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robbers

May 16, 2009, 1:51 PM

Post #1 of 29 (9694 views)

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The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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Here’s a little word game that’ll be fun while also helping those of us who are studying Spanish (though if you consulted anyone who’s heard me try to speak it, you’d know I’m using the word “studying” lightly).

Find two Spanish words that are identical other than one letter. That letter could be different, transposed, subtracted, or added. But only one letter. That’s one. As in uno.

The other two rules: 1) no use of dictionaries or reasonable facsimile of such 2) there must be some consequence of mixing up the two words in usage such as embarrassment, social ostracism, or becoming the immediate victim of violent murder or at least torture (as defined by the Geneva Conventions).

A few examples to get us started:

Casado: Cansado

Sexto: Sexo

Esposa: Esposo
(okay, no more of these gender-based pairs, too easy, but, hey, I already warned you that when I speak Spanish people think it’s malo...which I guess is better than balo).

La Isla

May 16, 2009, 3:15 PM

Post #2 of 29 (9680 views)

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Re: [robbers] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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misa - musa

taza - tiza

carbón - cabrón

pinche - ponche

caza - raza

silla - villa

sano - seno

esperanza

May 16, 2009, 4:56 PM

Post #3 of 29 (9671 views)

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Re: [robbers] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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cerdo......cero

cama......coma

banca.....banda

peso.......paso

suero.....suelo

dama....dame

pero....perro

mesa....masa

playa....plaza

tierna....tienda

poro....porro

llanto....llano

año....ano

vamos....vimos

timbre....mimbre

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

(This post was edited by esperanza on May 16, 2009, 6:45 PM)

robbers

May 16, 2009, 5:07 PM

Post #4 of 29 (9667 views)

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Re: [esperanza] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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These are excellent, and so much fun.

(NOTE TO MODERATOR): This thread was actually meant to be in the "General" section, to build on the 50-word game that has been there for a couple weeks.

tonyburton

May 16, 2009, 5:50 PM

Post #5 of 29 (9663 views)

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Re: [robbers] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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This is clearly a great Spanish language learning opportunity, and has therefore been happily relocated to this forum. Have at it!

jerezano

May 17, 2009, 7:47 AM

Post #6 of 29 (9637 views)

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Re: [tonyburton] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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Hola todos,

aun - aún/ asar - azar/ banco - barco/ to caza - raza add - casa/ cocer - coser/ caldo - baldo/ de - dé/ deleito - delito/ él - el/ esta - ésta/ feo - reo/ fiel - piel - riel/ león - peón/ mas - más/ para - parra/ que -qué/ si - sí. Hasta aquí no hemos mencionado la confusión entre la b y la v, como vaya - baya. Hay muchas otras en cuales un mente más fértil que la mía puede pensar.

jerezano

robbers

May 17, 2009, 7:59 PM

Post #7 of 29 (9606 views)

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Re: [jerezano] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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Jerezano,

I love si and si (with an accent). This one could have dire consequences, as prescribed in the "rules."

Another one: guerra and the possibly derogatory slang word for a white woman (that someone else will have to add here because I refuse to type it considering I have a hard enough time getting dates as it is.)

morgaine7

May 17, 2009, 9:02 PM

Post #8 of 29 (9596 views)

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Re: [robbers] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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cajones/cojones
pena/pene
cola/culo**
propano/propino
ciudad/cuidad
cuarta/cuarto
pato/pavo
paso/pasa

** One of the most important landmarks here in La Paz is the Cola de Ballena or Whale's Tail. When I first moved here, I kept referring to it as the "Culo de Ballena" (whale's a$$) until a Mexican friend gently corrected me.

Kate

robbers

May 17, 2009, 9:32 PM

Post #9 of 29 (9594 views)

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Re: [morgaine7] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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** One of the most important landmarks here in La Paz is the Cola de Ballena or Whale's Tail. When I first moved here, I kept referring to it as the "Culo de Ballena" (whale's a$$) until a Mexican friend gently corrected me.

