Quote:
Originally Posted by Suki
Wow I see you're well informed!
You're right, the original name is Don Quijote de la Mancha. Don is some kind of royal title but it is rarely used nowadays, it indeed was a respectful way to refer to important men.
I was surprised to hear there's a store in Japan called like this! ^_^
As for El Cid... He was just a knight, not royalty, and Don Quijote despite being poor had inherited this title and was known all around the country (I mean the character).
I love Federico García Lorca!! Did you know he was killed for being gay? Well, and for being communist and republican also. There's a famous Spanish singer who sings his poems, I got the CD. 
Great Expectations is actually my favorite book. Have you seen the movie? I would recommand David Copperfield and Oliver Twist, most famous ones but they're good.
I've never been to most of those museus you mentioned cause I've only been to Madrid once and didn't have time to see it all. Don't you drink sangria there in Japan? And orange juice? O.O xDDDDD
Oh and you spelt those sentences wrong.  It's okay, spelling isn't that important =P
[Do you speak English? --> ¿Hablas inglés?]
[I don't speak Spanish --> No hablo/entiendo el español]
Easy.
I don't think the word beef exists in Spanish. xDDDD Baka would be translated as idiota/ imbécil. And garlic's the English word for ajo (Spanish).
It's cool to see you have so much interest in other cultures, I'm like this too!!  |
How wonderful to talk to you, Suki-chan!
Thank you for your explanation of "don" and "el". In fact, I know the meaning of the title "don" through a Japanese comic book which tells the life of Pedro l de Borgoña, el Cruel or el Justicero. It is one of my favourite mangas.
If you like Yaoi, you may know the same author's works -- her name is Yasuko Aoike (青池保子), the author of popular slash comics such as "
Eve's Sons" (イヴの息子たち) and "
From Eroica with Love" (エロイカより愛をこめて).
I'll put a link to a page which celebrates the finale of Don Pedro's comic, "
Alcazar: the King's Castle"（アルカサル 王城） -- the whole series consists of 13 or 14 volumes, but it takes 24 years to finish!!
asahi.com
This manga is really great; brilliant mixture of historicity and fiction. If you can buy this series in translation, I definitely recommend you to read.
My friend told me that Garcia Lorca is killed by some political reason; but I don't know that he was also a gay! I never hear about the singer you mentioned (you like his/her CD, then?), but I saw Carlos Saura's movie "
Bodas de Sangre". Well, it's not bad; however, for I wanted to listen to my favourite lines in original language, it was a little bit disappointing.
As for Spanish movie -- hey, I'm a big fan of Pedro Almodovar! I watched almost all his films. My favourites are
"All about My Mother", "Talk to Her", "Bad Education", "Tie Me Down! Tie Me Up!", and "
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" -- yes, so many favourites! When I go back to Japan, I will go to cinema to watch his latest movie "
Volver".
He is pretty popular among Japanese people, and in "mixi" (Japanese SNS) more than 3200 members belong to his fan group.
Also, I watched the movie "
Juana la Loca"; she is a great character, isn't she? In Japan we can buy the DVD of that movie, and there are also some books on her life.
Thanks for your advice about Dickens's works; I will check them when I have time!
I drink sangria frequently; even in Japan, we can buy the bottle of sangria with reasonable price. Now in England, however, my Chilean friend makes it for me. She is so sweet like sangria's taste
It's a pity, but fresh orange juice is quite rare and expensive in Japan. That's why I prefer satsuma juice in Japan.
That's nice of you for correcting my mistakes; so, like French, you do not pronounce "h", don't you?
I will repeat these phrases to memorize. Or, should I learn more useful Spanish phrases?
Some of my favourite writers are from South American countries (Garcia Marquez, Vargas Llosa, Isabell Allende), only if I could read Spanish ...!
By the way, I heard that in Spanish "vaca" means beef and "ajo" garlic; but in Japanese, both of them （馬鹿、阿呆）indicate "idiot".
Likewise, someone says that a Japanese word "kakka" (閣下："Your Excellency", "the Honourable") means "poo-poo" in Spanish ... if it is right, so funny
I really like Spain; that's why I know a little bit about your culture. I used to wear clothes of "Zara" and "Mango". If you do not mind, please tell me about Spanish culture.