Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
3. Part 2 of Funny Misunderstandings & Cursed Interactions
75 Plays7 months ago
In today's episode of CTM English, we continue our laughs at the funny and sometimes awkward moments that can happen when trying to communicate between two different languages.
Be sure to check out our Patreon to support their podcast and get exclusive content including the transcripts for the show: https://www.patreon.com/ctmenglish
CTM English: Instagram = @ctm_english_podcast | TikTok = @ctm_english
Charm English: Insta & TikTok = @charmenglishcl
LaGringaChelista: Insta & TikTok = @lagringachelista
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'Quida to Modern English'
00:00:00
Speaker
Quida to Modern English.
00:00:03
Speaker
or Sete Eme English. A podcast of two English teachers who became friends after moving to Chile. We share real life entertaining stories of our experiences in Chile in a conversational way so you can gain exposure to native pacing with the extra support you may not be able to get through the usual forms of media. So you can learn intermediate to advanced English from anywhere in the world. We also do a short vocabulary review at the end to help the new words stick.
00:00:32
Speaker
So grab your coffee, wine or piscole and let's get started. Ladies and gentlemen, we are proudly presenting.
Misunderstandings at a Chilean Airport
00:00:56
Speaker
you said that you had two airport stories so you talked about the chicken what was the other thing that you misheard in an airport okay i'm excited for this one because you don't know this one okay okay i didn't know the chicken either to be fair that was my live reaction okay so it wasn't my first time flying back from santiago
00:01:19
Speaker
But it was my first time buying alcohol ever. And Pisco, you know, in Chile is so incredibly cheap in comparison to in the US. So even the lowest, you know, like Cappelle, well, Cappelle in Indiana is like $40 to $50 a bottle.
00:01:41
Speaker
Oh, wow. Yeah. And so I was like, I'm gonna buy all the Peaceco. And so I bought like two bottles of Peaceco and like a bottle of wine. And I go up to the cash register to check out. And she says something to me in Spanish and I thought that I understood her
00:02:02
Speaker
I do remember I asked her to say it again. And I was like, I told her like, my Spanish is not that great, you know, in Spanish. And then she said it back to me and I was like, okay, she's telling me to move to the right and wait over here. And I think she's gonna give me the bag. And I thought, well, I'll take the bag. And I think you have to take that to the person that checks you in for the airplane because I know that you can't,
00:02:31
Speaker
have, you can't just like bring it straight onto the plane. So I knew that part, but I was like, how does that happen? And how do you get the alcohol on the plane? Like I don't understand. And so I moved over and I was like waiting and waiting and I see her eventually like start to look over at me like, what is she doing?
00:02:55
Speaker
I'm still standing there. And then I remember she said something to me like, are you, are you okay? And I thought she was just like checking on me in between other customers. Like I thought somebody was doing something like putting the bag together somewhere or something. I don't know what I was thinking, but I was so nervous. I was just like, I don't know what's happening. I'm just imagining her looking over and seeing you so nervous standing there. Like, hi, are you okay?
00:03:25
Speaker
I mean, I mean, I don't think I like visually looked nervous. Okay. It was like internal. Yeah. It was like, I was leaning up against the wall, you know, like chilling, just chilling. I can't imagine if I were that cashier, you know, and somebody else had just bought liquor and was just standing there leaning against the wall, staring at you like, when do I get my bag? You know? And so eventually she helped the last customer and
00:03:55
Speaker
Then I went back up to her and I said, where do I pick up my bag? And she was like, oh, that's why you were still waiting there. I was like.
00:04:06
Speaker
and she was like trying to tell me oh they'll give it to you on the plane they'll give it to you on the plane and I was like how will they give it to you on the plane like I don't understand this process but I was like you know what I'm just gonna go I'm just gonna go because I I'm taking up way too much time with this lady and I have to go my flight is leaving like okay whatever and I I really just thought I was abandoning the liquor
00:04:32
Speaker
You're like, I just spent so much money on alcohol and I'm just gonna leave it.