Kate

Culo:Pulo

mevale

May 18, 2009, 9:48 AM

Post #10 of 29 (9573 views)

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Re: [robbers] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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In Reply To

Güero, Güera. I guess any descriptive word can be used in a derogatory fashion, but this word in the overall scheme of things is pretty harmless. Mexicans that I know refer to family members and friends as güero/a, as well as using it as a descriptor for any blonde/fair-skinned person. I don't think I've ever heard it used in an ugly fashion, (unless preceded by "pinche").:>))

But, that being said, I'm sure a well-known couple that posts frequently hereabouts will jump in and correct me however. There was a discussion earlier about another word that I hear used all the time among my Mexican friends, and the couple assured me and everyone else that I must be mistaken because it is "ALWAYS" derogatory, context be damned, and that I have no self-respect if I subject myself to its use. Oh well, I'm sure the view is always clearer from a real high horse.

robbers

May 19, 2009, 7:14 PM

Post #11 of 29 (9542 views)

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Re: [willieboy] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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Thanks for the correction. I wasn't sure it was used in a derogatory manner, thus had qualified (also known as weaseled) it with "possibly." I stand corrected. Or at least possibly corrected.

loco: poco

husker

May 20, 2009, 11:49 AM

Post #12 of 29 (9525 views)

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Re: [robbers] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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All of this is fine if you know what all of these words mean. But with out that you could just as well make up your own language.

sergiogomez / Moderator

May 27, 2009, 11:38 AM

Post #13 of 29 (9425 views)

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Re: [husker] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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So you're saying you would like translations for some of the words?

sioux4noff

May 28, 2009, 10:18 PM

Post #14 of 29 (9409 views)

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Re: [sergiogomez] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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I think having the translations of the words would be very helpful. It would helo some of us with increasing our vocabulary, and will also make it easier to see "what a difference a letter can make."

jerezano

May 29, 2009, 10:10 AM

Post #15 of 29 (9380 views)

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Re: [husker] The Scarlet Letter/ Translations needed

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Hello all,

Husker said:>>>All of this is fine if you know what all of these words mean. But without that you could just as well make up your own language.

Unfortunately Husker is right. We need to remember that many of us are rank beginners in Spanish and need to know what the words mean. A word for word translation is best, followed by a looser translation which picks up the meaning since Mexicans use modismos (idioms) just as much as we gringos (foreigners usually of anglo extraction) do. An example here of where the problems lie:

I got up at 7:00 AM this morning. Translating that word for word into Spanish we have.

Yo obtuvo arriba en siete de la mañana. I obtained up at seven in the morning. But this doesn't make much sense in Spanish. However it might possibly be understood. Proper Spanish is:

Me levanté a las siete de la mañana. Myself I lifted at seven in the morning. We would probably understand this even though it doesn't sound like English.

Leventar means to lift, but leventarse (reflexive) means to get up out of bed. Ah! Now we've got it: I got (myself) out of bed at 7:00 AM.

More of us should try translating for the people who don't yet have a basic knowledge of Spanish.

Olivia, we need help here!

jerezano.

husker

May 29, 2009, 12:03 PM

Post #16 of 29 (9376 views)

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Re: [jerezano] The Scarlet Letter/ Translations needed

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Mil gracias jerezano ... someone finally gets the point. It's hard to think in Spanish, you must interpret rather than translate.

mevale

May 29, 2009, 12:45 PM

Post #17 of 29 (9371 views)

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Re: [jerezano] The Scarlet Letter/ Translations needed

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In Reply To

More of us should try translating for the people who don't yet have a basic knowledge of Spanish.

Olivia, we need help here!

jerezano.

