|
|
Complete Spanish Course! -----
Only $149.95!! - We want to thank those customers who purchase our Complete Spanish Course which makes our free newsletter and free web site lessons possible! To order a Complete Course, click below.
Click Here for US Orders. / Click Here for International Orders.
Words of the Week -----
Words taken from "Greetings", Section 2 of our Complete Course
| English | Spanish |
| Monday | Hello | Hola |
| Tuesday | Good morning | Buenos días |
| Wednesday | Good afternoon | Buenas tardes |
| Thursday | Good evening | Buenas noches |
| Friday | What is your name? | ¿Cómo se llama usted? |
| Saturday | My name is ______. | Me llamo ______. |
| Sunday | Good bye | Adiós |
| Note | The Complete Spanish course contains audio for all the words in the newsletter as well as interactive lessons and games that teach you around a 1,000 words, how to create thousands of sentences, and how to truly converse with others in Spanish. |
Culture ----- Gringo
As promised last week, today I'm going to talk about the term "Gringo". Some Americans (and people from other countries) get offended when a Spanish speaker calls them "Gringo." This is only because they don't understand what the term "Gringo" really means.
According to my upper division Spanish professors, back when I was in college, there was a war years ago in which the United States and Mexico were involved; there were many American soldiers in Mexico. The soldiers were dressed in their military-green uniforms and the Mexicans didn't want them in Mexico anymore. In an effort to get the soldiers to leave, some of the Mexicans knew enough English to create a verbal message for the Americans. They said "Green, Go!!" talking to the soldiers in the "green" uniforms. The phrase caught on quickly and within a few years any foreigner, especially with lighter hair, became known as a "Gringo."
When you travel to a Spanish-speaking country and they call you "Gringo", don't get upset or offended. They are just saying that you are a foreigner. When I was living in Latin America, I can't tell you how many times people called me "Gringo". I became accostumed to hearing it and now consider it a privelege to be a "Gringo". Even though I may not sound like a "Gringo" when I talk, with dark blond hair, I definitely look like a "Gringo".
¡Qué les vaya bien! (I hope everything goes well for you!)
David S. Clark -- President
U.S. Institute of Languages
dave@spanishprograms.com
http://www.spanishprograms.com
Note: You are receiving this newsletter because you have requested the free travel password, signed up for a free membership to http://www.spanishprograms.com or opted in to receive our newsletter.
Send to a friend: Please feel free to send this newsletter to your friends, as long as it is copied in its entirety.
Unsubscribe: Please see instructions below to unsubscribe.
©2003 U.S. Institute of Languages
|