00:04:41
Speaker
So embarrassed and like I felt like a helpless little puppy. I'm just like, I don't know what I'm doing This person is talking to me. I have no idea what she's saying and You know, whatever but anyway, and then I went and sat down and for the first time in my life ever I hear my name over the intercom and I'm like, oh god
00:05:05
Speaker
And so, again, I get really nervous. I mean, like, I'm sweating, you know? And it's so stupid because I spoke enough Spanish at the time. I just couldn't understand when people were talking yet. Yeah. Because I wasn't used to the Chilean accent. And so anyway, I get up to the counter and the guy starts speaking to me in English and my jaw dropped. I was like, oh, my God, somebody that speaks English, thank you. He was like,
00:05:35
Speaker
or girl yeah it makes it so much more stressful when it's a situation like if you've never done it before in english and now you're doing it in spanish it's like yeah yeah and then i realized you know of course like i asked him what is the process for buying liquor and getting on the plane and he was like oh you just have to go in there and they'll give it to you right before you go into the plane and i was like oh
00:06:04
Speaker
got it. It does feel like one of those things that like everyone just knows how to do. Yeah, like no one talks about it. Yeah, because if you're not used to it.
Cultural Clash in Miami
00:06:13
Speaker
Yeah, it's like when I came back into the States, when I was moving back, and the security guards there in Miami just assumed that everybody knew what to do. And this one security guard was just like yelling at people like
00:06:31
Speaker
Get in the line! Get in line! And this poor Chilean in front of me had no idea what that meant or what to do and he was trying to be so nice and he went up to the guy and was, you know, trying to figure out how to say in Spanish, like, what do I do? But
00:06:51
Speaker
or in English and he just couldn't do it and so he started speaking Spanish at the guy and the guy just grunts at him, literally grunted and points at the line and he's like, ugh! And I was like, oh my god.
00:07:08
Speaker
They're so aggressive in Miami. I don't know why. I think this guy was just like really having a bad day. Like I don't know what his deal was, but he must have not had coffee or something. I don't know. It was like four in the morning, but like still, I was like, what is your deal, dude? And so anyway, the poor Chilean just gets this helpless look on his face.
00:07:31
Speaker
I have no idea what to do. This guy's grunting at me. And so I finally like tapped him on the shoulder and I was like, nocesita, hacer un la villa. Oh, gracias, gracias, gracias. Oh my God. And I was just like, oh man, I feel you.
00:07:49
Speaker
Yeah, you're like, I've been you. So I'm gonna you're guardian angel because I would have wanted one when I was in the duty free. Like screw this whole process. Like, they don't even explain it to you. I feel like they need an infographic, you know. And when I was in Miami, I saw there was a group of Chileans in front of me and like you needed to go off to the like we were walking around the airport through security you needed to go
00:08:18
Speaker
to the left to get your bag and then bring it to the right or something. And a guard said that to the people in front of me and they just nodded their heads and just walked straight. And I was like, no, no, no, guys, guys. He told you to go to the left to get your bag. It seems like it's an ongoing issue that they don't explain things well in the airport. No.
00:08:42
Speaker
And actually I do remember the first time that I came to Santiago and I had to recheck my stuff in because I was going from international to domestic. That's when I was flying down to Concepcion. And I remember getting up to where you have to check in your baggage and I was just like again so nervous and I was trying so hard to understand them.
00:09:05
Speaker
And at one point, I felt so dumb because I was like, I know I can speak Spanish like to a certain level. I mean, I'm not fluent. I'm not great at the time, you know?
00:09:18
Speaker
I'm still not great, but I can say that I'm fluent. So this lady was like, I'm going to go ask this other lady who I'm going to go find someone that speaks English, you know? And so she's like yelling this lady's name and like, come over here. And the lady comes over and she starts trying to speak to me and like very broken English. And, and I'm just like, so happy to have somebody that can tell me what to do.
00:09:49
Speaker
Yeah, it's like even I think that's like an important thing to know even for like, if you need English for your work, because you need to interact with English speakers, even if you feel insecure about your level of English.
