Estoy embarazada – and other Spanish humiliations

Everyone knows that learning a new language is fun. It is a great way to meet people, understand a new culture and enjoy experiences that may not have been open to you in your native language.

However, the long road to fluency in any language is not always a smooth one. Sometimes it can be paved with upsets, bumps, awkward situations and even humiliations as you try to express yourself and make yourself understood in your new chosen language.

Check out this new blog post from the Economist newspaper (and the comments that contain some very funny anecdotes). The post discusses the idea of being humiliated when speaking a language in which you are not fluent.

Have you ever said “estoy embarazada” when you really wanted to say that you were embarrassed (NOT pregnant!) in Spanish?  Or what about talking about “la problema” instead of “el problema”?

It is moments like these – and the reactions or non-comprehension of the locals you are speaking to – that can be mortifying when you are trying your best to learn a new language.

Yet here at Elebaires we think it is best to embrace the errors. Errors are an important way of learning any new language. If you make errors while speaking with locals they may find the situation funny but it can often be turned into an opportunity to break the ice and it could become a learning opportunity for you.

What are your most amusing recollections about learning Spanish? Have you ever said something really embarrassing or offensive while trying to make yourself understood?

Remember, the best way to learn a new language is to practise practise practise. If all that practice includes a little humiliation along the way to fluency, then so be it! Nobody is perfect but everybody wants to improve their Spanish!