Meet The Parents - Discussion

Lesson Introduction

Today you'll meet our friend Nino, who is not latino himself--he's from Germany, actually. But he's dating a latina, and he has notice some important cultural differences that will arise when dating a latina. You'll want to hear his observations, as well as his special announcement... a Del taco al tango exclusive!

Comments (51)

« Older 1 2Newer »

John says

fimperial, You've got a good point, but be careful with your anecdotes... That one about the Nova in Latin America is well known but actually not true.

December 14, 2007 from the Web.

Team	jpvillanueva says john, The Nova story is more fun than true. Now did you ever wonder why latinos are always exploding with laughter and wanting to take pictures with you and your Mitsubishi Pajero? December 15, 2007 from the Web.

fimperial says

Aww man.. I loved telling that story. And I did learn it in a marketing class in college. Siento tan deflated. Too bad. Thanks for the cold splash of cruel reality John. :)

December 15, 2007 from the Web.

yardbird says

Great show, I agree. I alsso was laughing out loud. As far as accents go, I detected scarcely a trace of a German accent in Nino's speech, and I am familiar with that accent. I couldn't be sure if the accent I did hear was really Spanish, Castilian or not; it struck me as one of those very vague "continental" accents that usually belong to people who are not only multilingual but well traveled, also. I congratulate Nino on his engagement and wish him and his novia all the luck in the world. I am still uncertain about one vvocab issue, and would really appreciate more explanation: At my very modest level of Spanish learning, I thought I have learned that "contento" just means nicely, mildly happy, almost like the English "content" plus a little more happiness, sort of. But a gentle happiness, not excitement! Could someone offer a few adjectives of varying degrees of contentment, happiness and actual excitement? I've never heard contento used to describe someone being excited, as you may feel when suddenly surprised by very good news, for example. I may be misunderstanding contento because its English cognate has so much more relaxed connotations. But could I get a few words at varying levels of contentment, happiness and real vigorous excitement? thanks.

December 15, 2007 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says This was such a great show! Great story Nino! If anyone has one, share it with us! December 15, 2007 from the Web.

fimperial says

Great question yardbird. I'd be interested to hear other terms for "excited". (family-friendly terms, of course) I was also wondering about different ways to say "funny". I used "chistosa" before but am really not sure what's the best word to use. (i.e. "that podcast was hilarious" vs. "he's a funny guy"). Gracias!

December 16, 2007 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says Fimperial Some other ways to say "funny" are: chistoso simpático divertido cómico jocoso festivo December 16, 2007 from the Web.

Team

jpvillanueva says

yardbird, If you want to say that you're content, you can say "contento" with a half-smile. If you want to say that you're excited, say "contento" but sound excited! Did you watch the Selena movie? Of course you did. There's a moment when she faces the Mexican press, and everyone is worried that they're going to criticize her for not speaking Spanish very well. So she says something like, "Y estoy muy... muy... " and then everybody looks at each other, knowing that she has walked in to the "contento/excited" trap... and so she says "Y estoy, muy... muy... EXCITED!" And then everybody is relieved, because it's better to switch to English and just be Selena than to fall into a translation trap, for goodness sakes. *Sigh,* I miss Selena. So anyway, "contento" is the best way to say both "content" and "excited." The verbs "alegrar" and "alegrarse" handle the load for "to make happy" and "to cheer up." If you want to convey a feeling of anticipation or anxiousness you'll need different expressions entirely. "Chistoso" is a great word for 'funny,' it's also a good 'silly' word. 'Gracioso' will also do, as well as 'cómico,' if you're in a pinch. As for your examples, "El podcast fue bien chistoso" and "Es muy chistoso." But if you say "Es un chistoso," for some reason it feels to me like you're saying "he's a goofball," which is different.