00:10:04
Speaker
I feel like people are just so grateful that you're even able to explain anything to them because they might feel just as lost as you. Yeah, and actually, it's really interesting now because working in a restaurant where there's a lot of door dashers that come in and pick up
Language Struggles with Venezuelan Drivers
00:10:24
Speaker
food. Door dashes are rappy. Yeah, sorry.
00:10:32
Speaker
We have Uber Eats here too. Yeah, that's fun. But yeah, so they come in and I would say like
00:10:43
Speaker
I don't know, at least 50% of them are from Venezuela and they hardly, barely speak English at all. And so every time they come in, you know, I never assume that they're from Venezuela or anywhere really. I just assume they're from here.
00:11:04
Speaker
But as soon as they start talking and they really don't even know the word for like over there, you know, and I'll just point and I'll be like, you know, over there or whatever. And they respond to me and they're like, yeah. And I might say, yeah. Yeah. And they're like, oh, thank God. Like the same thing that you felt. Yeah, exactly. So I always try when they don't, you know,
00:11:31
Speaker
When they don't speak English to me, I know that they don't speak enough and so I speak Spanish back to them. I was thinking of misunderstandings.
Cake Confusion in Santiago
00:11:42
Speaker
I've had my own fair share and one of the ones that I remember all the time is that I was in Santiago with my now husband with Jorge.
00:11:54
Speaker
And we went to, we wanted to get like a sweet treat. We wanted to get like a piece of cake or something like that. And so we went to this bakery and I really like tres leches cake. And I saw that they had tres leches cake. So I go up to the counter.
00:12:16
Speaker
And I told the guy that worked there, like, yeah, can I please have in Spanish? I told him, can I please have like a slice of tres leches cake? And he responded to me in Spanish and was like, yeah, we have different kinds of tres leches. We have like vanilla, chocolate and like strawberry or something.
00:12:39
Speaker
But I didn't understand that he was telling me that they... I thought that he was just like, oh, you want tres leches? Well, we have vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry cake. I thought he was just telling me about other cakes that they had. And I responded, I was like, I want tres leches.
00:12:59
Speaker
Yeah, and he was like, so nice. He was like, yeah, that's great. Anyways, we have vanilla chocolate or strawberry tres leches. Like, which one do you want? And I was like, tres leches. And he was like, okay, we have vanilla chocolate. And we had this back and forth for so long.
00:13:22
Speaker
When I realized after that the whole time he was like understanding me and just telling me that they had different flavors of thrift such as cake, I was like, I feel so embarrassed. Like, oh my god. I feel like that probably happened to me multiple times. I just can't think of a specific instance of it, but I do know that feeling where you're like,
00:13:45
Speaker
Yeah, I get it. It's like you really don't get it. I was like, why is he trying to sell me their other cakes? Like, stop. Oh, my God. I love that. That's so funny. Yeah, that's like my curse.
00:14:04
Speaker
interaction with someone that works at the store. Also, another thing that's difficult about coming here as a foreign person is that there's a lot of double meanings to words. So if you have a misunderstanding, you might also accidentally say something sexual or accidentally say something offensive.
00:14:26
Speaker
And that has happened to me a lot of times with in different situations. Like I remember when I came here the first time and I was studying abroad, I went to the Fondes during the SEO show. Yeah. And I told my my host mom at the time after asked me like, what did you eat in the Fondes? And I told her I had choro.
00:14:57
Speaker
I was trying to say churro like a churro like a sweet I don't know whatever like cinnamon stick yeah um but she was like what and she I don't know had like a she was kind of laughing at me and I was like no I didn't eat
00:15:16
Speaker
I didn't need that in the fondos. The other weird one that happened to me was with a Spanish teacher that we got through the company that we worked at. I was in a class with her and we were talking about the word sapo. I remember she said something like, do you know what sapo means? She was thinking like frog.
