# How do I say \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ in Spanish **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 16, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037 "2009-10-16T16:12:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/21 "2009-10-16T20:56:56Z")
I notice that one of the first suggestions for you addresses the lady in the formal - third person singular, and the following suggestion suggests familiar - second person. I’ve always wondered about how those are used in real life (as opposed to dialogs we learned in Spanish class). If I’m addressing someone who works for me, is it always second person? or always third? What about people in a store? I have always felt that the familiar implies a superiority in those situations, and I don’t really like treating workers as inferiors automatically. How do you handle that situation? What, exactly, is implied by using second person? Wouldn’t using Usted imply a degree of respect for that person, even if they’re a waitress or a cleaning lady? That’s why I’d like to avoid the tu form. Insights, dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/22 "2009-10-16T21:54:35Z")
> [@Polly\_Glot](#): > > The one other thing I would mention though is that in Mexico, “madre” is considered a bad word! The substitute is generally “mama,” with an accent on the final “a.” A grammatical question: since I’m male and my mother obviously was female, would I refer to my mother as “mia mama” (to make it match the gender) or “mi mama” (since I’m male but I’m pretty sure ‘mio mama’ isn’t the case) or something else? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/23 "2009-10-16T22:16:03Z")
> [@Polly\_Glot](#): > > The one other thing I would mention though is that in Mexico, “madre” is considered a bad word! The substitute is generally “mama,” with an accent on the final “a.” I think it rather depends on what word you proceed “madre” with, e.g., “vale madre,” or “puta madre,” or the inexcusable, “chinga tu madre.” While “mamá” is commonly used, I don’t see “madre” as being shunned when used in a normal context. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/24 "2009-10-16T22:16:27Z")
Mia/o means “mine”. If you want to say “my” it’s just “mi”. _Mi madre y mi padre_. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/25 "2009-10-16T22:59:27Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > A grammatical question: since I’m male and my mother obviously was female, would I refer to my mother as “mia mama” (to make it match the gender) or “mi mama” (since I’m male but I’m pretty sure ‘mio mama’ isn’t the case) or something else? Have you studied Italian, perchance, Sampiro? You’ll have to unlearn all that for Spanish. Fortunately, Spanish possessives are simpler than Italian and don’t change with gender. I.e., what John Mace said. ---
**Author:** ![Polly\_Glot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de053/32.png) [@Polly\_Glot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polly_Glot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/26 "2009-10-17T00:09:52Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I think it rather depends on what word you proceed “madre” with, e.g., “vale madre,” or “puta madre,” or the inexcusable, “chinga tu madre.” > > While “mamá” is commonly used, I don’t see “madre” as being shunned when used in a normal context. Ahhh, that is good to know! (Insert upside down exclamation point here) Gracias, Balthisar! ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/27 "2009-10-17T03:13:09Z")
Alt 0161, Polly. 😉 Unlike Italian or Portuguese, possessive pronounce placed before the noun are simplified and do not have to correlate with the gender of the noun. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/28 "2009-10-17T03:24:29Z")
> [@SiXSwordS](#): > > Can I just verify that ‘ella’ above isn’t a typo? I have never seen or heard it used that way. It’s not a typo, it’s a pronoun which stands for “the clothing” (sing, fem). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/29 "2009-10-17T03:30:07Z")
> [@SiXSwordS](#): > > Can I just verify that ‘ella’ above isn’t a typo? I have never seen or heard it used that way. It’s not a typo, it’s a pronoun which stands for “the clothing” (sing, fem). “I’ve got some clothing here which was my mother’s and I need to do something with it” - the\* ella\* is that _it_. The tú/usted thing: first, is the lady Mexican from Mexico? Because if she’s, for example, Costa Rican (a distinct possibility giving how many “gringos” call anybody brown “Mexican”), then “usted” is the INformal. Second, **Sampiro** would get points fer style even if they ended up speaking in itagnolo, just for trying. Third, you could use “usted” at the beginning, but by the time the clothes are offered you definitely should be close enough for “tú.” Usted is on its way out the door, pretty much. I’ve watched its decline, and it’s going fast. After all, as shown by the Costa Rican custom of reserving “usted” for your family members, respect isn’t a word, it’s a form of address. When some kid on the street adresses me as “usted” to ask whether I can tell him the time, he’s being respectful to a stranger; when my mother adresses me as “usted,” it means she’s bloody well pissed (and, since I’m taller than she is, we’re about to have a row). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/30 "2009-10-17T03:33:54Z")
> [@CC](#): > > I notice that one of the first suggestions for you addresses the lady in the formal Given that that’s from Babelfish, I wouldn’t give it too much credence. > [@](#): > > - third person singular, and the following suggestion suggests familiar - second person. I’ve always wondered about how those are used in real life (as opposed to dialogs we learned in Spanish class). If I’m addressing someone who works for me, is it always second person? or always third? What about people in a store? I have always felt that the familiar implies a superiority in those situations, and I don’t really like treating workers as inferiors automatically. How do you handle that situation? What, exactly, is implied by using second person? Wouldn’t using Usted imply a degree of respect for that person, even if they’re a waitress or a cleaning lady? That’s why I’d like to avoid the tu form. Insights, dopers? This said, I personally tend to err on the side of politeness when using personal pronouns. I usually use Usted to my cleaning lady or to a waitress. Generally you won’t offend by being formal (although there may be some situations where you could be seen as being stuck up). However, I’ll defer to native Spanish speakers regarding usual practice on this. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/31 "2009-10-17T03:44:12Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Second, **Sampiro** would get points fer style even if they ended up speaking in itagnolo, just for trying. Third, you could use “usted” at the beginning, but by the time the clothes are offered you definitely should be close enough for “tú.” I second this. As to the usted/tú thing, Nava pointed out it varies by place. I (Puerto Rican/Caribbean) use second person tú more frequently, third person usted is for strangers or trying to be formal. I don’t understand why would using second person “tú” (familiar) imply superiority. If anything, it woud imply closeness, commonality, and similar background. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037/32 "2009-10-17T04:52:48Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > 1. Por la primera vez te pagaré doce dólares la hora. En adelante serán ocho dólares la hora. I think I’d explain why twelve now, and eight later, though, because I’d certainly want to know why the op wants to pay different amounts. “Por la primera vez te pagaré doce dólares la hora **porque mi casa necesita más limpieza esta vez** (because my house needs more cleaning this time). En adelante serán ocho dólares la hora.” If saying it correctly is a worry, print out whatever wording is decided upon. “No hablo Español bien,” hand her the paper. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-say-________-in-spanish/514037.md?page=1)