I agree with you when it comes to phrases and sentences, because as you pointed out, many times literal translations are more confusing than helpful. But if a person is interested in speaking and reading Spanish (as I assume most are who visit this forum) then they should already have an adequate bi-lingual dictionary and not be afraid to use it. Simple nouns such as pavo, pato, taza, tiza are easily found in any bi-lingual dictionary, and their definitions aren't ambiguous. I do understand that other types of words might need clarification, but most good dictionaries (mine is Larousse Gran Diccionario Inglés y Español with over 260,000 words) will use words in example sentences thus demonstrating the different contexts and meanings of more complex words such as tener, alcanzar, hacer etc...

If someone doesn't have a dictionary, I assume they aren't serious about learning the language and no amount of translation on this board will help.

sergiogomez / Moderator

May 30, 2009, 10:35 AM

Post #18 of 29 (9346 views)

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Re: [jerezano] The Scarlet Letter/ Translations needed

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Gotcha. I will work on translations this week. Feel free to pipe up on anything you know.

sergiogomez / Moderator

May 31, 2009, 6:32 PM

Post #19 of 29 (9322 views)

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Re: [robbers] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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In Reply To

Casado: Cansado

Sexto: Sexo

Esposa: Esposo

casado / cansado
married / tired

sexto / sexo
sixth / sex

esposo / esposa
husband / wife

sergiogomez / Moderator

May 31, 2009, 6:43 PM

Post #20 of 29 (9319 views)

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Re: [sergiogomez] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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I probably should have said this before: English translations are directly below the Spanish word, and in some cases there is more than one possible translation. Explanations are in parentheses and refer to the word directly before unless otherwise noted (or unless I made a mistake!).

misa / musa
mass / muse

taza / tiza
cup / chalk (cup as in a cup of flour or milk)

carbón / cabrón
carbon / jerk
charcoal / bastard

pinche / ponche
damn / punch (as in the stuff you drink)

caza / raza
hunting / race (as in ethnicity)

silla / villa
chair / town

sano / seno
healthy / breast

morgaine7

May 31, 2009, 7:54 PM

Post #21 of 29 (9314 views)

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Re: [sergiogomez] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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I'll try to help out with my own. Corrections welcome.

cajones / cojones
drawers / balls (as in testicles)
pena / pene
punishment or sadness / penis
cola / culo
tail / ass
propano / propino
propane / tip (propinar, 1st sing.)
ciudad / cuidad
city / care (actually cuidado, but it's a common error)
cuarta / cuarto
4th gear / quarter (one fourth) or room of a house
pato / pavo
duck / turkey
paso / pasa
pass or step / raisin

Kate

sergiogomez / Moderator

May 31, 2009, 8:21 PM

Post #22 of 29 (9313 views)

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Re: [morgaine7] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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Tip is propinA. PropinO is propyne, which apparently is a chemical used in welding (I love Wikipedia).

(This post was edited by sergiogomez on May 31, 2009, 8:22 PM)

morgaine7

May 31, 2009, 8:55 PM

Post #23 of 29 (9308 views)

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Re: [sergiogomez] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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You're right, of course. I was thinking of the verb (as in "I tip"). But here we say dar una propina. Thank you.

Kate

robbers

Jun 1, 2009, 3:35 PM

Post #24 of 29 (9286 views)

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Re: [morgaine7] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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Thanks to everyone for participating in my little word game. I've already learned a bunch of new words. And a bunch of new ways to get in trouble. Remember, one of the original "guidelines" was that confusing the words could have serious repercussions, you know, like Morgaine's following pair (yes, this word is an intentional double entendre):

cajones / cojones
drawers / balls (as in testicles)

Or this one:

mano/bano
hand/bathroom (if it had the accent mark)

As for the translations, it helps, especially for lazy people like me. On the other hand (or, on the other bathroom), I seem to remember words better when I look them up and/or write them. Or even better when I get slapped in the face after confusing one for the other.

mevale

Jun 2, 2009, 9:57 AM

Post #25 of 29 (9267 views)

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Re: [robbers] The Scarlet Letter (another word game)

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In Reply To

mano/bano
hand/bathroom (if it had the accent mark)

Here's a site where you can type all of the Spanish special characters, then simply cut and paste into your post.

http://spanish.typeit.org/

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