00:15:46
Speaker
And I was like, yeah, do you mean like frog or do you mean the Chilean meaning? And I was thinking of the Chilean meaning like the guy that's in the micro that like, or not the guy that's in the micro, but it's the guy that
00:16:02
Speaker
looks out for the other Mikros, at least in Yinga and Alpo, they call that guy the Sapo. Yeah, because he's nosy. Yeah, he's like watching, like he's like watching for the next Mikro. And so I was thinking of that or like nosy in general, like it has several meanings. And so I was like, so many meanings. And then she turned red. And she was like, Oh, ha ha ha. And I was like, Oh,
00:16:28
Speaker
I didn't mean that. I feel like I always say something that also means like female genitals. Well, I mean, come on, though. That's not my fault. There's literally 5,000 of them in Chile. So I mean, it's, you know, you can't really avoid it. Yeah, I feel like that just adds another layer because I feel like if you have a misunderstanding with the wrong person and they think that you said something sexual to them, it leads to weird situations. Yeah, like imagine being in a job interview.
00:17:03
Speaker
I was so worried when I graduated the software development bootcamp because my first interview, which in order to become a software developer or at a company and to get a job, you have to pass these technical interviews that are just absolutely, I don't even know what one word could possibly describe
Challenges of a Software Interview in Spanish
00:17:25
Speaker
it. It's really annoying. And my very first one was in Spanish.
00:17:31
Speaker
And so it was so frustrating trying to figure out what they were actually asking me. And I will say after I figured it out and after they did switch to English at some point, because software developers have to know a certain level of English usually. And so they explained it to me in English after I was like, you know, it was bizarre anyway what they were the questions that they were asking me. So
00:17:59
Speaker
I didn't feel so bad after that but I tell people now like my first interview was in Spanish and like software developers here and they're like oh my god like that's hardcore yeah because like your first interview is always like you know you're probably 99% of the time not gonna get it unless you went to like school for computer science and even then like probably not
00:18:26
Speaker
And so they were just like, dang, just went all in zero to 100. Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, well, I lived in Chile when I graduated this boot camp, so I needed a job. What are you going to do?
00:18:42
Speaker
Yeah, the good thing is any interview after that will just, no matter what, will be a little less hardcore. Yeah, exactly. That was probably one of the hardest things. When anybody asks me, what was the hardest part about your software development journey or whatever, I'm going to be trying to do an interview in a foreign language.
00:19:05
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. I have a lot of empathy for people that need to learn English for work and need to do it immediately. I think that's so intense. Yeah, there is a Venezuelan that I work with now that came here and
00:19:25
Speaker
I think he started working maybe like a month before I worked at the restaurant and he when I started his English was very very very low and I tried to help him out as much as I could but he really has learned so much and now
00:19:44
Speaker
He can understand people a lot more. There was one time where the chef that was working with him got really upset. This is somebody that is just, nobody likes working with this particular chef.
00:20:00
Speaker
And yeah, I got the picture. Right, right. And so this chef started yelling at him because he wasn't doing what he wanted him to do. And he was like, no, I'm, I'm just asking you something simple. Like, why, why don't you get it? Why don't you understand? And he, I kind of was just like staring at this whole interaction go down and I was like,
00:20:29
Speaker
oh my god rude you know but then he would set me and he starts talking crap about the venezuelan to me
00:20:37
Speaker
And I just stopped him like three sentences in and I just like just looked at him and I was like, I'm not on your side with this one, buddy. I was like, I was like, I'm on his side because when you talk, it's hard for me to understand you and I made it. You're like, that's a you problem.
00:20:59
Speaker
I just think anyone that has tried to learn another language would have more patience. I think it says something when someone thinks that you're not intelligent for not expressing yourself well in your second or third language. It's like, okay, you probably have not tried to learn another language because you don't understand.
