# help from spanish speakers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 24, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031 "2001-11-24T16:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/1 "2001-11-24T16:58:52Z")
we get quite a few spanish-only customers here, and unfortunately do not have that many spanish-speaking techs. could any spanish speakers here help me with these phrases that i translated on alta vista? just help me polish them up? i’m sorry, i don’t speak spanish. _estoy apesadumbrado, no hablo espanol._ let me see if someone is available. _déjeme ver si alguien está disponible._ i’m sorry, no one is available. _estoy apesadumbrado, nadie estoy disponible._ can we call you back? _podemos llamarle detrás?_ what is your name and phone number? _cuál es su nombre y número de teléfono?_ ---
**Author:** ![randomlyblanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@randomlyblanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomlyblanks)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/2 "2001-11-24T17:37:35Z")
> [@](#): > > i’m sorry, i don’t speak spanish Lo siento, no hablo español. > [@](#): > > let me see if someone is available. Me permite ver si alguien está disponible > [@](#): > > i’m sorry, no one is available. Lo siento, pero nadie está disponible. > [@](#): > > can we call you back? ¿Es posible llamarle más tarde? > [@](#): > > what is your name and phone number? ¿Cómo se llama usted y cuál es su número de teléfono? ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/3 "2001-11-24T18:29:43Z")
Let me just say that there were some rather odd translations there. “Estoy apesadumbrado” is completely new to me. Had to look it up–it means sad, distressed, grieved. Wow, you’re _really_ sorry! Meanwhile, when you asked if someone could call them back, Alta Vista gave you a different kind of back–“detras” means behind, or in back of. That’s the thing with inhuman translators, at least at this point in time–they can take you a little too literally, and a little too seriously. Some English sayings/idioms (“call you back”) cannot be translated verbatim and preserve meaning. You’ll get a lot of “Que??” ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/4 "2001-11-24T18:31:29Z")
Estoy apesadumbrado, Wow, you must be really sorry! And sad! You should be wearing black and stuff like that. 🙂 And I don’t think that’s a New World Spanish word. At least I’ve never heard it in L.A. ---
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/5 "2001-11-24T18:38:35Z")
ok, how do you pronounce these? _alguien_ _disponible_ _llamarle_ ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/6 "2001-11-24T18:52:40Z")
_Déjeme ver si alguien está disponible._ That is an acceptable translation. ---
**Author:** ![randomlyblanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@randomlyblanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomlyblanks)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/7 "2001-11-24T19:07:09Z")
al-gee-en dees-pone-ee-blay ya-mar-lay ---
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/8 "2001-11-24T21:27:15Z")
ok, last question. this is how i think everything is pronounced. is it correct? i’m sorry, i don’t speak spanish. _lo see-ento, no ah-blo espan-yol._ let me see if someone is available. _me permit-ay ver see al-gee-en ess-ta dees-pone-ee-blay._ i’m sorry, no one is available. _lo see-ento, pero nod-ee ess-ta dees-pone-ee-blay._ can we call you back? _ess poss-ee-blay ya-mar-lay más tard-ay?_ what is your name and phone number? _como say yama oo-sted ee cwal ess su noomm-ero de telay-fono?_ ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/9 "2001-11-24T22:07:26Z")
nadie is pronounced nod-ee-ay. ---
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/10 "2001-11-25T02:11:28Z")
cool. ha, i feel a little sorry for anyone who is going to have to hear me butcher spanish. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/11 "2001-11-25T02:35:11Z")
no no! a minor nit pick. dees-pone-ee-bl **eh** ya-mar-l **eh** nad-ee- **eh** tahr- d **eh** tel- **eh** -fon-o I think one of the biggest mistakes non-speakers make is using “ay” instead of eh. that said, people will understand you regardless. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Gui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@El\_Gui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Gui)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/12 "2001-11-25T05:46:26Z")
. . . and I would offer a slightly different way of pronouncing “disponible” Instead of: “dees-pone-ee-bleh” . . a more correct way would be “dees-po-NEE-bleh”, which would follow the spanish syllabic separation of the word, i.e. “dis-po-NI-ble” ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/13 "2001-11-25T06:29:11Z")
ok, last question. this is how i think everything is pronounced. is it correct? i’m sorry, i don’t speak spanish. _lo see-ento, no ah-blo espan-yol._ **right.** let me see if someone is available. _me permit-ay ver see al-gee-en ess-ta dees-pone-ee-blay._ **"May permeetay vare see al-gee-en (gee as in geese) ess-TA dees-pone-ee-blay"** i’m sorry, no one is available. _lo see-ento, pero nod-ee ess-ta dees-pone-ee-blay._ **Lo see-ento, pero nod-ee-ay ess-TA dees-pone-ee-blay** can we call you back? _ess poss-ee-blay ya-mar-lay más tard-ay?_ **Yes. “mas” like "mahs"** what is your name and phone number? _como say yama oo-sted ee cwal ess su noomm-ero de telay-fono?_ **Right** ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/14 "2001-11-25T12:36:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Gui \* > \*\*. . a more correct way would be “dees-po-NEE-bleh”, which would follow the spanish syllabic separation of the word, i.e. “dis-po-NI-ble” \*\* correct. I was so busy looking at the EH part, I didn’t see what I wrote. is —me in Spanish EVER pronounced may? or as for that matter, is any e in spanish pronounced ay? I can’t think of an example. me is MEH. examples: let me see if someone is available. not correct: me permit-ay ver … using me makes it sound like this me in english: me myself and I not correct: May permeetay vare may permeetay is just plain wrong. It almost sounds hillbillyish. Its not pronounced May or ay (as in the month of May). it is MEH. off the top of my head, say the word mets. as in the NY Mets. that is a closer approximation of the sound. imagine saying it mayts (saying it like:mate) not the same is it? and its vehr. vare makes it look like its rhymes with fare or fair. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-from-spanish-speakers/95031/15 "2001-11-25T13:53:39Z")
Vowels in Spanish only have one sound, and I also think the writing closest to the pronunciation of the “e” is “eh” and not “ay”.