English speakers get half of Spanish for free, or more... escucha, all of you will immediately understand this:
"infraestructuras para la sostenibilidad"
"curso fotografia"
"moda infantil" (with a picture of a bebe wearing sunglasses).
You get greater than 50 percent of words just by adding "-eria", "-ado", or "-ente".
Granted, you can't do this totally indiscriminately. You have to be in the environment, so that the words it's possible to do this with are milling around in your subconscious somewhere. You have to use your intuition, and know that sometimes it doesn't translate directly, and sometimes not at all. "Embarazada" (with z pronounced like s) is something that is physically impossible for men; it has nothing whatsoever to do with being embarassed.
I do get confused with words that are different. Like caballo, cabello, and cebolla. Horse, hair, onions.
I have to tell you about my studio: there is an enormous building in Calle Castellar, that has numerous addresses for its different front doors, each of which leads into a separate location. Except that because the building is no longer a residence and it is in bad repair, they all open out into a gravel lot in the back, where there are outbuildings, kind of like shacks, among palm trees and bougainvillea. The night before last, someone was practicing the trumpet, a metal band was playing, and beside them Juan de los Reyes was drilling his students' footwork. Across the courtyard (steps away from Juan), singing could be heard from another flamenco class. Then across from my little garage, the African percussion group was starting up. For a few minutes someone was sawing something. It is a grand craziness in there. The hugest bunch of artists, musicians, and people for whom self expression and creation matter more than comfort. There's a plant shop beside the African percussion guys. The percussion doesn't bother me, even though I can hear them. When I'm done I sit at the metal tables under the stars and admire their compas.
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