Meeting Latinas in Social Settings success story

[Traveler]

... in response to VOS and VOSOTROS (Spain)  and su merced ..., posted by Traveler on May 17, 2001

ddf

[Edge]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Dominican Spanish, posted by bret on May 16, 2001

Creo que tu tienes razón.  Voy a explorar que me dejiste acerca de vos y vosotros.  Pienso es interesante.

The ole Traveler dude that speaks Spanish well is ole Malandro.  He spent many years in Central America and then PR.

On my last visit to Colombia, my novia told me that Argentine beef/BBQ style was very popular there in Colombia.

Luego.

[michael bb]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Dominican Spanish, posted by Edge on May 16, 2001

tu (with an accent, but I don't have that font turned on right now). Anyway, 'tu' is the same as 'vos', but similar to the English 'you' and 'thee', depends on where you are which one they will say, but you may say either one and they will understand you. As for 'tu' (or vos) verses 'Usted' (or Ud. or Vd. the abbreviation varies with local style), Usted is formal (or polite) and tu is familar...and when to use each one also varies from country to country and the activity you are in and the situation etc. Seems (to me anyway) that in the lst 20 years they have really lightend up on using the familiar much more than they used to, my theory is that it happens that way because of TV advertising...where once the advertising plan was 'we shall explain the benefits and features of our product and we dare not insult our potential customers by using the familiar, after all, we seek a business relationship, not a courtship' now the method seems to 'let's have a vinyet (check my spelling), a short play, between good 2 friends using and discussing our product (1st housewife "Mary, I can't beleive you're still using brand X, don't you know about new improved brand Y?)' and try to make the viewer feel like she is housewife 3 of the set, and the way to do that is to make everything said in informal.

Vosotros (hardly ever used) is the plural of tu. Literaly, it is a compound word, 'vos otros'--you others (or ya'll in Texas), as nosotros is  'nos otros'--us others.

More than you wanted to know? And remember MOST of my Spanish (after college) has been with Mexicans (except for working with the Cuban refuges and that darn Tica I was married to)..so experience in other countries is bound to vary. Kind of like we all speak English in New York, Boston, Texas, England, Ireland, Scotland and Australia, right?

[Traveler]

... in response to vos, tu, vosotros etc. (long, got carrie..., posted by michael bb on May 17, 2001

in some areas you don't use "tu" with others of your same sex hardly at all.  tu is for flirting, lovers, and spouses, and used by men with women in general (about your age or younger)

"tu" used with someone of your same sex can be thought of as fag talk so to speak.

[bret]

... in response to also, in some areas "tu" is th..., posted by Traveler on May 17, 2001

ouch!!! thanks for the tip. i'll remember just to stick with 'vos' all the time, unless she is slippi'n outta her panties, then i'll pull the smooth switch to 'tu'.

i like the sound of vos sos feo anyway!

bret

[bret]

... in response to vos, tu, vosotros etc. (long, got carrie..., posted by michael bb on May 17, 2001

hey man,

nice job on the research. that's the first description of vosotros that i have ever heard. maybe it's because practically nobody uses the darn thing.

i think i have had a habit in the past of just going along with whatever style/accent and not asking too many questions. my bad!

anyway, enjoy studying with la porten~a; i'm assuming that she is from buenos aires? the land of the lovely ladies!!!

what happened with the tica? if you care to get into it? i spent 6 months in san jose studying spanish, and i think it is a nice country, but they never seemed all that interested in me or conversing or any thing else north american (and who can blame them?) i know, of course, that part of the problem is the massive amount of tourism they get. they just seemed to want to do some business, and then go home to their families. again, who can blame them. after 6 months i left costa rica and headed for mendoza, argentina, 'cause i had friends there from a trip i had made there about 10 yrs. earlier (i spoke no spanish at that time).

anyway, is there anything we can learn about the tica? but, only if your interested in offering advice on the subject!

hasta la vista bro,   bret

[Michael B]

... in response to Re: vos, tu, vosotros etc. (long, got ca..., posted by bret on May 17, 2001

Oh, she's still around, we just aren't married anymore (after 16 years and 2 children). I don't know if I want to post 'ALL Costa Ricans are this way because my ex-wife did so and so.....' because she isn't 'typical'---she had been in U.S. for 5 or 6 years and already had a BA from a major U.S. university before I ever met her, plus her family is rich and big in politics down there. I will say that all in all, I wouldn't go looking for ANOTHER Costa Rican to get married with, so draw you own conclusions from that.

[bret]

... in response to Re: vos, tu, vosotros etc. (long, got ca..., posted by bret on May 17, 2001

oops, sorry, it looks like i confused you with another person that made several posts on vosotros. my mistake!

thanks for the info anyway.

bret