00:21:26
Speaker
it's not an intelligence thing and it's crazy how many people treat you like you're really dumb and you're like i'm not dumb i just don't know how to
00:21:39
Speaker
construct these sentences in a way that is clear to you, you know, because I don't have the management, I guess, of the language. I love that I say management of the language because I just translated it from Spanish to English in my head. Yeah, that was English. I don't have the like hold of the language. I don't have control. I don't know what you would say. I would just say maybe the level
00:22:06
Speaker
I don't have the level of the language that I need. Yeah. That's so funny. That is really funny. Sometimes, yeah, it's difficult when you start thinking in Spanish and then you're like, I don't even know if I would ever even say this in English. Like, does that sentence exist? This is a guy that I'm seeing.
Teaching English: Picking up Mistakes
00:22:27
Speaker
I just told him that you and me had this discussion one time about how after teaching English so many times to people in Chile, we tend to like sometimes, randomly, we will say the same mistakes that our students make. Ja. Ja. Because you just hear it so much.
00:22:52
Speaker
you do like sometimes I don't know for example I hear so much people is and not people are yes and sometimes I'll randomly say people is and I'm thinking la gente es or la gente esta and I say people is and I'm like what is how what are you guys doing to me right come on yes what's the other way so much people
00:23:19
Speaker
or take decisions instead of make decisions. I gaslight myself. I have to think for so long about that one. I'm like, is it make decisions? Yes. Yes. Actually, speaking of that last night, I was talking to Jose and he said something about make or do, you know, like flipped it around.
The 'Make' vs. 'Do' Dilemma
00:23:44
Speaker
And I said, oh, I was like, that's like one of the hardest things in English, I think, for native Spanish speakers is knowing the difference between when to use make and when to use do. And so he was like, OK, so what is it? And I was like, well, I think of it as when you make something, you're actually constructing something with your hands or making something come into existence.
00:24:09
Speaker
Whereas if you're doing something, it's an action. And so then he goes, so then why do they say make love? And I just looked at him and I go, you would find the exception, wouldn't you? That's true. Yeah.
00:24:28
Speaker
Well, like, what's weird is with make, there's all of the communication related words, like make a comment, make a suggestion. Yeah. I always have that where I'm like, one is create and one is the action. And then people are like, what about this word? Yeah. And you just think, what about that word? Just forget it. Really? Do you have to just blow my example?
00:24:53
Speaker
Yeah. And like make the bed is the same as like in Spanish. It's like you're not making. Yeah. If you said like, I made a bed. We would think you meant like the wood, you cut out the wood, you like nailed the pieces of board together. That's making a bed.
00:25:15
Speaker
But then if you're like, I made my bed, I would be like, oh, you like, like you just like organized your bed. Yeah, exactly. Super weird. Yeah, very interesting.
Strategies for Language Misunderstandings
00:25:31
Speaker
One question that I feel like would be good for us to maybe respond to considering all of these misunderstandings is like, after having lived through all of these like cringe situations, do you have a strategy or tip for like
00:25:47
Speaker
I don't know surviving misunderstandings that are kind of inevitable or like something that you do. Yes, I do. I highly suggest repeating back to the person what you think they said. Because if you if you've constructed it poorly or wrong,
00:26:08
Speaker
or correctly, but with the other meaning of the double centidos, then they can catch it and go, oh no, and they can explain it a little bit further. Sometimes that helps. I'm not saying that's a catch all. Ooh, what about that phrase? Okay.
00:26:28
Speaker
We'll put that one in the vocabulary for you. But it is something that, you know, I would try. Yeah, for sure. Yeah.
00:26:41
Speaker
And I think maybe on a similar note, I think in the past I would just let things go. I'd be like, oh, whatever. It's not that important if this person thinks I said one thing, but I said something different. But I realized that you don't lose anything by being like, wait, no, that's not what I meant. Because it helps to be understood. And I feel like you generate
00:27:07
Speaker
more genuine relationships with people when they understand what you actually wanted to say. I had a situation where I met someone and I was asking her, she was a forestry engineer. And my question was, I met several forestry engineers and they had kind of this cool hippie vibe. So I was trying to ask like, Oh, are you guys in your career? Is there the stereotype that you're more chill, like relaxed?
