I don’t want to use an online translator because I want to be sure they’re grammatically correct.
My friend is in Peru for a few weeks, and doesn’t speak Spanish. She’s checking her e-mail every couple of days, and I want to send her some funny phrases to try out while she’s down there.
So. I need a few short phrases that are complete non-sequitors. Or that are inherently hilarious. Or that make clear the speaker has been misinformed. They should be 5-10 words long, so they can be easily memorized.
If you don’t know Spanish, but have an idea, go ahead and post it, and I’m sure someone will be along to help us out.
IDEAS SO FAR:
[ul][]**“I had one (of them) too, but the wheel fell off.” **<-- might be too long[]“My hovercraft is full of eels.” <-- a little cliché, but that’s the idea“Will you smear this on my buttocks?” <-- I don’t know. It might work.[/ul] Have any other good ideas?
Si no hace bien trabajo, se enserrera acqui con los cucarachas, por dose semannas, sin agua, y sin comida!
I don’t speak Spanish, so this might not be grammatically correct (or correctly spelled), but what I am trying to say is, “if you do a bad job, you will be locked here with the cockroaches for two weeks without food of water.” Points to anyone who knows the origin.
Another good quote, if someone wanted to tranate it, is “I’m not afraid of you, I’ve got chunks of guys like you in my stool’” Double points for that one.
I remember this one from some stand-up comedy show I saw on TV years ago:
“Hay dos chicas en mi cocina” - There are two girls in my kitchen.
One they used to say on the old “Chespirito” show years ago, but I forget in what context:
“No te arrugues, cuero viejo, que te quiero pa’ tambor” - Don’t wrinkle up, you old piece of leather, 'cause I want you for a drum.
And then there’s the catchphrases of El Chapulin Colorado, an incompetent superhero:
“No contaban con mi astucia!” - No one was counting on my cleverness!
and
“Siganme, los buenos!” - Follow me, good guys!
My daughter says this makes too much sense, but to me it sounds funny when taken out of context.
Quiero una mochila grande del chocolate con crema.
I want a large chocolate backpack with cream.
I actually said that during a skit for my HS Spanish class. I thought “mochila” was a kind of coffee drink. :smack:
A running joke I had in high school Spanish class:
Me persiguen las ranas gigantes! The giant frogs are chasing me!
Spanish homework frequently involved conjugating verbs and using them in sentences. I made sure the majority of my phrases included las ranas gigantes.
I don’t know Spanish, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know any Spanish. I suspect that just about anyone knows the word “cucaracha” and will recognize it as a prank if the English translation doesn’t contain “cockroach”.
cabeza = head
pantalones = pants
ojos = eyes
señor = sir
queso = cheese
por favor = please
cocina = kitchen
etc.
You need to either be wary of words that will likely be known to English speakers, or to work those into the translation.
Hah, my 7th grade Spanish teacher taught us “Tengo cuerpos muertos en mi armario” (I have dead bodies in my closet) and so my best friend at the time and I always used los cuerpos muertos in our sentences. Yes, that was an interesting class…