SS: The Beauty of Cuban Spanish, A Natural Way to Compliment, My New Favourite Spanish Phrase
An Amazing Phrase that Doesn't Translate Easily to English, Stop Saying "Estás bonita", Why is Cuban Spanish so Hard to Understand?
SPANISH SUNDAYS
Hey everyone, today’s my birthday! If you feel like celebrating with me, the best gift would be if you shared this newsletter with anyone interested in learning Spanish. Thanks for being part of this journey!
Around the Hispanic World
The Beauty of Cuban Spanish
Over in the Caribbean, especially in Cuba, the “s” at the end of words often gets dropped. This gives their Spanish a relaxed flow which sounds so cool but it can be hard at times to understand. On top of that, there’s a lot of slang, I mean a lot.
Here’s a funny example if you’re interested (warning explicit language):
Novato (Beginner)
¡Te Ves Bien! – Giving Compliments the Native Way
Want to sound natural when complimenting someone? Forget “estás bonita” and switch to using the verb verse. It’s the effortless way to say how someone looks;
“¡Hoy te ves increíble!”
(Today, you look incredible!)
“Con ese nuevo corte de pelo, te ves súper elegante.”
(With that new haircut, you look super elegant.)
Avanzado (Advanced)
Me Toca – My Current Favourite Phrase
There’s one absolute gem in Spanish that has no perfect English translation: me toca. It’s great for when it’s “your turn” or “your fate” to do something. Let’s look at some examples:
“Esta noche me toca ser el DJ y poner a todos a bailar.”
(Tonight, it’s my turn to be the DJ and get everyone dancing.)
“Después de tanto trabajo, me toca disfrutar de una merecida vacación.”
(After all that hard work, it’s finally my turn to enjoy a well-deserved holiday.)
You can also use it for a group or in the past
“Ayer, nos tocó perder”
(Yesterday it was our turn to lose)