Comments on: 6 tips for sounding like a local

By: Brush With Fame: Psychedelic Furs’ Tim Butler in BFE, KY

Brush With Fame: Psychedelic Furs’ Tim Butler in BFE, KY — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:34:20 +0000

[...] myself that I had surely composed the perfect ice-breaking line, a line so clever it had to be my ticket into the closed environs of the celebrity, I approached, [...]

By: Sarah Menkedick

Sarah Menkedick — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:35:50 +0000

Hey Liz,

A great filler for Mexico is “este.” I hear it (and use it) here all the time. For example, “Y había este, este, este cosa…” Hope that helps!

By: Liz Main

Liz Main — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:30:03 +0000

Using a filler sounds like a great idea to buy time. What fillers would you recommend in Mexico? Do you even think of using fillers in PR after all this time?

By: David

David — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:31:11 +0000

Boricua Pa’ que tu lo sepas!

By: LeahM

LeahM — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:02:02 +0000

This is great advice — I can especially relate to #2, because I’m living in London and trying to learn Spanish so I can move to Mexico in a few years…. but the “Spain” Spanish you typically learn here is soooo different than Latin American Spanish! The vosotros drives me crazy!!

By: Benny the Irish polyglot

Benny the Irish polyglot — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:18:48 +0000

Great!! I’m going to attempt to speak Brazilian Portuguese as good as a local this year, so all of these tips will be essential. Thanks

By: Linda

Linda — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:16:47 +0000

Great advice! Thoroughly enjoyed the insight from someone who has “been there, done that”!

By: Jared Krauss

Jared Krauss — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:22:39 +0000

Hey Jared! First off, great name!
Secondly, you just helped me realize why after only a week and a half of living in London this march a guy from Cambridge asked me where in London I lived and not where in the United States I was from.

I always knew that when I was speaking to locals it’s easier to use slang words they use to get your meanings across. For instance, in London I would call the subway the subway I would call it the “tube”; there’s also the “loo”, “football”, “pint”, the list goes on and on.

Also, some of your other information is some things I hadn’t thought about before. I never really thought about the gossip or opening myself up to other teachers. I’m going to be taking my first course of Arabic this fall at the University of Iowa and will be sure to try and get a new teacher the following semester.

Thanks again for sharing!
Cheers,
Jared.

P.S. See I still have an old habit from London.

By: Jared Romey

Jared Romey — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:10:29 +0000

Liz,

Way too long!! And it’s still an ongoing process.

Jared

By: Ryukyu Mike

Ryukyu Mike — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:05:54 +0000

Excellent advice! I can only add, a native speaker of the language is always the best. It’s hilarious to me, being in Japan, to hear a Japanese English teacher teaching students English. No, not hilarious; it’s bordering on criminal !