Language Gaffs

Between trying to learn (and constantly use) two new languages, there are bound to be lots of gaffs. Doesn’t help that a lot of completely unrelated guarani words sound exactly the same (in Hebrew, these words would actually be related!!) and disaster can occur when you switch the –a ending to an –o ending in Spanish. Here are some mistakes that I always fall into (much to the amusement of the PYans) and a couple that I’ve so far managed to avoid. This doesn’t include all the times I pronounce the right words funny or try and talk to people in guarani and its clear from their expression that they just have no idea what I’m trying to say.

Emily’s Mistakes:

·         azada=hoe, azado= barbeque

o   In response to asking how I would prepare my demo-plot, since I couldn’t get a tractor in: “with a barbeque!” (everyone seemed very willing to help after that).

·         pala= shovel, palo= stick.

o   “I’m staking my tomatoes with some shovels I found in the road!”

·         (nde) puerka=(you’re) a pig, common response to a kid wetting their pants, eating their boogers etc, puerkeza= a curse

o   Me in an argument with a two year old over who is grosser, within hearing distance of her mother, “Nde puerkeza!!!” = you are a curse (on humankind).

·         ambo’a= I lay an egg, ambo’e=I teach

o   being an agricultural volunteer sometimes means I teach people how to increase their chickens’ egg production, and sometimes I just do the job myself

·         ajahu=I shower, ajuhu= I find, I run into/meet someone.

o   “I showered Vicenta at Rafaela’s house the other day!”

·         pira= fish, pire= peel, skin

o   “I really love to eat grilled skin!”

·         Casarol (pronounced “casserole” )= large soup pot vs. azadera=the type of pan you would make a casserole in.

o   I usually figure out this gaff when the wrong thing is handed to me.

·         Ambochyryry= to fry/sauté something, achyryry= I am fry[ing]

o   The recipe for pizza, “I fry myself…vegetables.”

·         Chortsito= shorts, chorizo = sausage

o   “What, your boyfriend doesn’t like when you wear sausages???”

Common Mistakes (some of these are a bit R rated)

·         Tembi’u = food, tembu’i = small penis

o   Figure it out.

·         Che roy= I’m cold (this is that tricky guttural “y” that most American guarani speakers fudge with a “u” sound), che re’u=I want to eat you (the same here double entendre here as in the states).

o   I usually avoid this one by sticking to hoysa= it’s cold out.

·         Haku! = it’s hot out, haku (with antecedent) = horny

o   In the 100 degree summer, trying to complain about the heat, “Che haku!!!!!!” = I’m horny!!!!!

·         Ipora= it’s good, fine, che pora = I’m pretty

·         Tatu’ahe= tattoo, tatu=lit. armadillo, slang for vagina

o   Tattoo’s used to be seriously looked down upon in Paraguayan culture (aka having a tattoo= announcing you were a drug dealer). Things have loosened up a bit recently, but volunteers are still encouraged to keep tattoos covered for a while in their communities, until the volunteer is more integrated. This is a difficult rule for many volunteers and came up during our training period a lot.

My unfortunate language classmate, teasing my female language teacher: “do you have a [thought he was saying] tattoo?”

Language teacher, attempting to turn this into an educational moment: “Yes.”

Classmate thinking he had discovered her dark side: “Where???”

(she can’t help but laugh, but doesn’t answer)

“where, where, where, where?”

Still laughing, points.

Classmate swears he will never speak Guarani again.