English or Spanish--Which is more difficult?
The debate rages...Which language is more difficult to learn--English or Spanish? Mexicans swear that Spanish is more difficult, while I say just the opposite. And I get the questions all the time from Uber drivers, students and others..
(Please, please forgive me if I don’t use accent marks or misspell some words in this blog. I’m new to this language)
Without a doubt, one of the major problems for me in getting around in Mexico is understanding the language. At the store, in restaurants, on the bus, and especially at official places (airports, schools, government offices), Spanish is everywhere in Mexico.
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| Good Ol Charlie Brown--in Español! |
In Queretaro, we’ve been lucky: I have only encountered one person who could not handle my broken Spanish. I started asking a question, she threw up her hands and asked someone in the back to help her. Everyone else has been happy (or at least not angry) to figure out my Spanglish. Or Diane’s.
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| Searching for Pokemon in Mexico! |
In restaurants, if you are presented an English menu, it’s insulting. The waiter is saying: “Okay, we know you’re a gringo, so don’t even try to speak our language.” The most frustrating feeling is when you think you’re speaking Spanish perfectly, then the person says “de donde eres? They know you’re not from Mexico!
But, especially with food, you need to know what you are eating. We almost ordered pulpo, which sounded great (that’s octopus) We ordered pata, which is a pig’s paw. And papas and papas (one is father, the other is potato).
And some words, you need to be careful. Last week, I held out my arms and asked “embarazada?” They giggled. That means pregnant; i meant to say “abrazo” (hug). Whoops.
My humble opinion (after 10 months here):
Spanish and English are similar. In fact, the word similar is similar in English and Spanish. tourist is turista, channel is canal, justice is justicia, computer is computadora, etc, etc. So, much of the vocabulary you can figure out. When you get to tenses, conjugations, and syntax, there lie the major differences. And Spanish, apparently, has no apostrophes for possessives. So, “Eric’s” just becomes “de Eric.” And of course, the adjectives follow the verb (red car is carro rojo)
So, which is more difficult? I think English, just because it is filled with so many rules and exceptions. When I teach English, I find myself saying, “This is the rule. Always. Except when….” And English probably has more idioms than Spanish.
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| Nutella- in different flavors: te quiero, hermano, mama, hijo, papa, y nutella!! |
I’ve gotten by with my very, very bad pronunciation (Diane’s is much better). When I speak the Spanish word (only in Mexico) of “munday?” which means “huh?” or “what?”, most cannot never understand what I’m saying. They think I’m saying Monday. I’ve never learned how to pronounce it, so I just say “que?”
Bien? Or is it Bueno? Or Bueño?
