Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Joseph: “I want you to serve me oodles.” Hi there! My name is Joseph and I’m joined here by Beatrz. ¿Cómo te va Beatriz?
Beatriz: Muy bien.
Joseph: In our last Peruvian lesson, we looked at some funny expressions of thirst with the verb “tener” and we also learned about the beverage “chicha”. Be sure to compare today’s lesson with Newbie Lesson 9 to get a deeper understanding of the material that we’re covering today. In this lesson we’re going to talk about food, and in particular about being hungry. We’ll also look at some ways to express hunger and we’ll learn a little bit about one of the most delicious dishes of famous Peruvian cuisine. So, to begin, let’s go back to Newbie Lesson 9 where we heard the following conversation:
DIALOGUE - NORMAL
María: ¡Tengo hambre!
Hector: Sí, yo también. Quiero almorzar.
Alejandro: ¡Qué bueno! Para el almuerzo, tenemos Curanto.
María: ¡Qué rico es el Curanto!
Hector: ¡Tengo ganas de comer!
Joseph: This time with the translation! Ahora incluiremos la traducción.
María: ¡Tengo hambre!
Joseph: “I’m hungry!”
Hector: Sí, yo también. Quiero almorzar.
Hector: “Yes, me too. I want to have lunch!”
Alejandro: ¡Qué bueno! Para el almuerzo, tenemos Curanto.
Hector: “Great! For lunch we have Curanto.”
María: ¡Qué rico es el Curanto!
Joseph: “How delicious Curanto is.”
Hector: ¡Tengo ganas de comer!
Hector: “I feel like eating.”
DIALOGUE - PERUVIAN
Joseph: Now, let’s hear what this might sound like in Peruvian Spanish.
Paola: ¡Tengo hambre! ¿Ya quieres almorzar?
Quique: Sí, mujer. Quiero que me sirvas bien taypá.
Paola: ¿Cuándo no, mi gordito? Para el almuerzo, tenemos Seco de Res.
Quique: ¡Qué rico! ¿Preparaste el combinado?
Paola: ¡Claro, con frejol, arroz y yuca!
Joseph: Once again, slowly! Una vez más, esta vez lentamente.
Paola: ¡Tengo hambre! ¿Ya quieres almorzar?
Quique: Sí, mujer. Quiero que me sirvas bien taypá.
Paola : ¿Cuándo no, mi gordito? Para el almuerzo, tenemos Seco de Res.
Quique: ¡Qué rico! ¿Preparaste el combinado?
Paola: ¡Claro, con frejol, arroz y yuca!
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Joseph: Okay! So, as we can see, there’re quite a number of differences between these two conversations. To begin, let’s look at the way “I want to have lunch.” was rendered in Peruvian Spanish. Beatrice, could you please repeat that for us?
Beatriz: Quiero que me sirvas bien taypá.
Joseph: “I want you to serve me oodles.” Now, in Newbie Lesson 9 it sounded like this:
Hector: Quiero almorzar.
Joseph: Beatrice, how should we start out in our explanation of the Peruvian version?
Beatriz: ¿Pero por qué no hablamos del chifa?
Joseph: Well, we have to! We do need to talk about “chifa”. So, why don’t you tell us what “chifa” is?
Beatriz: Claro, en el Perú contamos con una gran población de inmigrantes chinos y ellos se han hecho famosos por sus buenos restaurantes. En el Perú es tan cotidiana y famosos la comida china que no se llama comida china sino chifa.
Joseph: Muy bien. So, as you say, in Peru there is a large number of Chinese immigrants who have become famous for their great restaurants and this Chinese food is so famous and so every day that it’s received its own name. It’s not called Chinese food but rather “chifa”.
Beatriz: Así es. De ahí proviene la palabra taypá que es el nombre de un plato que es muy bien servido, osea se sirve bastante, en estos restaurantes.
Joseph: So, the word “taypá” is the name of a dish that’s served in of these restaurants and these dishes are really big dish, it’s an abundant. So, right from the start, we can see that our translation is not a very good one, but also that it would be really hard to come up with a good one because this is so wrapped up in Peruvian, rather Chinese Peruvian culture.
Beatriz: Claro, la verdad es que solemos decir taypá en el sentido de opiparo o abundante de esta manera decimos “He comido bien taypá”.
Joseph: There we go! So, in Peru, the word “taypá” means “lavishly” or “abundantly” just as Beatrice’s example shows. “He comido bien taypá” “I’ve eaten oodles.” or something like that. Into my ear it seems like it’s more common to hear “bien taypá” instead of just “taypá”.
Beatriz: Sí, tienes razón, deimos bien taypá porque estamos expresando una gran cantidad de comida.
Joseph: That’s what I thought! So, it is more common to say “bien taypá” instead of just “taypá”, because we’re talking about a large quantity of food. So, again, the standard way to say “I want to eat lunch.” is:
Hector: Quiero almorzar.
Joseph: And in Peruvian Spanish in emphatic and somewhat informal way to say that you’re ready to get down on some food is:
Beatriz: Quiero que me sirvas bien taypá.
Joseph: “I want you to serve me oodles.” Now, let’s go over some of the localisms that came up in the conversation. To begin, let’s look at the expression “gordito”. Beatrice, would you take us back to where this came up in the Peruvian Spanish conversation?
Beatriz: ¿Cómo no, mi gordito?
