The Official 'Ask Dave' Section ----

Question

I have a question in regards to "oír" and "escuchar". As I was going over some of the frames in the lesson on the soft "d", sentence #4. "Siempre escucha ruidos." Why wasn't "oye" used instead since oír means "to hear" and "escucha" means "to listen to"? Are they interchangable?

WJLS

Answer

Hola WJLS!

That’s a great question. Officially (found in textbooks) the word “escuchar” means “to listen” and “oír” means “to hear”. However, what native speakers in many countries actually say is much different (except in Spain).

You can never substitute “oír” for “escuchar/to listen”; “oír” always means “to hear” and never “to listen”, however, many native speakers in regions of Latin America often substitute “escuchar” for “oír/to hear”. So, in every-day common speak, “escuchar” can mean “to listen” OR “to hear”.

Let me give you an example. A good question that could use both is the phrase “Have you heard of her?” Using it with “oír”, it would be “¿Has oído hablar de ella? Many native speakers often substitute “escuchar” in for “oír” in this case; they say “¿Has escuchado de ella? which according to the textbooks means “Have you listened about her?”, but in common speak means “Have you heard of her?”

I had some people from Spain revise our course and they did bring up the same point you did and that it wouldn’t be correct in Spain. The good thing is that just about all of the words in The Complete Visual Link Spanish™ Course have specifically chosen to work in any country you go to.

Hopefully that answers your question.

Hasta luego,

Dave

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Words of the Week -----
Taken from our complete CD-ROM course. (Click for a discount)

Weekly Spanish Lesson ----

For this week's lesson, click below to learn 12 basic Spanish Survival expressions with audio. You'll hear María from Mexico model each.

To check it out, click here: Interactive Lesson on Survival Expressions

P.S. - If you don't have the Complete Visual Link Spanish™ Course, click below and get free shipping through the newsletter!



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Culture ----- The Cold-Fish and Other Important Handshakes

As I have mentioned in previous newsletters, when Latin Americans greet each other, they almost always shake hands, hug or kiss each other. It's important to know about this cultural difference so you aren't thrown off by your first few greetings when visiting Latin America.

As I have mentioned, when women who are friends or relatives greet each other, they usually give each other a kiss on the cheek. Men greeting women, in a casual non-business setting, will also give each other a kiss on the cheek. When men greet men in a similar setting, they will often give each other a handshake and/or a hug. The key is to be aware of the different greetings and follow the lead of the Latin person you are greeting. Latin people that have lived in the U.S. for a while usually have adopted U.S. customs when greeting Americans.

Now the important question of the day is, what happens when you are in a more formal setting, where you would normally shake hands, but the woman you are going to greet is carrying things in her arms? What should you do? This happens frequently and because of it, an interesting cultural norm has been created.

First see if you can guess the correct answer for this situation:

a. Avoid eye contact because it could be embarrassing if she couldn't shake your hand.

b. Offer to shake her hand anyway. Handshakes are so important that she will probably put everything down to shake your hand.

c. Shake her forearm.

d. Just wave to her and wink (but only in a politically correct way).

And...the correct answer is - (I'll keep you in suspense for a minute; please scroll down for the answer.)





































The correct answer is "d. Shake her forearm". Forearm handshakes were so common in Latin America that it seemed like I shook a woman's forearm almost daily. The first time it happened to me, the lady put out her forearm and I had no idea what she was doing. It was a little embarrassing for both of us. Later on, I realized that you actually shake her forearm when that happens.

Now to the art of forearm shaking: Gently grab the forearm a few inches down from the elbow with a few fingers and your thumb. Very gently move your hand up and down a few times. CAUTION: Don't give a "strong" forearm shake or make jerking movements up and down as you could cause the person to drop everything they are carrying!

Changing the subject just a little, the first time you shake a Latin woman's hand, and she isn't holding anything in her arms, be prepared for a surprise. Unlike Latin America, when I shake men's and women's hands in the U.S., they usually use a very strong grip. Some U.S. women even have stronger grips than some U.S. men. However, this is not so in Latin America. Men usually use a strong grip, but women generally leave their hand still and sort of limp. When you shake their hands, they don't grip at all. It reminds me of shaking a "cold fish". The first time I shook one of their hands, I tried to get a better grip, then realized that she was making no effort to grip my hand.

At first, I thought this cultural difference was maybe just a phenomenon in the country I was living in. Then I went to live in another Latin American country and the same thing happened. Recently, I met a neighbor here in the U.S. who is originally from Guatemala, just south of Mexico, when I shook her hand it was the same as every other "cold-fish" handshake I had experienced in Latin America. If anyone knows the reason behind this cultural phenomenon, please let us know why they shake hands in this intriguing way.

If you are not prepared for this type of handshake, it can be very shocking the first time you experience it. It can make you wonder if you have offended the person whose hand you are shaking or if everything is okay. But if you realize it's simply part of the culture, you'll be prepared for it.

It is my understanding that Latin businesswomen don't do this handshake as much as the average housewife. If you, our newsletter subscribers, have any insights on this as well as how handshakes are done around the world, please write us. We would love to hear your feedback.

Moral of the Story: This is a cultural difference that can really catch you off guard if you're not ready for it. Be prepared for it and you'll do great. Be sure to practice the "forearm handshake" on a friend.

Sneak peek at next week: "The Tacaño Hand Gesture"

¡Qué tengan un buen día! ("Have a great day!")

David S. Clark -- President / Director
Visual Link Spanish™
Fun, Interactive Spanish Courses
http://www.learnspanishtoday.com
dave@learnspanishtoday.com

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Responses to Past Newsletters:



Note: Formatting on responses may have been changed to fit your screen.
Dear Dave,

Thanks for re-sending the lesson on Spanish first names. It made me think of my own first name, "Valeda," which I have heard is common in Spain. (I go by Val everywhere except in my parents' home.) Since I haven't yet travelled to Spain, I don't know if this information is true or not. Does anyone know if my name is common in Spain? I would greatly appreciate knowing. Thanks.

Val

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