JUST SAY IT!

Originally Published the Week of April 1, 2025 in Western Outdoor Publications

I honestly wish I was better.

After 30 years in Mexico, one would think that I would be fluent in Spanish.  But, I’m ashamedly not even close.

I get along OK.  I know “working Spanish” and enough slang and bad words to get by.  Barely. 

I had 4 years of high school Spanish and 2 years of college Spanish, and you would think I’d be better.  How the heck did I ever pass those classes and still sound as bad as I do?

But I admit, I’m bluffing most of the time.  What’s the saying, “Fake it until you make it?”  Well, after 3 decades, I’m kinda giving up hope. 

I continually and consciously try to improve by adding vocabulary words and phrases as often as I can. However, my advances in the Spanish language move forward like a creeping iceberg.

But, I do my best. 

My problem is actually my formal education in Spanish.  The Spanish we were taught in school is Castilian Spanish.  It’s the very formal Spanish that came from Europe. 

So, it provides a rudimentary structure for communicating, but because of it, my brain still says that I must adhere to certain rules of grammar.

In my brain, I’m still conjugating verbs and thinking about masculine and feminine nouns and sentence structure.  I’m overthinking it.

It slows me down.  It causes me to stumble. It causes me to be cautious when I speak.  I want to do it so correctly, that I sometimes just shut up. 

Or I screw it up anyway.

And using Castilian Spanish in many places in Mexico and especially the frontera (frontier) like Baja is akin to a Shakespearan-trained student from Oxford conversing with someone from deep Mississippi.  (Nothing against the South…Our U.S. home is in the South.  We love ya’ll!)

There’s a basis of communication, but there are some gaps and holes in the conversation!

So, I bluff.  I nod a lot and say things like “Si.” Or “Correcto.” Or simple phrases like “Tienes razon.”  (You’re right!)

Eventually and thankfully, I’ve developed an ear and usually I finally get the meaning across and under what’s being said.

Hopefully, no worse for wear and tear.  And we go on our way smiling.

I run into so many visitors down here like me.

It’s not like Spanish is truly “foreign” per se.  The language and culture are not strange to the American ear, psyche or way of life.

We drink the beer.  We crave the food.

Either ourselves, family or out best neighbors and co-workers have roots south of the border. We celebrate Cinco de Mayo and don’t know why. 

The language and culture are inescapable in the U.S.

The point is, Americans know a lot more Spanish than we think.  If not from somewhere along the formal education process, then certainly just living and existing exposes us to so much.

But, like me, I hear folks tell me, they’re afraid of trying out their Spanish when they come south.  Afraid of saying something wrong.  Nervous about screwing up.

It makes me grin, but I have all the admiration in the world for folks who give it a try.  The locals are very patient and, especially in the tourist areas, at least speak a modicum of “Span-glish.”

They appreciate the attempt.

Even when I hear folks do their best by simply adding “El” in front of every word.  And they add “O” at the end.

I hear things like “Where-O is-O el hotel-O?”

Good for them. At least they are trying!

My wife Jill is a perfect example. 

She understands Spanish better than myself. I think I speak better Spanish.

But, I honestly cringe sometimes when she speaks.  The grammar is wrong.  Her pronunciation is wrong. 

But, darnit.  She rocks.  Like everything she does.  She is fearless.  She just charges in there and starts talking.  Jumps right in with both feet into conversation.

No point in trying to correct her.  If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!

And she’ll go on and on and she gets her point across. 

Bravo!

She thinks about what she says, not particularly how to say it. 

I spend too much time thinking about how to say things.  Too much precision!

 She just says it and shoots her Spanish out there and enough of it sticks that the conversation moves along quite well.

I need to be more like that. More like her.

I think more visitors should be like that.  Just say it and see what sticks!  Have some fun. 

It’s not like you’re negotiating business deals or talking about international free trade agreements.

You’re on vacation.  You’re ordering tacos and a margarita.  You’re looking for a taxi or the ice machine or asking your captain how many kids he has.

Share the language.  Share the smiles! 

That’s my story!

Jonathan

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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.com.  They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront.  If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com

Or drop by the restaurant to say hi.  It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!

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