Spanish and English Lexicology
Video
Transcript
When your friend thinks Spanish is easy . . .
English Friend: Hey, how do you say “telephone” in Spanish?
Patry Ruiz, Spanish Friend: Telefono.
English Friend: Oh, that’s easy! What about “traffic”?
Patry Ruiz: Trafico.
English Friend: Really?
Patry Ruiz: Um-hm.
Friend: Wait one moment . . .
Patry Ruiz: Un momento.
Friend: No, as . . . wait? What? So then “instrument” is what, “Instrumento”?!?
Patry Ruiz: Nods.
Friend: And they call this a language . . . Wow!
Patry Ruiz, Spanish Friend: Wait wait wait. There are exceptions, you know?
English Friend: Don’t tell me, “anniversary” is aniversario?
Patry Ruiz: Ah, yes . . .
Friend: Shock? . . .
Patry Ruiz: Nods.
Friend: I am fluento.
Patry Ruiz: Sighs.
Friend: And of course, “bat” is what? bato?
Patry Ruiz: Hahaha! No fluento. That one would actually be . . . murcielago.
Friend: WHAT?!?
Questions
English. Two women were talking about health, diet and nutrition. True or false?
Spanish. “Telephone” in Spanish is distanciasonido. Is this right or wrong?
Portuguese. Was the English woman surprised? Why was she surprised?
Italian. Could the English woman figure out some words in Spanish?
French. Does she think the Spanish language is a “joke”?
Dutch. All words in Spanish are similar to words in English. Is this correct or incorrect?
German. How do you say the words “telephone, traffic, one moment, instrument, anniversary” and “shock” in Spanish?
Czech. I understand Spanish. Yes or no? Do you speak any foreign languages?
Polish. Which foreign languages are similar or related to your language? Are these foreign languages relatively “easy” to learn compared to English?
Slovak. Are all vocabulary words and terms in your language original, or are many derived from other languages, eg. Ancient Greek and Latin?
Russian. What words in your language have cognates in English or vice versa?
Romanian What might happen in the future?
Greek. What could or should people do?
