"Estoy limpiando", said my friend the other day as we chatted after a chance meeting at the Supermarket.
Felix is a transplanted New Yorkrican, which is a key clue to this story.
In Spanish, "estoy limpiando" means "I am cleaning."
"Que hay sucio?" I asked him a little puzzled ("What's dirty?").
Now he was the one looking puzzled... then it dawned on him.
He looked a little sheepish as he switched to English and told me that his foot hurt.
I was puzzled again; our conversation had skidded off the road somehow... then it dawned on me and I smiled.
Felix had taken the English verb "to limp" and added a Spanish ending to Spanglasize the verb to "limpiando" - a Spanish vern whose meaning is "to clean."
I smiled as I explained to him the whole thing... he laughed as well and then asked me what the Spanish word for "limping" is.
I searched my brain for a while looking for it... it didn't float easily at first.
"You can say 'estoy cojo'... or 'estoy medio cojo', I suggested... 75% sure.
He nodded as he grabbed a jar of Pace Picante salsa from a giant offering of a million real Mexican salsa jars.
Felix is a transplanted New Yorkrican, which is a key clue to this story.
In Spanish, "estoy limpiando" means "I am cleaning."
"Que hay sucio?" I asked him a little puzzled ("What's dirty?").
Now he was the one looking puzzled... then it dawned on him.
He looked a little sheepish as he switched to English and told me that his foot hurt.
I was puzzled again; our conversation had skidded off the road somehow... then it dawned on me and I smiled.
Felix had taken the English verb "to limp" and added a Spanish ending to Spanglasize the verb to "limpiando" - a Spanish vern whose meaning is "to clean."
I smiled as I explained to him the whole thing... he laughed as well and then asked me what the Spanish word for "limping" is.
I searched my brain for a while looking for it... it didn't float easily at first.
"You can say 'estoy cojo'... or 'estoy medio cojo', I suggested... 75% sure.
He nodded as he grabbed a jar of Pace Picante salsa from a giant offering of a million real Mexican salsa jars.
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