The man who lives on the same floor as me is walking quickly across the busy road, all
dressed up in his suit and tie. I don't care for him much and I'm glad he doesn't notice me. Whenever I meet him and his wife, he never says anything, doesn't even make eye contact. But, whenever I see him without his wife, he ogles at me, licks his lips, and grins at me like some horrific clown out of a surreal circus.
"You're very pretty. Very pretty. I love your blond hair." His eyes glaze over as he fondles the gigantic knot in his tie and scratches his crotch.
I wouldn't mind it so much if he acted this way in front of his wife. Instead, any time she's around he's demure, as if butter wouldn't melt in his hot, gaping mouth.
It's so frustrating not knowing what to say to someone who rubs you the wrong way. No pun intended. I stay well back, that way no physical contact can possibly take place. Well, maybe a good whack on his chubby cheeks I could live with!
Words such as idiota, sin vergüenza, gilipollas come to mind. Váyase a la mierda, viejo verde, me cago en tus muertos also come to mind. That last expression I learned when I first arrived in Spain. I was told it was another way of saying 'how are you?'. I actually believed this! Lol. Better not to use it. You can always just think the words, without actually saying them. Cabrón, necio, zopenco, soso, pendejo are all useful words that come in handy to describe someone who's a real pain in the butt. You need to say them as if you REALLY mean them. That's the fun part.
Mujeriego is a word I hear a lot. Guess in what context? When people are talking about the king! Who knew? He's apparently quite a womanizer. They also call him a borracho. He does look as if he’s been slapping back a few any time you see photos of him ogling at Princess Diana. I think viejo verde is a good way to describe him. Not that he's a green old man, but rather a dirty old man. Just like that neighbour of mine. I haven't actually said ''váyase a la mierda" to him for it does seem a bit rude. I don't normally tell people to go to hell. I could say to him, "No me moleste". That does sound tame, though, considering he bothers/annoys me a great deal, especially when he's on his own. Yes, people like him me da la lata. So there. In fact, I would say unequivocally that he me fastidia. That’s much stronger, and quite an adequate description.
You know what's odd about using verbs such as gustar and fastidiar? You really have to think hard about how to conjugate them. What exactly is the subject? Ha ha. That's the part that causes frowns and snarls. Me gusta el zapato. Me gustan los zapatos. The shoe and the shoes are the subject.
And what's this about a mí también? A mí también me gusta ir de compras. That little 'a' is there. It really is. To me also, to me is pleasing to go shopping. It's SO much easier just to say I also like to go shopping. Now, what on earth do we say if someone DOESN'T like something and you want to agree? She doesn't like the neighbour, and neither do I. A ella no le gusta el vecino y a mí tampoco.
I used to think I sounded Japanese whenever I'd say 'tampoco'. It just has a certain Japanese ring to it.
Every Saturday there's an open air market here in Talavera. One day I bought myself a wee birdie. I really did. I'm afraid he didn't last long. Por Dios! I think he only lived for a few days. I guess he was ill or frail when I bought him. That odd-looking fellow who sold me the bird was some hijo de puta, son of a bitch, an engañoso who deceived me. This calls for that really good expletive, hostia. I sometimes mutter hostia a lot, especially when I see people at the market put their elbow on the scale when their weighing my tomatoes. “Hostia”. I probably say it too often, but I like the sound of it. Don’t forget that the ‘h’ is silent. And, keep in mind that it’s pretty strong.
There’s that funny, annoying woman I see at the bus stop each day. She's always dressed up in a suit with a frilly blouse or some elegant dress, high heels, tons of make-up, gold rings and necklaces. You get the picture. Apparently she's cursi. Maybe it's something along the lines of fur coat and nae breeks? Gosh, and here was I just thinking that I’m not that much of a grumpy bum. I guess I really am a gruñona!
When estoy de mal humor, when I’m in a bad mood, I eat lots of garlic washed down with lovely red wine. But, that’s another story.
Grumpy or not, the best way to learn expressions and descriptions is by listening to the words of the local people. Listen and observe. You don't have to fully understand, you don't have to agree, and you don't have to repeat. You don’t even have to look up the dictionary to get the English definition. Nope. Just accept, and marvel at the beauty of the words.
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