December 16, 2007 from the Web.

yardbird says

Okay, so contento can be used, in fact must be used, for a wide range of happy feelings? Didn't know that. Seems unusually restricted, Spanish seemingly having such a rich range of descriptive tradations for so much else. Me caja un poco estraño. Can you follow "me cjer" with an adjective, not just bien o mÁl? s As for Selena, no, I just barely know who she was because she was in the news back a few years ago. She was a young Mexican American pop starr from Texas, right, from a modest family, beloved for her realness, sort of? And she was shot by a woman in her crew? I'm afraid I wasn't able to see movies by then nor to see pictures of her either. Sorry. But I remember who she was. J.P., did you receive the email I sent you via your contact address on the site? Does that stuff work?

December 16, 2007 from the Web.

Team

jpvillanueva says

yardbird, Selena was super talented, and she had just recorded her English album, and was going to be a huge star. But then that Yolanda... I seriously almost booed the movie screen when she first appeared in the movie starring JLo. I did get your email, and I replied :) You can use "caerle bien/mal" with people or objects, but not with "extraño." I know someone once told you 'caer' meant "to strike" but that is totally not helpful.

December 16, 2007 from the Web.

ninolino says

Glad to see everyone enjoyed the show - we had a hell of a time recording. i was a little embarazada at first, but then i became more and more exitado as we went on.... Anyway... that thing with using the wrong words goes both ways, by the way. True story: until the name was outlawed, a lot of kids in El Salvador were called "usnavy" by their parents. Turns out the "US Navy" had been stationed there and people liked what they saw on the T-Shirts of sailors! So don't worry about speaking Spanish like a fool - just go ahead and eventually it will come naturally. Signing up to www.spanishpod.com is a great start. Nino

December 17, 2007 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says Gracias Nino por venir a los estudios Fiesta! December 18, 2007 from the Web.

Team	estibalitz says funny divertido super divertido muy divertido para morirse de risa tronchante ... December 18, 2007 from the Web.

Team	estibalitz says she´s embarrassed=ella está avergonzada And when you really really really feel embarrassed there´s a spanish expression you can use:"tierra trágame" literally means "earth, swallow me!" jajajaj meaning you want to disappear. December 18, 2007 from the Web.

Team	estibalitz says estar contenta estar feliz estar súper contenta estar muy feliz estar requetecontenta estar emocianada estar ilusionada ... December 18, 2007 from the Web.

yardbird says

1. I completely forgot about feliz. To me, that actually means "happy" in the most regular sense, just a step or two short of joyful. It's just hard to shake the laid-back feeling I get from "contento," no matter how many times I'm told it means happy, not just quietly sitting by a fire sipping a brandy with a big dog at one's feet while the world goes by outside. Relaxed and not tormented by needs and eanxieties. that's what "contented" means to me. Not happy in the more dynamic sense. I guess I just need to hear the words used more often in normal conversation until I understand them realistically. As for J.P. and the correspondence, well, I never received an email from you, J.P., and I check my ISP's spam folder every day, too, so unless you called yourself Graciela Goodnews and the subject line was Little Blue Pill Make you King Again!, your email didn't even get trapped as spam because of its unfamiliar return address or something. I don't know. What should I do? I really would like your advice on the question I asked.

December 18, 2007 from the Web.

Team	jpvillanueva says Oh no, yardbird! I replied to you right away, on the SpanishPod email. I will see if I can retrieve it and send it to your personal email. December 18, 2007 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says Anyone dating Latinas or Latinos? February 18, 2008 from the Web.

maestrafeliz says

Para compartir un anécdota divertida... Uno de mis estudiantes estaba hablando sobre su pasatiempo, escalar montañas. Otro estudiante le preguntó ¿con ropas o sin ropas? Y el primero contestó muy orgulloso "Sin ropas, por supuesto". Yo me estaba muriendo de la risa [ /rope/ no es /ropa/].

