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Seconded. One of the most valuable tools for me in Spanish is the ability to describe things I can't say. I don't know the word for tick, but I could say "an in
by billybob 16y ago
Seconded. One of the most valuable tools for me in Spanish is the ability to describe things I can't say. I don't know the word for tick, but I could say "an insect that [hmmm, don't know the word for 'sucks'...] eats your blood, and it doesn't fly, and it stays there on your skin for an hour or two, and it gets bigger while it eats..." and the person would say, "oh, a tick!" And I'd learn a new word.
- georgieporgie 16y agoAnd that's how we got kangaroo, which means, "I don't know." "Hey, you, what's that... that jumpy thing over there?" "I don't know." "Ah! An I don't know, eh? Spectacular!" (note: it appears that there is reason to believe this old story is untrue, but it still serves to illustrate a real and hilarious problem when speaking across languages)