Learning Spanish - Embarrassed? Or Pregnant in Costa Rica?
Scott Oliver
Learning Spanish doesn't have to be frightening, it can be fun as long as you have the right attitude.
I have never dated an English speaking lady and only a few of my investment clients spoke English so, in the ten years of living in Costa Rica my Spanish is pretty good but, I still make a fool of myself on a regular basis. Some Spanish words to us may sound similar but have very, very different meanings and one man I know nearly had a heart attack when he realized that his young "bit-of-stuff" (his words, not mine) was explaining to him that she was not "embarrassed" about anything, she was in fact embarazada which is pregnant! Visiting one of my favourite stores recently reminded me of a time when I had forgotten my umbrella, leaving it propped up against the counter whilst paying... 
Walking out of the mall and seeing the torrential downpour (aguacero) outside I ran back to the store to get my umbrella - which is "paraguas" in Spanish - but, for some reason my little brain got it's wires crossed and I explained to the young manager that I had left my "parabrisas" in her store... Her face showed total panic and confusion which is quite understandable really because I had just told her that I had left my windshield in her store! Although with the way some Ticos drive, that might not be as surprising as it sounds! Thankfully I spotted my umbrella in the corner and the confusion was quickly resolved but, as far as I'm concerned, if you're not making mistakes in Spanish - even after ten years - you're not trying hard enough! If you have an amusing story about learning Spanish, please do share it with us in the Discussion Forum here.  Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1. Costa Rica Real Estate Scams & How To Avoid Them, 2. How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, and 3. Costa Rica's Guide To Making Money Offshore.
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