I've had that a few times, but it's my fault for enunciating too clearly. The minute I slur my words everyone understands. This only refers to a few of the folks who haven't been afforded the opportunity of much education. And it happens more in tourist areas than in non-tourist ones, I think. So it is partly the predisposition of the listener to think in advance that they won't understand & partly my non-verbal behaviour which is signalling my need to get it right. The minute I signal by careless speech that I really am not trying too hard, everyone seems to understand. Course there's also the warn out eardrums factor (loud ghetto blasters). But if you observe 2 Dominican labourers talking one will say something which I understand with no problem & the second one automatically says 'eh?'. So we shouldn't be remotely offended at something people do to each other - many times it isn't gringo specific.
Do some Dominicans play as if they don't understand or it it just me?
- Status
C
Chip00
Guest
If you check the threads I've never said I was fluent - just a working knowledge. I admit I'm think I speak at the advanced level only because I have friends in the DR who only speak Spanish and we are able to converse about complex subjects. Nonetheless, I don't have any notions that Dominicans think I'm a native speaker(although I do my best to convince them as such
)It's just funny that the same basic conversation with different people SOMETIMES get different results.
Probably like you Miguel when you try you're English with other people!!! Waha me make joke!
Thing is, I have ... 5 years or so ... in a Spanish environment even smaller than Santiago. When I say no English.. there is no English. When I arrived in the DR, I had not one word of Spanish. Took me some while to learn hola, como esta, cervesa por favor, muy bien, muchas gracias, adios.
In fact, when I speak now, other gringos still cringe. But, the surprising thing is, Dominicans don't. Seems to me when I want to show off my Spanish, everyone just packs up laughing. But, when I am what I am, everybody understands. (Even with enunciating very clearly ... screwing up every grammer rule and word in the process).
For what it is worth, my experience - and I've made some crazy bloopers with the language over the years. I've never had anyone deliberately 'not understand'.
C
Chip00
Guest
This is exactly what my husband has told me to do..."Mami, tienes que hablar en Dominicano"...and they'll understand! :cheeky:
C
Chip00
Guest
Update - went out to lunch today and asked the server as usual what country she thought I was from and she replied "well if I had to guess I would say your Cuban" so that means to me that Dominicans can understand me well enough.
Therefore I think it boils down to the fact that some people when they see an "uncommon face" that they immediatley think they aren't going to be able to communicate with them. Although, I suppose it could still be that I'm so damn ugly too haha!
Therefore I think it boils down to the fact that some people when they see an "uncommon face" that they immediatley think they aren't going to be able to communicate with them. Although, I suppose it could still be that I'm so damn ugly too haha!
C
Chip00
Guest
Do they ask you if you speak spanish
What about when they ask you if you speak spanish, en espanol!
Siempre les dijo, Que, !NO! No hablo espanol y alli siga hablando, algunos rien y entiendan algunos otros no me dan cuenta y sigan hablando con quien estoy pensando que no entiendo nada!
What about when they ask you if you speak spanish, en espanol!
Siempre les dijo, Que, !NO! No hablo espanol y alli siga hablando, algunos rien y entiendan algunos otros no me dan cuenta y sigan hablando con quien estoy pensando que no entiendo nada!
Okay, I came across this thread and read it from the OP to here.
Chip, Ive lived here for 11 years and speak some Spanish. Here in El Seybo there is no English spoken by hardly anyone. My Dominican friends tell me I speak Spanish well but I consider that debatable. As a general rule I'm always understood and have no problems, but ........... there are those times that schitt seems to happen;
One day I walk into a small store, two young women are working there and as I enter I greet them with '?buenos dias!' and one looked at the other and said, "?qu? ?l dijo?" but the other responded "?buenos dias!".
A man comes by the house selling avocados and I ask him three times, '?cu?nto cuesta?' and three time he says, "?qu??" at which time my wife joins me and I tell her 'Deseo saber cu?nto cuestan' and she says, "?cu?nto cuesta? to which he supplied the price.
