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21 Apr 2008 9:28 PM by J&N Star rating in Nottinghamshire. 342 posts Send private message

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Thanks for all your input, I feel as if I should stick to 'coche' for now - trying to master a new language is hard enough, without having a choice of 3 words for things. At least if I hear any of the other choices my brain may twig what they are talking about - although I have concerns that we may think we are buying a nice 4x4 and end up with a shopping trolley with 'go-faster' stripes! Hey ho!

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Jacqui

http://relocatetospain.blogspot.com our adventure from deciding to move to Spain to being here and moving back to the UK.


 




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21 Apr 2008 10:23 PM by bobaol Star rating. 2253 posts Send private message

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Even worse.  You could ask for a carro de combate, not a shopping trolley for shoving through the market but a military tank!  Or, at least, an armoured car.  Then again, seeing the way they pull onto the N332 that might not be such a bad idea.

A few words to help you in the restaurant or supermarket.
Jamon = ham or bacon.  Jamon York the stuff we know.  Other Jamon is the smoked and dried stuff like Serrano.  Serrano, by the way, is delicious cooked.  Normally served cold with melon slices, try it wrapped around Mozarrela cheese and fried in a dry pan until the outside goes crispy.  Or use it in your bacon butty instead of bacon.
Not to be confused with Jabon which is soap  (you only make that mistake once!!)
Cafe - obviously coffee.  Cafe con leche (with milk) Cafe solo (without milk).
Te - again obviously tea and the con leche or solo works as well.
Bolsa - bag, handy if you want a plastic carrier bag.
Pan - Bread of which I think Spain excels.  My favourite is Pan Rustica but an ordinary barra is very nice at breakfast.  Make sure you eat it on the same day you bought it, though.
Queso is cheese.  Try some of the local cheeses in your region.  Many are smoked (ahumado)  but there are some lovely creamy cheeses out there.  Beats the old Cheddar mousetrap hands down.
Vino tinto is red wine.  Vino blanco is white wine - dulce - sweet,  seco-dry, semi-dulce - medium sweet etc.

And now I've given you my favourite meal.  Sitting on the balcony with some pan rustica, queso ahumado, jamon serrano con una botella de vino tinto (Rioja) y un cafe solo.
A mi mujer prefiere te con leche pero le gusta los otros, tambien.  And that's just for desayuno!!!   Well, maybe less the vinto tinto which I might swap for zumo de naranja.

Buen provecho.



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21 Apr 2008 10:53 PM by J&N Star rating in Nottinghamshire. 342 posts Send private message

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I like the idea of an armoured tank!

Every morning for breakfast at home I make fresh orange juice in the juicer and once we have moved my hubby has dreams of growing his own orange tree on the balcony from which I will make him a glass of fresh juice - nice dream in reality, ask me in 5 years whether we have achieved that dream. Now I know I am trying to achieve zumo, not come across that one before.

However, I like the sound of the Serrano wrapped around Mozarrela cheese and fried, one for hubby to try (he cooks not me)

Right, I'm off to make supper for the pups, huevo con queso (scrambled)

 



_______________________

Jacqui

http://relocatetospain.blogspot.com our adventure from deciding to move to Spain to being here and moving back to the UK.


 




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21 Apr 2008 10:59 PM by bobaol Star rating. 2253 posts Send private message

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Huevos revueltos.   No, not revolting eggs but scrambled eggs. 



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22 Apr 2008 1:08 AM by Roberto Star rating in Torremolinos. 4551 posts Send private message

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That 4x4 you're after would be a todo terreno - all terrain, literally.

Word of warning about the orange tree - most of the oranges you see growing on trees around the streets are very bitter. May be good for marmalade, but won't exactly enhance the flavour of your Campari and soda! (I learnt that one when running late for work one night, having forgotten to pick up some oranges and lemons - chucked away a perfectly good bottle of Campari because the customer said it tasted "off"!)



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"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"

Mark Twain

 

 

 




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22 Apr 2008 7:26 AM by jane b Star rating in Bedar, Almeria. 222 posts Send private message

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Gosh this thread is going in all sorts of interesting directions!  The ham and mozarella sounds particularly tasty and will get an airing this very evening.  At this time of year we also wrap it round a few spears of fresh asparagus (espárrago) and fry it.  A bunch of asparagus (and most other things that come bundled up like that) is usually referred to as a 'manojo'.  In fact, even a bundle of nerves is translated as 'un manojo de nervios'.

While we are on beverages, in most places you need to specify ´leche fría' if you want cold milk for your tea or it will come hot - yuk!  Also if you are not keen on very strong black coffee you can ask for 'un americano' - same thing as a 'solo' but with much more water.  On the other hand if you don't like it black and find the 'con leche' too milky you can ask for 'un americano con un poquito de leche fría'.