00:27:37
Speaker
personality wise. And she thought that I was saying that they don't do any work and are lazy and relaxed and like, it's not difficult their career. Like she kind of wow, kind of misinterpreted that I was saying like, it's relaxed and not difficult. And she kept being very defensive to me and saying, No, it's a lot of work. I'm an engineer, I had to study, I have these certifications, and I had to like, really take a pause and be like, I think that
00:28:06
Speaker
there was a big misunderstanding here like I would never say that I also don't think I could do your job like I think that it's way more complicated than I would be able to understand and so I don't know I just
00:28:21
Speaker
it's so awkward but I think it just like in the end it was so worth it because she saw me for like who I am and saw that like I'm not the kind of person that would judge her career randomly right even though it was like confrontationally awkward and maybe in the past I would be like whatever I'll just let this person hate me I don't care yep
00:28:46
Speaker
I mean, been there, yeah, for sure. And it's good practice, too. And I think one of the things that really helped me was at some point in my life, I started to realize that everything that we do that we want to get better at is a practice. And you can literally apply that mentality to everything. You know what? When I went to Concepcion,
00:29:08
Speaker
I was in this small town in the middle of nowhere, Takamaya, and that town is like such a cute little town in my head. But I read a book and it was talking about the beginner mind in Buddhism and how you have to approach everything as if you were a beginner. And I think I really like that because it brings this aspect of curiosity into everything.
00:29:37
Speaker
And that right there I can say was something that changed my life because I stopped having an ego. Stopped having as big of an ego. Things that people with no ego say. I stopped having an ego. I understand you though.
00:29:59
Speaker
But yeah, in instances like that you have to kind of separate yourself From what's happening and say it's okay that this is happening. Yeah, it's awkward Yeah, I don't want this to be happening but it's a practice and the only way for me to get better at this language is Literally to try and that's it like you just have to keep trying Do not give up
00:30:30
Speaker
Because the minute you give up, you've lost everything that you've worked so hard for. Definitely. And it's not easy. And I think that's actually what makes it so rewarding. Like it is so rewarding to get to the point where you're like, wow, that was a good interaction. Yeah, I got that. I really like was myself another. They understood me.
00:30:58
Speaker
I think also just related to the ego, I feel like no interaction is 100% your responsibility. I had a therapist say that to me once and I was like, yes. I like that. I think a lot of times when we're so insecure about our language skills, we leave an interaction and we're like,
00:31:20
Speaker
that wasn't good, so it's my fault. When it's like, that other person could have probably put in more effort to understand you. Or maybe they, I don't know, we have interactions all the time in our native language where one person doesn't understand the other. So I think like not seeing it so differently when it's you in another language.
00:31:43
Speaker
Yeah. So we would love to hear from you.
Listener Stories & Patreon Announcement
00:31:48
Speaker
Do you have any similar miscommunication or cultural misunderstanding? Anyone listening? If you have a situation like any of the ones that me and Leila shared today, please let us know on Instagram. You can send us a message and we would love to read them and hopefully laugh and share that moment with you like you
00:32:13
Speaker
listen to ours yes and i would say you know specify whether or not you're okay with it being read on our podcast or if you're just messaging the story for a good laugh between us you know yeah we can keep a secret but tell us tell us tell us if it's a secret or if it's like for public use or maybe we should just put a disclaimer that just says
00:32:41
Speaker
be prepared to have it shared on the podcast. Yeah, make it anonymous. Change the names, or we will change them for you. Bobby over here. No one will know.
00:33:00
Speaker
So thank you all for listening. I hope that you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. And stay tuned for the vocab review that we'll have in just a minute. Hey there, English learners. If you're loving our podcast and want to take your English skills to the next level, we've got something special for you. That's right. We've launched our very own Patreon page and it has some exclusive content. By becoming a Patreon, you'll get access to transcripts,
00:33:31
Speaker
study notes from the episodes and interaction on our Patreon forum with us and other listeners where we will post updates and other interesting extras. Plus, you'll be supporting the podcast and helping us create even more quality content for learners all around the world. It's super easy to join. Just head over to patreon.com slash ctmenglish.com.
