Poll: How good is your Spanish?

[Napoleon]

I was asked if I was from Italy again today.

Ok, I HAVE been to Italy, and unlike my brother, I was not robbed there, but I hardly think that two weeks in a country 14 years ago makes me Italian. But an animated face and style of talking occasionally has me speaking castellano like a(n) [Italian].

 

[MizzMarr]

When speaking Spanish people always either guess that I'm from France or the Ukraine. Sometimes Germany. Never Italy (though my partner gets Italy all the time). Not sure what it is, but at least I don't have the dreaded North American accent!

 

[philamote]

I was asked if I was from Italy again today.

Ok, I HAVE been to Italy, and unlike my brother, I was not robbed there, but I hardly think that two weeks in a country 14 years ago makes me Italian. But animated face and style of talking occasionally has me speaking castellano like a(n) [Italian].

Interesting, I thought that was how all Argentines spoke castellano...

What is the distinction exactly?

 

[tangobob]

They don't get my accent at all, they ask "donde son?" I sat "Gales" blank look, " conces Tom Jones? Shiley Bassey? Catherine Zeta Jones?" "Ah! California."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGG!!!!

 

[citygirl]

I was asked if I was from Italy again today.

Ok, I HAVE been to Italy, and unlike my brother, I was not robbed there, but I hardly think that two weeks in a country 14 years ago makes me Italian. But animated face and style of talking occasionally has me speaking castellano like a(n) [Italian].

So funny - I get the Italian thing quite frequently. Or occasionally French. They never assume US.

 

[starlucia]

When speaking Spanish people always either guess that I'm from France or the Ukraine. Sometimes Germany. Never Italy (though my partner gets Italy all the time). Not sure what it is, but at least I don't have the dreaded North American accent!

I've gotten Brazil more than once

And I've been informed by my students that I "don't look at all American." Apparently all American women are supposed to be tall and sturdy and have short hair

 

[French jurist]

I'm always been identified as French (but I look French, like John Kerry ) but my accent is really, truly, sincerely bad (like the "do you have a rûm" from Inspector Clouzaut).

Otherwise, in a few occasions, I was told "Yankee" (but never Italian, German, whatever).

A specificity being French here : the amount of senior ladies (75 and up) who come to you to speak French. I am a true homme à femmes in fact (well, I shouldn't joke much about that with the actual context ).

 

[PhilipDT]

I've gotten colombian quite a few times (usually when the identifying party is slightly inebriated) the rational thats given is usually that portenos associate speaking clearly with colombians and since I do that I get pegged as a colombian. I got fingered as an argentine the other day by a older mexican man which made my night. But still the majority recognize me as an North American.

 

[dutara]

I learned some Central American Spanish, not fluent but navigable, then years later went to live in Brazil. Learning Portuguese was the most effort I ever put into learning another language. The two are now jumbled in my head, but I do try to get it straight. People in Uruguay assume I'm Brazilian. I look Italian, so I can usually pass for a local until they hear me speak.

I think the language of this part of the world is to Spanish what the language of Jamaica is to English. To my knowledge there are no dictionaries or grammar books for the local language.

 

[PhilipDT]

To my knowledge there are no dictionaries or grammar books for the local language.

Who be I if not an expander of knowledge?

You should pick one up, they're not that pricey.