At the cow wash
While on placement in Spain, I asked my flatmate if I could I wash my cows with a load she had put in the washing machine: Puedo lavar mis vacas instead of ¿Puedo lavar mis vaqueros? - 'Can I wash my jeans?' I don't think I ever stopped making people laugh when I was a student!!
Editor's note: Vaqueros are cowboys in Spain, jeans became known as pantalones vaqueros, cowboy's trousers, or simply vaqueros.
Sent by: Anne Louise
Comments
La B y V en Español son IGUALES/EQUAL
Even the Romans said the "happy Hispanics yet for them living is drinking".
My friend was looking after my dog at his parents house. She's a rescue dog who only responds to Spanish commands. After two days my friends Dad asked why do you keep calling her Ben when her name's Tosca? He had, in fact, been saying ven, ven which means come here!
Baca and vaca are pronounced exactly the same, so they must have just been pulling your leg (or 'taking your hair' in Spanish!)
Actually, in my understanding, baca and vaca are pronounced the same in almost every region of the Spanish-speaking world. "B" and "V" represent exactly the same sound (changing "B" to "V" or vice versa doesn't affect pronunication), though what that sound is depends on the surrounding sounds, as the sound is softer between vowels.
I agree, una baca and una vaca sounds the same! The meaning depends on the context.
Fortunately, in Spain, the letters B and V are pronounced in exactly the same way by almost everybody, so there wouldn't have been too much confusion.
Pickin up my hire car at the airport, I wanted to ask for una baca, a roof rack. Pronouncing it wrong I actually asked the agent for una vaca, a cow, for the roof of my car.
Don't worry my friends. I have been studing English for two years and I still don't understand why you don't pronounce the words as they are written.
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