Spanish soap operas are even becoming popular in other countries where they are dubbed into different languages. The first global telenovela was Los Ricos También Lloran (“The Rich Cry Too”, Mexico, 1979), which was exported to Russia, China, the United States and other countries.

The final show (desenlace) of a novela typically features a wedding between the two leads, some horrible death or fate for the villain and redemption for the bad guys who were less evil than the villain. The good people are always rewarded in novelas.

Telenovelas have a sociological component because they reflect many real life situations and issues in Latin America. Narconovelas are a new phenomenon that have come from Colombia. Recent productions like El Capo, Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso and El Cartel de los Sapos are social commentaries about real life problems that presently plague Colombia. Some have criticized the wave of Colombian soap operas for glamorizing the life of drug lords and for selling the drug culture as a risk-free entree into the high life.

The Novela is also a valuable learning tool. In the April 10, 2010 edition of La Nación there was an article about the benefits of watching soap operas for native Spanish speakers. According to Jorge Ignacio Covarrubias, the secretary of North American Academy of the Spanish Language, telenovelas enrich and spread the Spanish language. They help increase the viewer’s vocabulary, teach new ways of saying things and improve channels of communication.

Novelas also benefit non-native Spanish speakers who learn learn dialog in a real life context and build their vocabulary, especially idiomatic expressions. This method is free, fun, and not boring. On thing is for sure. If you are serious about learning the Spanish language, telenovelas are one of the better vehicles. Once you have a basic Spanish vocabulary you should be able to get the gist of what the characters are talking about in any soap opera. By watching telenovelas you will be exposed to how the language is really spoken and not boring textbook Spanish. Your ear for the language will also improve. The more soap operas you watch the better you will speak Spanish. Novelas are very melodramatic and visual. The facial expressions are more exaggerated than other kinds of programming, giving you visual clues about the content. When the hero physically throws the bad guy out of the house and says, “Lárgate! (Get your butt out of here!),” you know he’s not asking him out for a beer! Dialog is surprisingly easy to understand when accompanied by action.

Telenovelas is one of several Spanish magazines where you can read to keep up on all of the gossip about Spanish soap operas. In case you miss an episode of your favorite novela, there are Internet sites that summarize the daily plots.

Novela-related Vocabulary

Actor -actor
Actor de reparto – member of the supporting cast
Actriz –actress
Argumento or trama – the plot of a movie or soap opera
Culebrón – another name for a soap opera. Culebrones (“long snakes”) got their name because of the convoluted plots.
Desenlace – ending
Episodio – episode
Estelarizando or estelarizada por – starring…
Final feliz – happy ending or denenlace feliz
Final triste – sad ending or desenlace triste
Galán – leading man
Héroe – hero
Hora estelar –prime time
Novela – a Spanish soap opera
Novel por entregas – a serial
Novelero/a – a person who watches a lot of novelas
Personaje – character in a novela
Protagonista – person who has the leading role
Refrito – a remake of a previous novela
Televidentes – those who watch television
Villano/a or malo/a de la telenovela – bad guy or bad gal.

Telenovelas seem to be the opiate of the masses in Latin America. Most television stations show at least four to six of them per day. Spanish soap operas are even becoming popular in other countries where the are dubbed into different languages.

On thing is for sure. If you are serious about learning the Spanish language there is no better vehicle. Once you have a basic Spanish vocabulary you should be able to get the gist of what the characters are talking about in any soap opera. By watching telenovelas you will be exposed to dialogue from everyday conversations which is how the language is really spoken. Your ear for the language will aslo improve. The more soap operas you watch the better you will speak Spanish. Continue to use courses like the Rosetta Stone, www.livemocha.com and Pimsleur but supplement them with telenovelas.

Retirees and others who move to Costa Rica will discover learning Spanish is a life-long hobby and the most effective way to immerse themselves in the local culture.

Legend has it that St. Patrick became the patron saint of Ireland for, among other things, raising the dead and driving snakes out of Ireland. In the United States, drinking has been the way of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since it originally began. The excuse for drinking came from a rumor that Saint Patrick brought the art of distillery to Ireland.

