tonto

Submitted by Amilysue on 28 September, 2006 - 23:18.

I have seen translations of this as silly and as idiot. In english silly isn't a put down, idiot is. If you want to say someone is being silly without offending them how would you do that? Translators don't help with this type of thing....

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say what?

Submitted by no longer registered on 29 September, 2006 - 09:51.

My Nica wife has been calling me "tonto" for years. I always thought it was due to my liking of old Lone Ranger movies.

Learn something new every day!

Gracias

Submitted by Amilysue on 29 September, 2006 - 09:23.

for all of the help. I had looked up the word for "silly" and when I said to my Nica daughter "Maryina es tonto" she gave me a look that told me I had said something wrong. I was smiling though and since she knows my spanish is not so good I think she figured out I didn't mean it the way it may have sounded. I'll stick with loco or divertido in the future, just to be safe :)

Loco is a sure bet

Submitted by Giacomo Fiorino on 29 September, 2006 - 07:57.

I think you should use the espression "LOCO", I hear a lot of the nica call themselves with this word, and I never noticed anybody got offended. I sure hope they will not start with you.

how about

Submitted by FNLM on 29 September, 2006 - 06:27.

My spanish isn't prefect, however this is what I have used.

I have described them as being like a clown=Payaso and also used the word gracioso

Usted es como un Payaso. Usted giving the person a bit more respect.

I dont know the word

Submitted by toms on 29 September, 2006 - 05:29.

But make darn well sure you smile when you say it..

Lyin' Farmer John Wayne

You can say, "You are very

Submitted by haircuttingcowboy on 29 September, 2006 - 07:53.

You can say, "You are very funny." Usted eres muy chistoso. Again, smile when you say that.

Note: I used to use "tu" (familiar) b/c I learned that way in school, and it was passable in Mexico. Now I never use "tu", not even in Mexico, after hearing Usted used so exclusively in Costa Rica. Everyone prefers "usted" from us gringos. Its much more polite.

No seas pasayo :)

Submitted by nicoya on 29 September, 2006 - 08:17.

Yes, works best if you say it with a smile.

Que paso loco? Oh, that's a very Nica expression and no one should get offended unless, they are, well, LOCO.

Usted, polite? Yes. Used when you want to keep a distance. You’d be a tonto if you keep calling a chic Usted once you’ve made out with her. It is not used in the same way as in Costa Rica where even close friends use Usted among themselves. Like MA used to say "if a group of people call an apple a shovel, then an apple is no longer" ...how is that again? You get my point.

Chistoso is a very sissy word; I wouldn't use it where FDC is served. Divertido is a better one. It does NOT mean Diverted, ok? Chistoso vs. divertido or comico. It depends on personal taste of course...

FAP, do you agree with me bro?

Thanks for the lesson. Its

Submitted by haircuttingcowboy on 29 September, 2006 - 09:14.

Thanks for the lesson. Its helpful and its good stuff to know. Asi, se puede decir, tu eres muy divertido?

You can say..

Submitted by nicoya on 29 September, 2006 - 10:42.

Sos bien divertido or que comico que sos! I like the first one better..

Sos es igual que "eso es",

Submitted by haircuttingcowboy on 29 September, 2006 - 11:18.

Sos es igual que "eso es", no?

No

Submitted by nicoya on 29 September, 2006 - 11:27.

sos = eres

sos is

Submitted by tacomasteve on 29 September, 2006 - 12:36.

vosotros form of estar?

Ser is the permanent to be

Submitted by haircuttingcowboy on 29 September, 2006 - 15:52.

temporary verb conjugation to be: Estoy estas esta estamos estais estan I am; you are; he, she, or it is; we are; you (plural) are (this form may or may not be used in Nica - I don't know); they are

permanent: Soy eres es somos son

Sos is Nica slang for you are (eres) I just learned this today.

Somos gringos

sos

Submitted by gjb2101 on 30 September, 2006 - 00:44.

"Vos sos" is another way to say "tu eres." It's not really Nicaraguan slang, just an antiquated form of spanish. They also use vos through Central America and in Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Venezuela.

In the middle ages "vos sos" would have been translated directly to english as "thou art" or something of the sort.

I've heard kids in Managua say "brother" a lot with a spanish accent, it's kind of like using dude in english. It's pretty funny to see the American influence on the language.

AND

Submitted by cmoore56 on 30 September, 2006 - 09:36.

make sure you say it "boh", not vos.

Wait till you visit

Submitted by toms on 30 September, 2006 - 05:42.

the Dangerous Atlantic Coast, and hear a mix of three. Miskito, English, and Spanish...

this is why we refer to it as Babble, I just love some of the words used. La Senior... overboard motor... come, make I show you laufsta,(lobster)

Lyin' Farmer John Wayne

boy am I glad

Submitted by toms on 29 September, 2006 - 18:12.

We just get to speak Babble here on the Dangerious Atlantic Coast.

we dont worry none with that proper stuff, if babble dont work we always have sign lingo, smoke signals and of course the old backup drum signals...OOOPS forgot about the grapevine too!

Lyin' Farmer John Wayne

The Best..

Submitted by cookshow on 29 September, 2006 - 18:16.

LFJW what is the one about Fred Flintstone? That cracks me up everytime.

now ya got me

Submitted by toms on 29 September, 2006 - 18:25.

scraching on the outer covering of my grey matter, maybe it'll come in a while...little CRS at the moment.

Lyin' Farmer John Wayne