Colombian Spanish

bufalo says on Apr 12, 2005, 09:46:

From what I have seen, carribean (Cuba Dominican Republic, north coast of colombia) has a lot of slang. colombia as a whole has about the clearest spanish I have heard of several countries. They don´t speak more "castillan" per say, I´m in Spain now and it is very different. To tell the truth I think colombian spanish is more clearer and has a lot less spanglish words than spain does. I can´t believe the stuff I´m hearing here. I tried buying sneakers and the sales girl didn´t understand "trotar", nor "correr" (to describe what I needed the sneakers for. After explaining the aerobic activity of doing laps around a park she said "Oh, para hacer running." I´ve seen this so much over here. I´ve seen it in south america too, but with one major differnce. In SA the people know that they are english words. In spain I find people insisting that a lot of obviously english words are spanish. Eg: mail, footing, stop, running, fashion.... the list goes on a long ways, just don´t have the time.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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adela says on Apr 12, 2005, 10:13:

Bufalo, you describe the idea very good. I found this article of a spainish journalist about Colombia and its spanish:


A continuación el contenido del artículo publicado en el diario español ABC:


“UNA NACIÓN GRANDE CON DOS TRAGEDIAS.

LA SOLEDAD DE COLOMBIA

Me confieso un enamorado de Colombia. No se habla mejor español en el mundo. Y no es preciso acudir a un colombiano de la clase alta y mejor cultivada para oír la belleza de su lenguaje. El dominio y el donaire de la palabra está en todos sus habitantes. Colombia es una nación grande y rica, con dos tragedias que nunca terminan. El narcotráfico y la guerrilla. Quizás la tragedia sea sólo una con dos caras diferentes de muerte y ruina. Sin la guerrilla no existirían otras bandas y fuerzas paramilitares que enredan aún más el drama.

Colombia es una nación injustamente desprestigiada. Cierto es que la inmensa red del narcotráfico usa de decenas de miles de inmigrantes naturales para extender el terrible negocio de la droga. Pero otras decenas de miles de colombianos, que nada tienen que ver con las grandes empresas de la muerte, son tratados y recibidos como si fueran delincuentes. Colombia, que es una de las naciones más acogedoras, hospitalarias y cultas de América, es un país que ha asumido su soledad.

Me pregunto -y me respondo- si todo el esfuerzo económico y humano que se ha empleado en Irak no hubiese tenido más justificación en Colombia. La guerrilla llamada revolucionaria, las Farc, ese ejército potentísimo comandado por virtuosos asesinos, ocupa una buena parte de su territorio. Hace días han intentado matar al presidente de la República, Álvaro Uribe, que desde el principio de su mandato declaró la guerra abierta a los terroristas. Pero nadie en el mundo occidental ha reaccionado.

¿Se figuran lo que sucedería si el Rey de España, o el presidente de la República Francesa, o la Reina de Inglaterra, o el presidente de los Estados Unidos sufrieran un atentado contra sus vidas? La movilización de Occidente sería inmediata. Pero Colombia no es tratada como una democracia más, sino como un sistema distinto. Está sola y hemos dejado solos a millones de colombianos pacíficos, honestos, trabajadores y demócratas.

¿Por qué sí contra Saddam Hussein y no contra 'Marulanda' y su ejército de criminales? Una considerable proporción de los llamados “guerrilleros” no saben ni para qué luchan. Un sistema perverso y estalinista los ha hecho presos de su crueldad. Uribe lo ha dicho pocos minutos después de sufrir el atentado. “No hay diálogo posible con la arrogancia que se deriva del fusil, el coche bomba y el dinero de la cocaína. Los terroristas tienen que sentir que el Estado los va a derrotar”.

Pero son muchos los años que han transcurrido y el Estado colombiano no parece capacitado para terminar con el terrorismo, que allí no es grupo sino Ejército, con un potencial extraordinario y el apoyo constante del gran negocio. ¿Cuántos colombianos tienen que morir, además de las decenas de miles de ellos asesinados o caídos en la selva luchando contra los terroristas, para que el mundo occidental reaccione? ¿Acaso la existencia de esos ejércitos asesinos favorece intereses ocultos en los países más poderosos de la tierra?

Colombia se muere porque se siente sola. Colombia emigra porque las circunstancias han hecho que allí la vida no se incluya en la relación de los derechos fundamentales. Por mucho que haga el Estado y por admirable que sea el coraje cívico de sus dirigentes, el camino para alcanzar la paz y la rendición del terrorismo se adivina largo y penoso.

A uno, personalmente, le duele mucho más la tragedia de Colombia que la de Irak. Los colombianos son los nuestros, o mejor escrito, aún mejores que los nuestros. Han intentado asesinar a su Presidente y el mundo le ha dedicado una atención cansada. Si hay que actuar con la fuerza en algún lugar para lograr la paz, allí está Colombia. La bellísima nación de gente buena que nos da día tras día una lección de valentía desde su soledad”.

Màs fe, màs abrazos, màs besos, màs disculpas, màs visitas a nuestros amigos antiguos nos haràn màs plenos cada vez.

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2montoyk says on Apr 12, 2005, 13:07:

dos cosas first, Adela nice article!, and second, I will say with out a dout colombia is the best place to learn spanish...and it has no point of comparison with cuba..

