古巴是西語系國家,絕大部份的古巴人都是完全不懂或只懂很簡單的英語 。所以學一些基本的西班牙語對於旅遊古巴是很有幫助的。
Cuba is
a Spanish speaking country and most Cubans speak no English. Therefore, learning some Spanish prior to
setting off for Cuba is advisable.
我嚴重低估了古巴的英文普及度,在出發前只懂得「你好」和「謝謝」兩個字,也很不幸的沒有下載offline的翻譯app,結果我吃了不少苦頭。而我在三個星期內也學了一些單字和短句。我把它們整理成數篇文章和大家分享一下。
I
greatly underestimated the English literacy in Cuba; I only knew “hello” and
“thank you” in Spanish prior to setting off.
I didn’t download an offline translator app either. I ended up giving myself a crash course
in basic Spanish through practicing with Cubans.
Here’re some words and phases I learned in my 3 weeks travel.
Hola - 這是我唯二懂得的西文字之一,意思指「喂」,打招呼的不二選擇。西班牙語中H是不發音的,所以Hola的發音是O-la
(柯拿)。 在古巴的街上就算你不和古巴人打招呼,很多時他們也會和你說一句¡Hola! 事實上,以一個微笑和一句¡Hola!作為開始,很有可能為你贏盡古巴人的友誼!
Hola – This is one of the only 2 Spanish words I knew, means “hi”, the opening of
nearly all encounters. H is not
pronounced in Spanish, so hola is pronounced as O-la. In fact, Cubans often say “¡Hola!”
even if you don’t
greet them. Seriously, a smile with “¡Hola!”
will go a long way
when you’re in Cuba.
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Gracias - 這個是我懂得的另一個西文字,是「多謝」的意思。所謂「禮多人不怪」,這是我在古巴第二常用的字。它的發音是Gra-ci-as。
Gracias – This is the other Spanish word I knew, means “thank you”. Pronounced as Gra-ci-as.
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Si - 這是「對」或「是」的意思。它的發音是See。
Si – It means “yes” or “correct”, pronounced as See.
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No - 和英文一樣,是「不對」或「否」的意思,發音也和英文一樣。
No – Same as English, both meaning and pronunciation.
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Por favor - 這是「請」或「麻煩你」的意思。發音為 Paul-fa-Ba。
Por favor – This is “please”. Pronounced as Paul-fa-Ba.
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Disculpe - 這是「麻煩,打擾一下」的意思,和英文「excuse me」一樣。發音為dis-Coo-pe。
Disciple – This is “excuse me”, when you try to get
someone’s attention. Pronounced as
dis-Coo-pe.
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Permiso - 這也是「excuse me」,不過是「麻煩借過一下」的意思。發音為Per-mi-so。
Permiso – This is also “excuse me”, but it’s when you want someone to move
aside. Pronounced as Per-mi-so.
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Lo siento - 這是「對不起」的意思。發音為lo si-En-toe。
Lo siento – It means “sorry”, pronounced as lo si-En-toe.
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Adiós - 這是「再見」或「拜拜」的意思。發音是A-di-ós (阿D柯斯)。
Adiós – This is “good bye”, pronounced as A-di-ós.
雖然學了這幾個字我也不會聽懂古巴人的回答,所謂「事要一步一步做,飯要一口一口吃」,這是打開話題的一個開始。
I know I
still wouldn’t understand what Cubans said to me after learning a few words,
but I had to start somewhere, hadn’t I?
Little by little, I’m sure I’ll get there one day.