# Mr. X says Spanish and Italian are the same language! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235 "2012-08-22T01:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/61 "2012-08-23T15:30:17Z")
> [@FuzzyOgre](#): > > Dutch has massive similarities to English. “Rye bread, butter and green cheese is good English and good Fries.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/62 "2012-08-23T16:35:05Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Now, that is something we English speakers can experience. Even in the US there are some accents that are so pronounced, a non-local will have trouble understanding them. In the UK, of course, it’s even more pronounced (no pun intended). I challenge any American to go to certain parts of Scotland, listen in on a conversation without knowing the context, and try to understand what is being said. Or even parts of London, for that matter. Or Liverpool. Listening to a Scouser for more than ten minutes gives me a headache. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/63 "2012-08-23T18:42:14Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Now, that is something we English speakers can experience. Even in the US there are some accents that are so pronounced, a non-local will have trouble understanding them. In the UK, of course, it’s even more pronounced (no pun intended). I challenge any American to go to certain parts of Scotland, listen in on a conversation without knowing the context, and try to understand what is being said. I’ll agree to that and even more in the UK context. Don’t even need to go there – many/most British films I get have to do with criminals and the like & w/out English subs, I hardly have a clue as to what they are saying. Oh, and **Nava**? “Si tien arreglu, s’arreglará; si nun lu tien, arregláu ta” That’s how my family back in Asturias would speak to me – go figure ☹ But you’re right, I do go into Spanglish a lot these days. Seems like the only cure is spending some time in Spain…I go back to my hard “c’s” and “zetas” in no time. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/64 "2012-08-24T02:24:22Z")
**Red** , I don’t see how that would be a problem, it’s perfectly clear 😃 My great-grandmother was from Asturias, sometimes my family will quote a Bable sentence in the middle of a conversation in Catalan. No speakee Bable other than those few lines. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/65 "2012-08-24T03:42:03Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Good point. Yes, _sarro_ is a word which I (as a native New Yorker) translate as “schmutz”, but can also mean “rust”. > > But, in any case, in my experience, “oxidado” is the first word that comes to Mexican minds, at least, even among those with little education in chemistry and whatnot. Another word that comes to my mind for rusty is _mojoso_. Rust = mojo. _Sarro_ here in México is plaque that forms on teeth or chemical deposits formed from hard water. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/66 "2012-08-24T04:15:15Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Richard Feynman said he got along in Brazil pretty well, using Latin. A Japanese restaurant we used to go to was unknowingly using an English-to-Latin dictionary while “talking” in Spanish to their Mexican kitchen staff. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/67 "2012-08-24T10:42:23Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > Another word that comes to my mind for rusty is _mojoso_. Rust = mojo. > > _Sarro_ here in México is plaque that forms on teeth or chemical deposits formed from hard water. Ah, thanks. In my experience, “mojo” – which, like “mojado” (“wet”) is rooted in the Latin “mollis” (“soft”, and later also “damp”) – is enountered mainly in the expression “al mojo de ajo” (“cooked in garlic sauce”), where the chef would definitely not want the customer to think of rust! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/68 "2012-08-24T10:45:39Z")
Well, both the “sauce” and “rusted” meanings come from apocopating _mojado_, but the process is different: the sauce makes things wet, the rust comes from things having been wet. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/69 "2012-08-24T12:36:11Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Ah, thanks. In my experience, “mojo” – which, like “mojado” (“wet”) is rooted in the Latin “mollis” (“soft”, and later also “damp”) – is enountered mainly in the expression “al mojo de ajo” (“cooked in garlic sauce”), where the chef would definitely not want the customer to think of rust! Mojo is the colloquial form of the word and the one you’ll hear the most often. It is also spelled moho. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/70 "2012-08-24T13:06:43Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > “Si tien arreglu, s’arreglará; si nun lu tien, arregláu ta” Guessing: “If you keep the rules, it will sort itself out. If you don’t, they’ll sort you out”? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/71 "2012-08-24T14:16:39Z")
No, more like “If it can be fixed, it’ll get fixed, if it doesn’t have it, then it already is fixed.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/72 "2012-08-24T15:05:03Z")
I’ve also encountered “mojo” in the construct “mojo rojo”, or “red seasoning”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/73 "2012-08-24T15:30:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve also encountered “mojo” in the construct “mojo rojo”, or “red seasoning”. Also, [mojo criollo](http://www.amazon.com/Goya-Criollo-Marinade-24-Ounce-Bottle/dp/B00032CV8O) (which I assume means “creole seasoning” or something similar.) BTW, that stuff is awesome. (They also have mojo chipotle and mojo picante.) Do not confuse with [Mojo Jojo](http://static.tumblr.com/uvs7us8/Q3Tm17ecm/mojo_jojo.jpg). ---
**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:** [August 25, 2012, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/74 "2012-08-25T07:01:39Z")
I speak fluent Spanish and can get along well in standard Italian. The problems tend to occur with some dialects - Friulan, for example. In some cases, Italians themselves can have difficulty comprehending each other. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/75 "2012-08-25T12:49:19Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > No, more like “If it can be fixed, it’ll get fixed, if it doesn’t have it, then it already is fixed.” Thanks, KarlGrenze, I see it now. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/76 "2012-08-25T15:04:01Z")
> [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](#): > > I speak fluent Spanish and can get along well in standard Italian. The problems tend to occur with some dialects - Friulan, for example. In some cases, Italians themselves can have difficulty comprehending each other. Friulian may be a bad example here, as it is (a) dialect(s) not of Italian but of Rhaetian, most closely related to the Romansh of the Swiss Graubunden andf the Ladin of the Austrian Engadine valleys. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/77 "2012-08-25T15:53:49Z")
Dutch sounds to me like a bastard child of German and English. And that child has really bad croup. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235/78 "2012-08-26T17:57:56Z")
FWIW, between French, Spanish, and Italian, I can read Portuguese and Catalan fairly well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-x-says-spanish-and-italian-are-the-same-language/632235.md?page=3)