Spanish for Beginners: Katie's Cheat Sheet

I don't speak Spanish. And we are going to be living there for three whole months (and three days) this summer. I've been working with the online Rosetta stone through our local library, but it's stopping for some reason at the end of the month. And all I've learned how to say so far is "el coche es rojo" (the car is red) and "el niño está saltando" (the boy is jumping) and similar version of the same sentences.

Now, Zach speaks Spanish. Very well. He also speaks four other languages, but now I'm just bragging about him. So, he'll spout off some words in Spanish and look at me expectantly like, "is any of this registering?" And I say, "mis potatas son las mejores!" which is a phrase the million Spanish speakers at my old job taught me one time and the one phrase I always revert to in a Spanish crisis. So, I've had Zach sit down and translate some phrases for me (he doesn't like one of the questions). These are question and answer scenarios that I expect to encounter while abroad.

So, here are questions, in English and Spanish, and we can all learn them together. Except you people who already speak it. You can just go and watch some telenovelas or something. I enjoy La Traición.

Questions I may be asked:
Q: Are they twins?
A: Yes, they are twins.

P:¿Son gemelos?
R:Sí, son gemelos.

Q: How old are they?
A: They are two.

P:¿Cuántos años tienen?
R:Tienen dos.

Q: Are they identical/fraternal?
A: We don't know.

P:¿Son gemelos idénticos o fraternos?
R:No tenemos ni idea.

Q: Are they both boys?
A: Yes, they are both boys (I don't know why people ask this)

P:¿Son machos o hembras?
R:Claro que son machos (no sé porque me piden eso).

Questions I may ask:
Q: How much is this?
A: Too expensive for you.

P: ¿Cuánto vale esto?
R: Demasiado.

Q: Do you have this in a larger size?
A: No, all Europeans are skinnier than you.

P: ¿Tienes esto en tamaño más grande?
R: No, los europeos somos más flacas que ti.

Q: Does this have seafood in it?
A: Yes, all our food, even the bread, has seafood.

P: Esta comida ¿contiene mariscos?
R: Por supuesto, toda nuestra comida, aun el pan, contiene mariscos.

Q: Why?
A: Because we are a coastal region. It's a part of our culture, dummy!

P: ¿Por qué?
R: Porque es la cultura de la costa, tonta.

Q: Oh.
A: That's right.

P: Oh.
R: Ya.

Picture: http://chss2.montclair.edu/spanish-italian/