00:33:56
Speaker
and you can become a member for just $5 a month. And don't forget, as a thank you for your support, you'll also get shout outs on our episodes. So what are you waiting for? Join our Patreon family today and let's keep learning English together.
00:34:15
Speaker
move over or look over. I use both of these phrasal verbs to describe the situation in duty-free at the airport when I was standing at the cash register and moved to the side. This is moving over. When the cashier looked at me from across the room, this is looking over. Over is used to indicate moving across or to the side in both of these cases. Leila says, I know you can't bring it straight
00:34:44
Speaker
onto the plane. The word straight has a lot of uses. One common one is that it means directly. For example, if you ask someone to come straight home, it means come directly home don't go anywhere else.
00:35:00
Speaker
Leaning. I was leaning up against the wall waiting for my alcohol. This means to put my weight on something or put your weight on something. This is also the popular song. Lean on me when you're not strong. I'll be your friend. I'll help you
00:35:25
Speaker
This is because you can also use this word to talk about emotional support. Leila also said she felt like a helpless little puppy when she didn't understand what the woman in Duty Free was saying. Helpless means vulnerable and unable to defend oneself. If you think of this suffix in English less when we add it to words,
00:35:50
Speaker
It means that you don't have whatever the thing is that comes before it. So hopeless means you don't have any hope. And helpless is like you don't have any help. You're all by yourself and often used with like a baby lamb or a cute little animal that's very vulnerable.
00:36:12
Speaker
My jaw dropped. When the man at the airport counter could speak in English, I said that my jaw dropped. This means that my mouth was open in surprise, as in it dropped to the ground. It's a little exaggerated. Leila mentioned that a Chilean in the airport in Miami was trying to figure out what to do, and the security guard grunted at him.
00:36:41
Speaker
To grunt is an onomatopoeia, which means that the word itself is based on the sound that it's named after. So grunt sounds like this kind of sound that you can make at someone.
00:37:03
Speaker
It's not very polite, but this would be a grunt. Screw this. Talking about how confusing airports can be, I said, screw this whole process. This means I'm done with this process. I don't want to deal with it. I'm over it. Throw the whole thing away. When talking about the food delivery people that come to her work,
00:37:30
Speaker
Leila said, I never assume that they are from Venezuela. I like this little way to remember the word assume.
00:37:39
Speaker
and how it's spelled. My art teacher taught me this when I was in school. To assume makes an ass out of you and me. So if you think about writing the word assume, it's A-S-S-U and then M-E. So an ass out of you and me. It also reminds you not to assume.
00:38:05
Speaker
weirded out. They get weirded out when I speak in Spanish to people at work. This is a phrasal verb to say people react negatively to you and think you're abnormal, acting out of the norm. Also when talking about the people coming into Leila's work, she used the expression that in the beginning when she's speaking to them in English and they don't understand, they have glazed over eyes.
00:38:33
Speaker
If your eyes glaze over, they become dull and lose all expression. Usually because you're bored or thinking about something else or don't understand what's going on. So you could say, in the meeting, I really didn't get what was happening and I got bored, so my eyes glazed over.
00:38:57
Speaker
a back and forth. When Maggie was in the bakery and continued asking for Tres Leches cake and the cashier kept responding, which cake do you want? This was a back and forth, meaning the conversation is bouncing back and forth between the two people. When talking about going straight to a Spanish language software development job interview, Leila said she went all in.
00:39:26
Speaker
And to go all in, this expression comes from poker. Imagine that you're putting all of your eggs in one basket or all of your poker chips, all of your money, you push it into the middle of the table. You put everything at risk and don't take the safe option.
00:39:51
Speaker
You go straight to the difficult option. You put everything on the line. That would be to go all in. And you can use it in a lot of ways, like with money, but you could also say if you're in a long distance relationship and you decide to just move to a different country for someone that you went all in.
00:40:13
Speaker
And just remember, practice doesn't make perfect. Intentional and mindful practice makes progress. And that is way more important.