i am fascinated by how english native speakers confuse you're with your but non native dont usually have problems.

in spanish is normal to change the prounouns (le la los la) grammar rules depending of the region of spain making talking with people a little confusing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le%C3%ADsmo

  • unperson [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Reverse false friends that native Spanish speakers that are fluent in English as a second language make all the time, such as:

    • to mean bizarre, instead of "estrafalario" or "estrambótico" we use "bizarro" which actually means brave,
    • to mean constipated, instead of using "estreñido" we use "constipado" which actually means to have a clogged nose,
    • to mean assume, instead of "suponer" we use "asumir" which actually means accept,
    • to mean argument, instead of "discusión" we use "argumento" which actually means plot or point,
    • and then to mean discussion, instead of "debate" we use "discusión" which actually means argument,
    • instead of "mil millones" we use "billón" which actually means trillion,

    In software there are many more, like "librería" instead of "biblioteca and and "soportar" instead of "tener apoyo" o "mantener".

    You may call me a prescriptivist but all of these have caused me trouble in real life.

    • FunkyStuff [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Isn't the "mil millones" thing less because of speaking English as a second language and more because of the short system spreading in certain Spanish speaking countries? Much of my family doesn't speak much English at all but when I brought it up they all thought "mil millones" was the same as "un billón". I guess it's kind of the same sort of thing as confusing "asumir" and "presumir".

      • unperson [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        That's why I said you may call me a prescriptivist :P

        "Bizarro" is also much more widely understood as bizarre than as brave by most people I know and is no longer confined to those that know English as a second language. The thing is, if you talk using these neologisms to people that are less exposed to American culture, like older people, or those from rural areas or countries where Internet access is not widespread like Bolivia, you will almost certainly be misunderstood, while nobody will be confused if you use the "appropriate" words instead of ingleñol.

        • FunkyStuff [he/him]
          ·
          3 years ago

          You're probably right. I'm in Puerto Rico where mayo culture has completely permeated even the rural areas so you could totally spanglish your way through anything here.

          • unperson [he/him]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Oh yeah I think Puerto Rico is the only Spanish-speaking place that officially uses the short count :agony-deep: .