Another time I'm at an assembly of people and a PN Colonel has just told a story concerning his family. He then asks if there are any question at which time I raise my hand and when he notices me I stand up and say, 'Tengo una pregunta para usted' at which time a lady quickly stands up and says, "No hablamos ingl?s". Go figure.
I don't run into the problem often but it is there. I always thought that it was my fault but the Dominicans I talk to all tell me that it is a case of their people being, 'bruto' (their word not mine). Like some many idiosyncrasies I've run into I've just learned to accept it and carry on.
Rick
Miguelitico (I can call him that), did you say in post #18 that you had an Irish guy under you? Is that how you stay warm up there in Alaska? You said he's smart?????Hummmmmmmm
Chip, Ive lived here for 11 years and speak some Spanish. Here in El Seybo there is no English spoken by hardly anyone. My Dominican friends tell me I speak Spanish well but I consider that debatable. As a general rule I'm always understood and have no problems, but ........... there are those times that schitt seems to happen;
One day I walk into a small store, two young women are working there and as I enter I greet them with '?buenos dias!' and one looked at the other and said, "?qu? ?l dijo?" but the other responded "?buenos dias!".
A man comes by the house selling avocados and I ask him three times, '?cu?nto cuesta?' and three time he says, "?qu??" at which time my wife joins me and I tell her 'Deseo saber cu?nto cuestan' and she says, "?cu?nto cuesta? to which he supplied the price.
Another time I'm at an assembly of people and a PN Colonel has just told a story concerning his family. He then asks if there are any question at which time I raise my hand and when he notices me I stand up and say, 'Tengo una pregunta para usted' at which time a lady quickly stands up and says, "No hablamos ingl?s". Go figure.
I don't run into the problem often but it is there. I always thought that it was my fault but the Dominicans I talk to all tell me that it is a case of their people being, 'bruto' (their word not mine). Like some many idiosyncrasies I've run into I've just learned to accept it and carry on.
Rick
Miguelitico (I can call him that), did you say in post #18 that you had an Irish guy under you? Is that how you stay warm up there in Alaska? You said he's smart?????Hummmmmmmm
The Grunt
Dominicans tend to not understand another human.
Often they simply are not interested what the other person says (unless it's something about food or sex).
Some cannot concentrate on a sentence having more than three words and give up following longer ones.
Others have developped the habit of grunting 'eeeh' after being addressed and/or turn up their nose (which gives them more time to think or sllep on...).
I do not critisize those habits as they are used to make life 'mas comodo' and isn't that what we all want...
m'frog
Dominicans tend to not understand another human.
Often they simply are not interested what the other person says (unless it's something about food or sex).
Some cannot concentrate on a sentence having more than three words and give up following longer ones.
Others have developped the habit of grunting 'eeeh' after being addressed and/or turn up their nose (which gives them more time to think or sllep on...).
I do not critisize those habits as they are used to make life 'mas comodo' and isn't that what we all want...
m'frog
you're not ugly,,, you're just different. lol
just a joke,, i don't know you by chat or in person.. i just wanted to throw in a joke.... so pls don't get offended at my joke.
Re: topic, i look dominican so i don't have a problem (and spanish is my 1st language). My spanish accent is different but dominicans understand me pretty well.
Que pena.......
Yeah right, and I live in Jupiter, go by the name Napoleon Bonaparte, my best friend is Johan Sebastian Bach and just yesterday I had lunch with Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who btw, had just finished conversing with none other than Moses, the Hebrews leader!!.
Is this what DR1, for you, have come down to, for you to reply to a post I made OVER 2 WEEKS AGO!!!. Ay my padre que vida la tuya.
Btw: yes, that's how I keep warm here, they dump you and then they come to me, wahahahahahahahaha!!. Thanks for the last one, ummm young and fresh, why did he left you again?. Anyways, your lose is my gain, big boy, .
