Visual Link Spanish(TM) Newsletter - Volume 6 Issue 12

Current # of Subscribers: 160,160

This issue:
1. Testimonial
2. Weekly Spanish Lesson - “Numbers”
3. Words of the Week
4. Ask Dave Section - “Is this correct, que tenga, tengas, tengan”
5. Culture Lesson - “The Spanish John and Jane Doe, Who are They?”
6. Responses to Past Newsletters

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Visual Link Spanish(TM) Testimonial –
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HELLO MR. CLARK!

I’M REALLY ENJOYING MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE INTO THE SPANISH LANGUAGE.
MY DAUGHTER IS FLUENT IN THE LANGUAGE, AND SHE HAS BEEN A VALUABLE
HELP TO ME. SHE IS IMPRESSED WITH THE LESSONS, ESPECIALLY THE
PRONUNCIATION SECTION. I’VE USED YOUR SUGGESTION IN A LA TIENDA IN
DETROIT LAST MONTH. I WAS SO GLAD I DID, BECAUSE THE WOMAN ACTUALLY
UNDERSTOOD ME! I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT AT NEARLY 60 YEARS OLD
I’D BE ABLE TO LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE. WHAT FUN!!!

THANKS!

RENEE MURASKI

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Weekly Spanish Lesson—Numbers
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For the weekly lesson this week, click below to learn numbers from
1-62. You’ll hear María from Mexico model each number.

To check it out, click here:
http://www.learnspanishtoday.com/learn/numbers.htm

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Words of the Week
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Taken from our complete CD-ROM course —–

Monday / now / ahora
Tuesday / later / luego
Wednesday / in an hour / en una hora
Thursday / in (5) minutes / en (cinco) minutos
Friday / it / lo/la
Saturday / also / también
Sunday / something / algo

Click Here to login and access your free membership and lessons.
http://www.learnspanishtoday.com/login.phtml

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The Official “Ask Dave” Section —–
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Dave, According to your examples then would these be the correct?
Hope you had a great Christmas. thanks, Amy (OK to use my name)

“¡Que tengan un buen día!”
(Ustedes)

“¡Que tengas un buen día!”
(Tu)

“¡Que tenga un buen día!”
(Usted)

Answer

Yes Amy,

That is correct. Good job!

Gracias,

Dave

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Culture —– The Spanish John and Jane Doe, Who are They?
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In English, when we’re writing a letter that will be used as an
example in business or in a textbook, we usually address it with,
“Dear John” or “Dear Jane”. And, we usually sign it, “Sincerely, John
Doe” or “Sincerely, Jane Doe”.

John and Jane Doe, who are obviously married and model citizens, also
have their names on government and employment forms as they show us,
by their perfect examples, the correct way to fill out those
difficult forms. Some of us tend to get frustrated as “John” and
“Jane” seem to be the epitome of perfection in our society, and we
are just the “average Joe” never able to reach their level of
perfection.

By the way, “John and Jane Doe” have a less than perfect son named
“The Average Joe”. Joe hates filling out forms and got “b’s” and
“c’s” in school. Like his parents, however, “The Average Joe” also
seems to be everywhere. Whenever we give examples to people about
things that happen in life, we refer to “the average Joe”. We say
things like “Let’s consider ‘the average Joe’ in this situation”, and
so on. Like his parents “John” and “Jane”, he is also very popular in
our American culture.

Now we’ll change our topic a little and talk about Latin America.
When I was living in my first Latin American city, I always heard
about a guy named “Fulano” [foo-lawn-oh]. Everyone seemed to know
him, but I never had the opportunity to meet him. After a while, I
learned that his full name was “Fulano de Tal” (Fulano of Such). As
time went on, and I lived in a few more cities, everyone still talked
this “Fulano” guy. After a while of being immersed in my new
language, I finally realized that “Fulano de tal” was the long lost
relative of “John and Jane Doe” and their son “The Average Joe”. I
think he was their second Latin American cousin twice removed whose
parents fled from America in the late 1800s after the Gold Rush. He
has since traveled throughout Central and South America and seems to
have the genetic makeup of all three of his American counterparts.

I also found out that “Fulano” has two brothers named “Mengano” and
“Zutano”. They just happen to be first cousins with “Tom”, “Dick”,
and “Harry” in the United States. So, when people refer to any “Tom,
Dick, and Harry” in the U.S., they can also refer to their cousins
“Fulano, Mengano, and Zutano” in Latin America.

It was fun for me to find out that “John and Jane Doe” and “The
Average Joe”, exist in Latin America in the form of “Fulano”. Just
out of curiosity, for international subscribers, is there a “Fulano”
type character in your country?

Moral of the Story: Next time you are talking to someone in Spanish
and they mention “Fulano”, you’ll know that they are talking about
“The Average Joe”, “John or Jane Doe”, or just “so and so”.

Sneak peek at next week: “Provecho / Servido - Manners While Someone
is Eating”

¡Hasta luego! (”Until later”)

David S. Clark — President / Director
Visual Link Spanish(TM)
Fun, Interactive Spanish Courses
http://www.learnspanishtoday.com
dave_c@learnspanishtoday.com

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Responses to Past Newsletters
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Response #1

Hi Dave,

My daughter and I live in Lima, Peru with my husband. We have been
here about 3 months. I have noticed a tremendous difference in the
way families live here. Just as you stated in the newsletter, elderly
parents often live with their children. Children have a great deal
more respect for the grandparents and older Tia’s and Tio’s. Just
yesterday I met some Tias and forgot to give the customary hug and
kiss and was chided for it. Americans are so independent and often do
not want to be bothered with family outside the immediate circle. My
daughter and I had birthdays last week and I didn’t want a party, no
one could understand that. Even for the childrens’ parties family
members of all ages gather to celebrate which is what we did for my
daughter’s birthday. In America I don’t think many grandparents
bothered with the kiddie parties unless to assist with management of
the group of children.

My point being love and respect comes from all members of the family
and it is not considered a burden to do so. I didn’t always get that
feeling at family events in America. There is not an hour that goes
by that I don’t see family groups walking around that do not include
the elderly grandparents. I believe the grandparents have a more
active role in the raising of the children too. I know my daughter’s
abuela is the center of her universe and hardly a day goes by without
them seeing each other. You are expected to make an appearance when a
tio or tia visits from another part of the city. Some family members
have only met us once or known us a short time but we are included,
respected, and loved just the same as any other family member, which
teaches the children to give respect and love especially to the
elderly.

I mean how could I not just love, respect, do anything possible for
the elderly family when they accepted and loved us from the moment of
our arrival and are present and included at any family fiesta?
Americans often don’t want to be bothered with the older ones in the
family, and sometimes that is because honestly the elderly are not
always the cheeriest people to be around. While here the beer glass
is passed to the older ones who share in the fiesta just as much as
the younger and enjoy it just as much too.

Thank you!

Deborah Ore

Response #2

Hola David

In respond to the Culture section of recent newletter. I’m a Hong
kong Chinese, we Chinese are generally living in big family, 2 to 3
generations in a house, our house is even very small too due to the
limited territorries and expensive property market. I’m not surprised
that the Latin America people live in the same culture as we do. We
called the one who has good fortune in their twilight years while
grand children and children are full in a house

Feliz Navidad

Maggie

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