I am a total beginner

[katz112]

Hello
I have just joined this forum as I am learning the language. I started about a week ago. I am a total beginner. I want to learn the language because I travel to LA a lot and coming in December I am traveling to Santiago, Chille. I do already speak english (I live in Michigan), and I also speak German, (German/Austrian relatives).
I want to learn this language because I am frequently passed up by spanish speaking people because I dont know it.
I need help.
I guess this is kinda funny. I am also a Lucy fan (Along with my Dad)and when I am clicking the remote and pass an ep...I watch it. Then "Ricky" spouts spanish and I am sprinting to my books to find out what he said.

As I was watching an ep of Lucy...what the heck was "Ricky" saying?

Tengo= To Have? or I have?
sounds like....Kah eel may (Ka, eel(lsounds like electric eel), may (Like the month May) Kah eel may.

"Ricky"said, Tengo Kaheelmay....I am guessing....have Fun maybe?


Next word...

Macho Grasta......on the Lucy show...Ricky said it means "big fat Pig"? I looked that up also......what?....pig is cerdo.

Thanks!!

katz

[poli]

You have a good ear for someone who is just starting. Tengo kaheelmay is
tengo que irme which means I've got to go. Tengo kaheelmay sounds like tengo que irme with a Cuban accent , and Desi certainly was Cuban. Macho grasta doesn't sound like anything I have heard.

[katz112]

Thanks for the replyPoli!

macho grasta...is what is said in one ep. Ricky comes to Lucy and says......"you just called him a big fat pig"! I might have to watch that ep again and prehaps that is more said in that sentance.
macho= a lot, big...???
grasta..maybe I spelled it wrong? maybe its crasta?
I love the Lucy show..and I love to watch it while I learn.

I hope I can dash on this site and ask what "Ricky" said...as it could help me. (Also give me fun while I learn!!) I wish they had subtitles in english on the DVD's!!

Thanks again!
katz

[Rusty]

I agree with Poli. That first phrase was 'tengo que irme.' By itself, 'tengo' means 'I have'. However, 'tengo que' means 'I have to.'

As for the other phrase, there is an episode when Ricky takes Lucy home to Habana. She slips up while talking to Uncle Alberto, saying, "Si, macho grasa" instead of "Si, muchas gracias." Ricky informs her that she just called the man a big fat pig. Macho has a lot of meanings, but as a noun it can mean male. Grasa means greasy, oily, or fatty when used as an adjective. So, macho grasa could very well be interpreted as 'fat man' or the colloquially equivalent 'big fat pig.'

[poli]

but macho grasoso(greasy man) would be better. Remember, adjectives must agree in gender with the noun.

[Elaina]

Yes......but we're talking about Lucy and she didn't speak Spanish and the show was a comedy! So anything and everything was valid!!

I know they use the word Macho when talking about a "male" mule, in rural Mexico.

Elaina