Btw 2: NO, you don't have the right to call me by that name. NOT unless you are an AXXHOLE AND A PRICK, wahahahahahahahaha!!.
Ps: Since you have nothing better to do, believe it or not, there are other threads with older posts you can "resuscitate". Try one.
Ps: I case you didn't see my post on the other thread, Happy Mother's day to you, wahahahahahaha!!.
Ricky, Ricky, Ricky, NOW is when you see this thread?.Miguelitico (I can call him that), did you say in post #18 that you had an Irish guy under you? Is that how you stay warm up there in Alaska? You said he's smart?????Hummmmmmmm
Yeah right, and I live in Jupiter, go by the name Napoleon Bonaparte, my best friend is Johan Sebastian Bach and just yesterday I had lunch with Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who btw, had just finished conversing with none other than Moses, the Hebrews leader!!.
Is this what DR1, for you, have come down to, for you to reply to a post I made OVER 2 WEEKS AGO!!!. Ay my padre que vida la tuya.
Btw: yes, that's how I keep warm here, they dump you and then they come to me, wahahahahahahahaha!!. Thanks for the last one, ummm young and fresh, why did he left you again?. Anyways, your lose is my gain, big boy,
.Btw 2: NO, you don't have the right to call me by that name. NOT unless you are an AXXHOLE AND A PRICK, wahahahahahahahaha!!.
Ps: Since you have nothing better to do, believe it or not, there are other threads with older posts you can "resuscitate". Try one.
Ps: I case you didn't see my post on the other thread, Happy Mother's day to you, wahahahahahaha!!.
Last edited:
C
Chip00
Guest
Yes this has happened to me too. I remember one particular day I was telling a Dominican friend in the company of some friends of his about my travails at the local ferriteria trying to buy something and had a hard time trying to describe the things I needed to buy as I didn't know what the things were called and was doing my best to describe what the uses were, in Spanish of course. Anyway after explaining my troubles to my buddy in Spanish his friend pipes up (in Spanish) - well you should have explained it to them in Spanish and then they would have understood you!
C
Chip00
Guest
C
Chip00
Guest
Okay, I came across this thread and read it from the OP to here.
Chip, Ive lived here for 11 years and speak some Spanish. Here in El Seybo there is no English spoken by hardly anyone. My Dominican friends tell me I speak Spanish well but I consider that debatable. As a general rule I'm always understood and have no problems, but ........... there are those times that schitt seems to happen;
One day I walk into a small store, two young women are working there and as I enter I greet them with '?buenos dias!' and one looked at the other and said, "?qu? ?l dijo?" but the other responded "?buenos dias!".
A man comes by the house selling avocados and I ask him three times, '?cu?nto cuesta?' and three time he says, "?qu??" at which time my wife joins me and I tell her 'Deseo saber cu?nto cuestan' and she says, "?cu?nto cuesta? to which he supplied the price.
Another time I'm at an assembly of people and a PN Colonel has just told a story concerning his family. He then asks if there are any question at which time I raise my hand and when he notices me I stand up and say, 'Tengo una pregunta para usted' at which time a lady quickly stands up and says, "No hablamos ingl?s". Go figure.
I don't run into the problem often but it is there. I always thought that it was my fault but the Dominicans I talk to all tell me that it is a case of their people being, 'bruto' (their word not mine). Like some many idiosyncrasies I've run into I've just learned to accept it and carry on.
Rick
Miguelitico (I can call him that), did you say in post #18 that you had an Irish guy under you? Is that how you stay warm up there in Alaska? You said he's smart?????Hummmmmmmm
Rick
That is funny. The thing is these people probably have known you from the beginning when your Spanish wasn't as refined and some of them aren't going to change their opinion of you no matter what you do!
In the tourist areas I see it as the same too - when they see a white face they are all factored in to "not understand" probably because of previous difficulties in communicating well with them or what others have told them and therefore would just rather pretend to not understand than to make an effort.