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2montoyk says on Apr 12, 2005, 13:07:

dos cosas first, Adela nice article!, and second, I will say with out a dout colombia is the best place to learn spanish...and it has no point of comparison with cuba..

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william_andrew_channell says on Apr 13, 2005, 07:17:

I will admit that Colombia has very good pronunciation, but some of the words that people use here are crazy. For example:

"el señor" - Instead of saying Usted or Tu, people like to say "el señor as a form of direct address. In the past, when people would ask me "Que desea el señor?" or "Que esta buscando el señor?" I would respond, "Cual señor?" Now, in the restaurants, when people ask me, "Que desea el señor?" I like to respond, "Pues, el Señor desea muchas cosas, primero de todo, quiere que todos vivamos en paz y que tengamos a Jesucristo en nuestros corazones, y que vayamos a misa..."

"Su merced" - Why?

"Diligenciar un formulario" - Why not just say "llenar"?

"Digitar" - Teclar

"Cancelar" - Pagar

Those are the ones that come to mind right now.

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bufalo says on Apr 13, 2005, 09:10:

I csn´t see those words as being crazy at all. I mean you "cancel" a check in english you can use your "digits" to type..... Here in Barcelona people actually talk about themselves in the third person and sometimes use "the". "The bufalo" is now finishing his comment.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:05:

Somebody explain the use of "colocar". One of my wife's favorite verbs yet people here in San Antonio never use "colocar" - when I ask some Spanish speaking friends about the word some of them don't even know what it means.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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ColombianoX says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:08:

"Colocar" means to place something in some spot.

CX

ColombianoX 'Defensor de la Colombianidad'

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2montoyk says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:10:

colocar this verb means "to place" or "to Put"

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Cerealkiller says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:15:

Colocar is a verb that doesnt have much use really, it is commonly used in finance and stuff but a lot of people, especially people from Valle, they se "colocan la ropa" and that is just WRONG!
LMAO at William, that was hilarious, where in Colombia are you? ive never been addressed that way "que deasea la senorita?" thats crazy hahaha.
However diligenciar sounds a lot better than llenar, Dont know why.
Su Merced, I think thats something people used back in the colonial period.

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:17:

They use "poner" here and never "colocar". OTOH I have never heard my wife use "poner". How about "aqui/alli"? She never uses those either - it's always "por aca" or "por alla".

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:18:

cereal, I never heard a caleño say that...yes they use "colocar" a lot in Valle instead of "poner" but strictly in the sense of to "place". ColombianoX's definition was spot on!
Cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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Cerealkiller says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:19:

Poner is fine Colocar depends...I dunno about Alli I never hear that. Por aca, por alla...is she paisa? If so then thats probably why.

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:20:

Here they use "aqui/alli" to mean here and there. Yes, she is paisa.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 13, 2005, 11:22:

aquí/allá is perfectly good Spanish, por allá/por acá is more idiomatic, but nothing wrong with those either, they just mean a little more vague location. (About here/about there).
Cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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calipro says on Apr 13, 2005, 17:05:

So....? "yes they use "colocar" a lot in Valle instead of "poner" but strictly in the sense of to "place"."

So if a caleña says "me colocas bien" what exactly is she trying to say? That I put her in a good place? hehehe !!

Maybe she said "me lo colocas bien". Does that translate to: "I put it to her good"?

Ok Ok

Or maybe she just said "me coloca bien" which I think means "it puts me in the mood".

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Miguel says on Apr 14, 2005, 09:26:

Colocar On my last trip to CO, I took 2 private Spanish lessons from a doctor trying to make a few extra bucks. She did an internship in Miami, and speaks very good English. Colocar was the first thing that grabbed my attention, as it over rules poner all the time on the north coast of Colombia. Also, when I do the self checkout at my local grocery story in Spanish, the robot voice defaults to colocar instead of poner.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 14, 2005, 10:42:

if a caleña says "coloquelo en la mesa de la noche al salir" then it'd make some sense.
Cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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calipro says on Apr 14, 2005, 10:56:

Wow ! Now there's a use for "colocar" that I never thought of!

But, I see that we didn't have to wait to long for you to imply that caleñas are whores again.

You must feel great thinking of everybody else as a low life and that you are better than them.

Have a wonderful day!

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 14, 2005, 11:07:

malpensado I was thinking about the keyes....
Cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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calipro says on Apr 14, 2005, 11:18:

Then... Shouldn't you say: "coloquelas en la mesa de la noche al salir"?

Just to avoid confussion;-)

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 14, 2005, 11:25:

I was really thinking about the llavero...with a bunch of keyes hanging from it...:)
Cheers,
Desi
(or maybe even the flower arrangement you brought to her when she was sick in bed...or the birthday present you forgot to give her the evening before...)

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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2montoyk says on Apr 14, 2005, 11:27:

NOP you say " coloquelos(las) en la mesa de noche al salir "
mesa de noche means = nightstand
mesa de la noche = table of the night

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william_andrew_channell says on Apr 14, 2005, 15:18:

You can "cancel a check" in English??? Are you sure?
And people in Bogota love to use "el señor" as a form of direct address.

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rash9000 says on Apr 15, 2005, 07:47:

"where in Colombia are you? ive never been addressed that way "que deasea la senorita?" thats crazy hahaha"

Many people use that kind of speaking, at least in restaurants when they want to be polite (Im talking about El Valle)
Colocar or poner is the same, is just like in english make up, make out, made of, give away, give in, that certainly drives me crazy.

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