Lola Lagos: Notas explicativas

1. The majority of Spaniards take vacations in August. 2. Spaniards make bocadillos (subs) with many things cold cuts, canned fish, Spanish tortilla (egg and potato

omelette), etc. 3. The word Kleenex is almost always used to refer to paper tissues. 4. Radio Nacional de Espaa is the state-run radio station. 5. Hortera now means vulgar, low -life, someone with bad taste but high aspirations. 6. Nunca se sabe is used to say that something could happen, alt hough it seems difficult. 7. El Parque del Retiro is a large park in the middle of Madrid. There are many bars with terraces where you can get something to eat. 8. El Palacio Velzquez is inside of the Parque del Retiro. Its a 19 th century building that is currently used as an

exhibit hall. 9. La Cibeles is a classic symbol of Madrid. Its a fountain situated in the intersection of two main roadsAlcal

and the Paseo del Prado. Cibeles refers to the whole area around this intersection. 10. No tienes ojos en la cara? is an expression. Its used to express anger when someone hasnt seen something. 11. Un piropo is a phrase that a man says to a woman, praising her beauty. Its still fairly frequent that men in

streets say these to women; Spanish women arent too fond of the custom. Nena is a familiar and somewhat paternalistic form of address used for younger women. Literally it means girl. 12. In Spain its pretty common to use t between young people or middle aged, including those in p rofessional relationships. 13. El orujo is a strong drink, a type of alcohol, thats mostly produced in Galicia. Its usually consumed after a

meal, and not usually by women. 14. In Spain, before eating, its common to have a drink and to eat some tapa s (picar algolike small bits, nibble) olives, fries, etc. 15. S y noused when theres not a straight answer.

16. La Moralejaan upscale neighborhood, with luxurious houses, in the north of Madrid. Lots of famous people live there. 17. On tv in Spain one can see a lot of Latin American soap operas (telenovelas) with complicated love stories.

They are usually very long (100s of episodes_ and they are popularly called culebrones (big snakes or cobras). 18. To/ta is a slang way of saying person or individual. It can also be a bit course Oye tohey you! 19. Cava is sparking wine from Catalonia (north east coast near France.) Its similar to champaign. Its the most popular drink for parties. Its widely consumed at Christmas and there are ma ny commercials for it, which can be

very long and very expensive. 20. There are many private security companies. Many stores, banks and neighborhoods use their services for protection. Guards usually wear uniforms and carry weapons. 21. Business meetings dont usually start right off talking about the topic; they start off talking about other things first, for a more personal touch. 22. Lately many Latin Americans have arrived in Spain looking for work. Its very common to see them working as domestic help, like in the Monasterio house. 23. Latin America uses lindo for attractive/pretty; bonito is more common in Spain. 24. The majority of office workers begin work between 8:30-9:00. 9:00 is when high schools start and many businesses open. 25. Many Madrid cab drivers ask clients for their preferred route.

26. In Madrid there are many problems with traffic. 27. Madrid de las Asturias is the center of old Madrid. There are many buildings from the 16 th and 17th centuries.

28. Gazpacho is cold soup originally from Andaluca (southern Spain), popular in the summer. Its made with

tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, cucumbers, bread crumbs, oil, vinegar all raw. 29. Spaniards drink a lot of beer, especially in the summer. They prefer them very cold. 30. El Telediario is the typical name of the tv news. 31. Mi nia is a term of affection that can be used for kids and young women. 32. The diminutives ito/ita is used a lot in families. Luis/Luisito, Rosa/Rosita, etc. Some people are always referred to with the diminutive. Sometimes its used as a term off affection (abuelita).

33. Las Ventas is a zone in Madrid near the bullfighting arena. 34. In many neighborhood bars in Spain, there is a tv and slot machines/video games, which can be very noisy. In the majority of bars you can eat somethingtapas, sandwiches. Many of the tapas are fried in oilcalamares, fish,

croquettes (like fritters), etc. 35. El Parque del Oeste and the area around the Pintor Rosales street has traditionally been a high class area. Near

the part are a lot of bars with terraces. 36. Boquerones are classic tapas. They are anchovies soaked in vinegar and covered in garlic. They are eaten all

over Spain as tapas. 37. Dehesa is a field where cows and bulls graze. 38. Divide y vencers= divide and conquer. Create problems amongst your enemies so theyll fight each other instead of you.

39. Its common to eat/drink somethink in mid -morning. Some go to a bar, others have it brought to the office or wherever they work. 40. Agencia EFE is one of the most important press agencies in Spain.