Many Dominicans are notorious for being impatient and will more often than not lose interest quickly in a converstation even if one speaks well with but with a thick accent. Also, it is common for Dominicans to make fun of one another for their accents so why should we expect anything different? They will be more often than not having a few laughs at the gringo's Spanish after they have left. Therefore, if you want to speak Spanish in the DR grow thick skin! - and the sooner you can speak fast like them the better off you will be!
Aha .. the penny drops for me.
There is a difference .. you all seem to go into a conversation with the expectation that you'll be understood? I've always had the expectation that I will not be understood, so, at the outset, I already ask if they understand me, or say that I speak only little Spanish. Then it seems the ice is broken and I don't get the '?qu?' and the '?como'. So, we all know we don't understand one another, but the conversation proceeds regardless. Really funny!
There is a difference .. you all seem to go into a conversation with the expectation that you'll be understood? I've always had the expectation that I will not be understood, so, at the outset, I already ask if they understand me, or say that I speak only little Spanish. Then it seems the ice is broken and I don't get the '?qu?' and the '?como'. So, we all know we don't understand one another, but the conversation proceeds regardless. Really funny!
I was working in Brooklyn years ago. I am Dominican. The boss was Russian. He was always speaking English. One day he was giving me instructions but I could not understand him. He was repeating himself until one of the other workers told me that he was talking to me in Spanish, then I understood his broken Spanish.
I am black and because I do not have a Dominican accent most of the time when I speak to a hispanic in Spanish they answer me in broken English.
Rick, they do not understand your Spanish because they think you are speaking English to them and they are trying to understand what you are saying in english. This is a mind thing.
I am black and because I do not have a Dominican accent most of the time when I speak to a hispanic in Spanish they answer me in broken English.
Rick, they do not understand your Spanish because they think you are speaking English to them and they are trying to understand what you are saying in english. This is a mind thing.
Dominicans tend to not understand another human.
Often they simply are not interested what the other person says (unless it's something about food or sex).
Some cannot concentrate on a sentence having more than three words and give up following longer ones.
Others have developped the habit of grunting 'eeeh' after being addressed and/or turn up their nose (which gives them more time to think or sllep on...).
I do not critisize those habits as they are used to make life 'mas comodo' and isn't that what we all want...
m'frog
Interesting!!
You should send your remarks to the editorial page of a Dominican newspaper. Please, at least send a letter to the editor; it will be only fair if Dominicans are given the opportunity to speak on their behalf.
Cuas I think that you are right! I have had that happen to me twice. I was going back and forth in Spanish and English. The people that I was speaking to were all bilingual. I am not. I am learning Spanish.
The first incident occurred when I was teasing my co workers who were speaking Dominican slang to me. I told them that I can't understand them when they don't proper Spanish. It's sounds like they have "marbles in their mouth" Since we were going back and forth in both languages they thought that I said something really obcene to them in Spanish and were really surprised. I speak that way.
They repeated back to me what they thought I said. I told them that I was speaking English and I would never say that. It's interesting that they both had heard the exact phrase --that was wrong.
The second incident was similar --- I don't remember what the word was but the word that was heard was mande --- but I was speaking English.
So, I guess it's if they are expecting you to speak English they will be listening for it not Spanish.
The first incident occurred when I was teasing my co workers who were speaking Dominican slang to me. I told them that I can't understand them when they don't proper Spanish. It's sounds like they have "marbles in their mouth" Since we were going back and forth in both languages they thought that I said something really obcene to them in Spanish and were really surprised. I speak that way.
They repeated back to me what they thought I said. I told them that I was speaking English and I would never say that. It's interesting that they both had heard the exact phrase --that was wrong.
The second incident was similar --- I don't remember what the word was but the word that was heard was mande --- but I was speaking English.
So, I guess it's if they are expecting you to speak English they will be listening for it not Spanish.
- Status