April 25, 2008 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says Maestrafeliz Muchas gracias por tu comentario. Me dio mucha risa! Sin ropas!! jajaja April 30, 2008 from the Web.

strelnikov1960 says

I was following the "excited" discussion with some interest and until Esti gave her list of possibilities I - like yardbird - was a bit disappointed that a language as dense with synomyms could only offer "estar contento" for "to be excited." One I haven't seen mentioned is 'estar entusiasmado'. Everyone loves false cognates with inadvertent sexual connotations - because they are fun, let's face it. But I'm wondering. Now, "excitado" means what in English we mean when we say "aroused" - but then, "arouse" doesn't necessarily mean "arouse", if you know what I mean. We have, for instance, the phrase "the people's anger was aroused by the imposition of martial law." And I know no one - and hope you don't either - who would giggle at this excellent use of "arouse." I was wondering if it is possible, in narrow contexts, to use "excitado" also in this manner without inevitable laughter and embarrassment? (one notes too that "contento" cannot possibly work as a translation). Ah, I can hear someone say, the natural translation is of course "provocado" and there you have it - best to avoid danger altogether and avoid trouble.

May 3, 2008 from the Web.

onemarky says

Hi. I just joined. Nice story, but where's the Spanish lesson?

There were only about 3 sentences of Spanish. Will things get better?

May 29, 2008 from the Web.

Team

jpvillanueva says

Dear onemarky,

Thanks for joining SpanishPod. As of today we have published 196 free podcasts. If you browse other channels (Newbie, Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced) you'll see Spanish lessons at varying proficiency levels. The more advanced the level, the more Spanish you'll hear. The Advanced lessons, for example, are entirely in Spanish.

You happen to have stumbled upon the Del taco al tango channel, which is a show about the many cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Becuase it's a culture-oriented show (and not a language-oriented show), Del taco al tango podcasts are sometimes in English, sometimes in Spanish.

Check out our help section, and if you have more questions, you can write to us at SpanishPod@gmail.com.

May 29, 2008 from the Web.

fani says

hi how are you guys doing in spanish pod is it hard to do it my name is stephanie but they call me fani i'm a 8th grader i live at Hubbard OR and i go to North Marion Middle school.

June 4, 2008 from the Web.

dianetran says

If I waqnt to study Spanish, Who is the teacher? How do I get the vocabulary? How about conversation? I am just new. I am anxious to learn.

Diane

June 19, 2008 from the Web.

Team

lilianamata says

Hi Diane

You can check at the bottom of this page the HELP section there you can go to subscription information. We offer different types of services. JP and I are the teachers in the podcast, you can select the lessons on the channel section in the Lessons and choose what level you want. We have from Newbie to Advanced.

June 19, 2008 from the Web.

amsterdamse says

Why do you explain all things in English? I wish to learn Spanish....

September 22, 2008 from the Web.

martinillo says

marijke:

¡Bienvenida a SpanishPod! As JP explained to onemarky a few comments above, this is a show about culture; you will find more Spanish in some of the other Del Taco Al Tango shows and in particular in the Intermediate and Advanced lessons.

September 22, 2008 from the Web.

Team

lilianamata says

Dear Users:

The show "Del Taco al Tango" has both shows in Spanish and English, we talk about culture, folklore, food, tradition of different countries in Latin America and Spain. The majority of the shows are in Spanish, as well as our telenovela "Amor sin Destino". We have already published 8 episodes. This is a complement to your daily lessons.

Enjoy and if you have any questions or suggestions let me know.

Lili

September 22, 2008 from the Web.

vikia says

I am unable to download the Lesson Transcript PDF for this lesson.

September 30, 2008 from the Web.

kikuyu says

Vikia,

There are no transcripts, vocabulary, etc. for the Del Taco al Tango's. These are not a lessons.

Este programa no tiene traducción ni vocabulario porque no es una lección.

September 30, 2008 from the Web.

vikia says

Ooooh, gracias.

September 30, 2008 from the Web.

manakova19860315assem says

Es muy dificil entenderles. Vamos a cambiar el tema!

