoloco - 5-28-2006 at 12:02 AM
Thanks for the refresher.
Oso it's no wonder you married. She has your back.Paula - 5-28-2006 at 07:21 AM
In my high school Spanish class (quite a while back!), we were told not to worry about the tu form, as we would probably never have occasion to use
it-- it was for family and very good friends. I guess Mrs. Stein never thought any of us would live in Mexico.
I almost never hear Ud. in Loreto, even in stores and restaurants, but with dropped a "s" and the absence of either word I'm not always sure which
people are using. I use tu more and more often, and hope I'm getting it right!Roberto - 5-28-2006 at 08:15 AM
Oso, either I am getting older or you are. I am sure you have made BOTH those posts before!
I really like "tutearlo". What a great use of language!Oso - 5-28-2006 at 09:58 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Roberto
Oso, either I am getting older or you are. I am sure you have made BOTH those posts before!
It's me. Right after I posted them I had the slightly worried thought that I might be repeating myself, but I couldn't remember when I'd posted them
the first time or for sure if I had. Incipient Alzheimer's is worrisome mainly because it makes one look foolish. On the other hand, not remembering
that you've done things before makes it seem like you're doing everything for the first time, which can be a gas. It also makes the available
selection of movies on TV bearable. Often, I'm halfway into one before I realize I've seen it before.
Bratwurst, should one NOT have a more intimate relationship to God and Jesus than to strangers? Also, I've heard some young people from Spain say
they use tu for everybody now and almost never use usted anymore at all. But, young Spaniards do a lot of things now that their parents would never
have thought of doing.Oso - 5-28-2006 at 12:18 PM
No disagreement with any of that.SiReNiTa - 5-29-2006 at 09:49 AM
i guess it isn?t extremely important but it?s all a matter of respect...personaly (is that spelled right?) i go with the usted...with people i don?t
know very well but there is a point in the friend ship or time knowing eachother, when things change from usted to tu...haha...but then again...it?s
not like people will dislike you for tutearlos...sorry there?s no translationi n english for that one...still soinds cool though...Marie-Rose - 5-29-2006 at 01:00 PM
Wow, now if someone could just help me understand when to use por and when to use para Every time I think I've got it .... I get it wrong!!!!SiReNiTa - 5-29-2006 at 01:15 PM
por and para...well...it depends what you use them for...for instance...we use por in the time tables...uno por uno....etc...and para is
like...for...flowers for the girl...flores para la chica, muchacha, ni?a, etc... por is because, times...and para is for...i think???....Oso - 5-29-2006 at 01:34 PM
I can't think of a hard and fast rule either. But por is more often used like "by" than "for". Para is both for and "in order to".
Este cuadro por Picasso es para el Museo Real para que la gente gozan de el.
Then it gets complicated.
Para occupies one third of a page, in very fine print, of the LaRousse unabridged E/S Dictionary.
Por occupies two thirds of a page.SiReNiTa - 5-29-2006 at 01:54 PM
haha...yeah grammer is complicated but not as much as english...i have such a hard time with spelling.......arrrghPaula - 5-29-2006 at 05:12 PM
Por and Para
Los astronautas van para la luna. The astronauts go to the moon.
Voy por el banco antes de ir al teatro. I'm going by the bank before going to the theater.
Juan cocina para Juanita. Juan is cooking dinner for Juanita
Juan cocina por Juanita. Juanita should cook dinner, but Juan is doing it for her.
These are some examples, and there are many more, along with explanations, of the uses of por and para from the book "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish
Pronouns and Prepositions" by Dorothy Richmond. She also has a book of Spanish Verb Tenses. Each costs about $10. They are really great books if
you want to learn good grammar on your own. Unfortunately, she doesn't tell us when to use tu and Ud.
Disclaimer: Although I think these are excellent books, I am not related to DR, nor have I ever met her, and I do not profit in any way from the sale
of her books. I put that in because I thinkI've mentioned them before here.SiReNiTa - 5-29-2006 at 05:26 PM
haha...there are alot of good spanish books, to learn grammer and it's good to mentionall of themif they can help the people here!
Every time I think I've got it .... I get it wrong!!!!