Most oranges can be squeezed but you will often find nets in the supermarket that are actually labelled for zumo.  They are smaller and give more juice.  The bitter oranges (Sevilles) of Roberto's experience are not valued at all by the Spanish apart from those which are cultivated for export to UK and you can't buy them for love or money in the shops or markets.  If you want to make proper English marmalade you have to know someone with a tree or find somewhere to scrump them.  I understand (but could easily be wrong) that they keep some in every grove for pollination only and we know a field where there are several trees which are never picked (except by us!).

You can get 'revueltos' as a starter or a ración  mixed with all sorts of things: champiñones, espárragos, morcilla, salmon ahumado.  All delicious.

I find that the Spanish dealers usually reserve the term 'todo terreno' for the really rugged off-roaders like Discovery.  The rest (Nissan X-Trail, Hyundai Santa Fe etc) they tend to use 'cuatro por cuatro' (literally 4 x 4).

And finally, I know the rule is that there are no double letters in Spanish unless they are pronounced - selección (seleksion), llamar (lyamar), but can someone explain the double r ?  It doesn't change the sound of the 'r' itself as far as I can hear, so I have to assume it is just there to make the preceeding vowel short.  So 'carro' is pronounced with a short 'a' as in 'hat' but 'caro' with a long 'a' as in 'car',  'forro' (lining, cover (of book or chair) is pronounced as in 'hot' but 'foro' (forum) as in 'ought'. However I can't seem to detect a difference between the 'e' in 'feroz' (fierce) and in 'ferreteria'.   It was Roberto's carro caro comment that made me think about it.  Can anyone shed any light?



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22 Apr 2008 9:23 AM by LifeOverseas Star rating in Murcia, Spain. 49 posts Send private message

Hi Jane b,

There is actually a difference but it´s sometimes a problem for us Brits! 1 r (caro) is pronounced as a normal r but 2 r (carro), the r is rolled like when you say in english brrrrr when you´re cold.

Another example is pero (but) and perro (dog), pero is said as it appears and perro puts emphasis on the 2 r´s by rolling the r sound.

Hope I´ve explained myself!

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www.lifeoverseas.com



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22 Apr 2008 10:55 AM by bobaol Star rating. 2253 posts Send private message

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Yep, you've definitely got to learn to roll your r's.  A lot of the time it sounds like 3 or r's pronounced together.
As a practice, try pronouncing ferrocarril (railway) as fe rrrrrrrrrrr o ca rrrrrrrrr il.  Rrrrreally rrrrrolls of the tongue.



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22 Apr 2008 3:12 PM by EOS Team Star rating in In Spain of course!. 4015 posts Send private message

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I've just learnt a fab new word from one of the mothers outside the school gates (where I learn everything as opposed to inside). The word is "pingonear" which apparently is andaluz and from my understanding it means hang about the streets playing or whatever. If you are about Maria, are you familiar with this word?

 

Susan



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Schools in Spain Guide | The Expat Files | Learn Spanish | Earn a living in Spain




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22 Apr 2008 5:08 PM by Roberto Star rating in Torremolinos. 4551 posts Send private message

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The only hanging around on streets near me is the botellón, although it tends to be bigger kids doing it. Not sure what the exact translation is, but it has to do with hanging around very late at night swigging from bottles!

Mmm....espárragos con jamon, ¡me gusta mucho! Prueba también datilles con bécon. Also try dates wrapped in bacon. Some supermarkets sell them already prepared, but they taste so much better if you get your fingers all gooey de-stoning the dates and wrapping them in bacon yourself first.



_______________________

 

"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"

Mark Twain

 

 

 




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22 Apr 2008 5:16 PM by jane b Star rating in Bedar, Almeria. 222 posts Send private message

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Dátiles con bécon are a great favourite with lots of our friends.  I find them a tad too sweet so I use with dried apricots - orejones de albaricoque - or prunes - pasas - deshuesadas ¡por supuesto! - stoned, of course (the prunes that is, not me, or not all the time!)

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www.fincalaserenidad.com




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22 Apr 2008 5:26 PM by Roberto Star rating in Torremolinos. 4551 posts Send private message

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Thanks for correcting my spelling

_______________________

 

"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"

Mark Twain

 

 

 




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22 Apr 2008 5:53 PM by jane b Star rating in Bedar, Almeria. 222 posts Send private message

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Oops - didn't actually notice you had spelled it differently - obviously I would not be looking for a new career as a proof reader!



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www.fincalaserenidad.com




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22 Apr 2008 5:54 PM by EOS Team Star rating in In Spain of course!. 4015 posts Send private message

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I had the dates with bacon at christmas for the first time and I found them a little too sickly. They were shop bought though.

As for the "botellón" that used to take place across the road from us until the police moved their station to the spot. I can't think of an equivalent word in English.


Susan


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Schools in Spain Guide | The Expat Files | Learn Spanish | Earn a living in Spain




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