October 9, 2008 from the Web.

salmaifraz says

hai my dear friends i would like learn spanish language. this is my first time so if you like please help me

October 14, 2008 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says salmaifraz I reccomend you start with the newbie and elementary level. There you can listen the lessons and study the vocab. October 14, 2008 from the Web.

suz333 says

Hi, I just joined. I am a French Canadian. Learning Spanish is a hobby for me. They say that you have to exercise your brain as you get older. Learning Spanish does this for me. I guess learning what a "podcast" is, or an "i Pod" is something else that I will learn along the way, or how to post my picture. I am looking forward to listening to the other lessons and determine my level. With the help of a dictionnary I can manage to read and understand pretty much everything; it is the listening that I find most difficult. I am planning a trip to the Riviera Maya this February, so I hope to be able to practice what I will be learning.

December 2, 2008 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says Hi SUZ33 Salut! J' adore Québec! Such a beatiful city! Welcome to SpanishPod. I reccomend you listen to Newbie level and then go from there. So you are going to Tulum, PLaya del Carmen? Any questions let us know! December 2, 2008 from the Web.

grgl8 says

¿Y para las mujeres, qué pasa cuando se sale con los hombres latinos? ¿Van a tener un show similar sobre ése?...

January 26, 2009 from the Web.

Team	lilianamata says Hola Creo que es muy buena idea! Voy a invitar a alguna extranjera que salga con latinos. Saludos January 26, 2009 from the Web.

mariacata says

Hola

soy de Colombia y una palabra que me gusta mas para traducir excited es emocionado

Excitement: Emoción

Como cuando uno se encuentra con viejos amigos, se siente emocionado de volverlos a ver.

Saludos

February 4, 2009 from the Web.

scottm says

Hay muchos mal pensados aqui. Spanishpod es EL MEJOR. Yo aprendi mas aqui que en clases, con libros o otro websites. En diciembre de 2007 hable muy poco y mi esposa necisito traducirme a su familia. En diciembre 2008 hable con su familia todo en espanol porque spanishpod me ayudo.

Gracias Spanishpod. Los podcasts en ingles tambien esta muy bueno.

February 5, 2009 from the Web.

Team	estibalitz says scottm, nos alegra muchísimo que ya seas capaz de hablar en español con la familia de tu esposa. February 5, 2009 from the Web.

scottm says

estibalitz, gracias.

El mejor manera a aprender un idioma es a hablar con personas, a viajar a los paises o cosas como esto.

Pero si no se puede Spanishpod es el mejor.

Escucho a los podcasts todo al tiempo cuando estoy manejando o caminando. Los PDF's son muy buenos a estudiar tambian, y la camunidad tambien es bienbueno.

Gracias por todo la ayuda!

February 6, 2009 from the Web.

evandar says

Una lección muy divertida. My Spanish studies for this week has been really easy so far, with a Qué Pasa clip yesterday, and this one today. ^^

¿Cómo se dice "I laughed out loud" en español?

October 27, 2009 from the Web.

donperigo says

evandar

in my experience "out loud" tends to get rendered as "en voz alta" entonces.... me reí en voz alta or me echó a reir ) i burst out laughing (i threw myself into laughing)

October 30, 2009 from the Web.

evandar says

Gracias, donperigo, I have come across "en voz alta" before, but obviously I had forgotten about it. Sometimes one needs a few reminders before it sticks. :)

Hosts:	Lili and Nino
ID:	TT0006
Difficulty:	Del Taco al Tango
Published:	December 15, 2007

Basic	Starting from $5 per month
Premium	Starting from $17 per month
Praxis	Starting from $23 per month

Premium	Starting from $29 per month
Praxis	Starting from $39 per month

Del Taco al Tango - Meet The Parents

Lesson Introduction

Comments (51)

Get Started

Contact Us

Follow Us

This is a Paid Feature

This is a Premium Feature

In the dialogue and expansion sections:
Show English translations by default	Hide English translations by default