Joseph: “But of course, my chunky monkey.” Now, let’s start out by saying that this is a very interpretive translation. And that it’s not literal at all. But, I wanted to translate it this way for a particular reason, and hopefully it will help you remember the word “gordito”. So, Beatrice, what can you tell us about this word?
Beatriz: Bueno para empezar, digamos que es el diminutivo de “gordo”.
Joseph: Okay, that’s a good start! So, “gordito” is the diminutive of “gordo”.
Beatriz: Además, en ese caso es un tratamiento por eso escuchamos “mi gordito” en el vocativo.
Joseph: So, in this case it’s a form of address. “un tratamiento” and that’s why we heard “mi gordito” in the Vocative.
Beatriz: Cuando usamos un tratamiento así demuestra nuestro cariño, no es ofensivo para nada y es muy común entre las parejas y entre los amigos.
Joseph: That’s a really good point and probably a surprising one for many students. When we use a form of address like this, it’s a term of endearment and this means that it’s not offensive at all. It’s common among couples and friends, as you say. So, even though “gordo” means “fat”, this is a loving way to address someone. Now, Beatrice, as we both know, there are a lot of words like this in Peruvian Spanish. I mean, words which could be offensive, but when they’re spoken as a term of endearment in the diminutive, they don’t come off this way.
Beatriz: Claro, en el Perú hay un tratamiento para cada persona y para decirte gordito no tienes que estar necesariamente gordo o no tienes que ser necesariamente flaco.
Joseph: So, in Peru, there is a form of address for everyone. And to call someone “gordito” or “chubby” or “chunky monkey” or however you want to translate it, you don’t necessarily have to be fat. That’s such a good point! And this, in a really funny way, confuses people when they come to Peru for the first time.
Beatriz: Claro porque en un momento te pueden decir “gordito” y en otro te dicen “flaquito” y es posible que no estés ni gordo ni flaco.
Joseph: So, as you say, in one moment they may call you “gordito” and in another moment they may call you “flaquito” which means “skinny bones” or something like that, and it’s likely that you’re not either fat or skinny. That’s really, really funny! And of course, these terms are usually used amongst friends and family, but I have to say I have heard these terms on the street.
Beatriz: Yes, yes! Es verdad. A veces la gente puede ser un poco confianzuda, osea hablan con otras personas como si ya fueran amigos o si te conocieran. Sucede mucho que no solamente te dicen gordito o flaquito sino te dicen “chinito, negrito, gringito, gringita”...
Joseph: That’s a really good point! So, people can be a little over confident and they speak with others as if they were already friends. So, they may call you “gordito” o “flaquito” as you say, “chinito” which is the diminutive form for a Chinese person, or “negrito” which is the diminutive form for a dark person, but this isn’t offensive at all, it’s just the opposite, it shows “cariño”, it’s a term of endearment. Well, this has been a great topic and I’m sure that we’ll return to these forms of address in another lesson. But now, I’d like to change the topic and talk about another phrase that came up in today’s Peruvian conversation. Seco de Res.
Beatriz: Anda, el Seco de REs. Qué rico.
Joseph: Beatrice, could you please explain to us a little bit about this delicious Peruvian dish?
Beatriz: Yeah, claro. Es un guiso de res y de papas preparado a base de una salsa de cebollas, ajos, ají amarillo, bastante culantro y si se requiere chicha de jora.
Joseph: So, this is a stew with beef and potatoes, prepared in a sauce of onions, garlic, Peruvian chilies, a lot of “cilantro” and if you want “chicha de jora” which as we know, is a fermented beverage made from “maíz” or “corn”.
Beatriz: Y es hervido acompañado con arroz, frejoles, y yuca.
Joseph: And it’s served with rice and beans, and many people eat it with yuca.
Beatriz: Cuanod se sirve con frejoles se llama el combinado.
Joseph: Also, as Beatrice points out, when it’s served with beans, it’s called “el combinado” which is kind of like “the combo”, and everyone in Peru knows that “el combinado” refers to this dish in particular. I’ve got to say, this is one of my favorite Peruvian dishes. It can also be made with other kinds of meat, right?
Beatriz: Claro, es muy popular en el norte de Perú comerlo con cabrito y pato y bueno al ser preparado fácilmente se hace con pollo.
Joseph: I see! So, in the North it’s really common to eat it with kid or a young goat, and also with duck, and another recipe which is probably a little bit more modern in which people make at home is with chicken. Ay ya tengo hambre después de hablar de la comida así.
Beatriz: Cuando no, cuando no.

Outro

Joseph: Well, that’s it for today’s lesson! Don’t forget to pick up Newbie Lesson 9 for a more in depth comparison of what we’ve covered here. Also, feel free to use our forum for your questions and if you’d like to leave us a comment we’ll be happy to respond. Don’t be a stranger.
Beatriz: No te pierdas.

Dialogue - Peruvian

Dialogue - Standard

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