The shamrock became a symbol of the celebration because it is said that the Saint used it to explain the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost or Spirit) as he converted the Irish to Christianity.

Saint Partick’s day is celebrated in many places in Latin America including Costa Rica. There is a usually some type of Saint Patrick’s Day celebration at any of the local bars where Americans hang out.

You will be surprised to know that there have been many prominent Latin Americans of Irish descent. Probably the most famous was Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme (August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842). O’Higgins was a South American independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. O’Higgins was granted dictatorial powers as Supreme Director of the country on February 16, 1817 and on February 12, 1818, Chile was proclaimed its independent republic through the Chilean Declaration of Independence. For six years, O’Higgins was a largely successful leader, and his government initially functioned well. In time, however, he began to alienate important political factions. Eventually he was deposed in 1823 due to a growing opposition. O’Higgins lived in exile for the rest of his life.

O’Higgins is widely commemorated today, both in Chile and beyond. The Chilean village of Villa O’Higgins was named in his honor. The main thoroughfare of the Chilean capital, Santiago, is Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins. There is even a plaque in his honor in Merrion Square in Dublin.

Anther famous Latino of Irish ancestry, some of you will remember, was Antonio Rodolfo Quinn. Most people know this late actor by the name of Anthony Quinn. One of his most famous roles was that of Eufemio, Emiliano Zapata’s brother, in the movie classic “Viva Zapata!” starring Marlon Brando. The screenplay was written by John Steinbeck.

A notable arm of the Mexican Army during the Mexican-American War was the The Saint Patrick’s Battalion (Batallón de San Patricio). It was a group of around several hundred immigrants of European descent (made up primarily of ethnic Irish and German Catholic immigrants), who fought as part of the Mexican Army against the United States U.S. in the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. Most of the battalion’s members were deserters from the U.S. Army. The majority of these men were immigrants who had arrived at northeastern U.S. ports, as part of the Irish diaspora to escape the Irish Potato Famine and extremely poor economic conditions in Ireland. Therefore, many chose military service because other jobs were not available to them.

Considered traitors at home there are several theories as to why the immigrants fought for Mexico. First, the Mexican government offered incentives to foreigners who would enlist in its army: it granted them citizenship, paid higher wages than the US Army and gave generous land grants. Others say it was due to the mistreatment of immigrants by their Anglo-protestant officers and prejudice in the military. Some historians believed a primary motivation was the Catholic religion they shared with the Mexicans and sympathy for the Mexican cause, likely based on similarities between the situations in Mexico and Ireland. For many Mexicans The Saint Patrick’s Batallion is still fondly remembered and its members considered heroes.

Mexicans hold the Irish in very high regard. Did you know that St. Patrick is the patron saint of many towns in Mexico? The three joined towns of Melaque, Villa Obregon, and San Patricio celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Fiesta del Torros. The festivities include rodeo events, bullfights, parades, folk dancing, and fireworks.

Here is Saint Patrick’s Day vocabulary in Spanish:

Bagpipes (Irish uilleann pipes bag) – La gaita irlandesa
Clover -el trébol
Corn beef and cabbage – Carne acecinada y repollo (cabbage). Please don’t confuse acecinada with asesinada which means assassinated. Acecinar means to salt meat, dry it and then smoke it.
Emerald green – verde esmeralda
Emerald Isle – Irlanda
Gold –oro (metal), dorado (color)
Green – verde
Ireland – Irlanda
Irishman – irlndés
Irish woman – irlandesa
Legend – la leyenda
Leprechaun – duende or gnono
Lucky – afortunado, suertudo
March – marzo
Parade – el desfile
Patrick – Patricio
Pot of gold – La olla or perol de oro
Rainbow – el arco iris
Saint – el santo
St. Paddy’s Day – el día de San Patricio
St. Patrick – San Patricio
Snake – la serpiente
shamrock – el trébol
walking stick -bastón
Wish – el deseo. Pedir un deseo is to make a wish

Due diligence – Diligencia debida
Easement – Servidumbre
Executor – Albacea
Execution of the verdict – Ejecución de la pena
Embezzlement – Desfalco
Encumbrance – Gravamen
Evidence – Evidencia or pruebas
Eye witness – Testigo ocular
False witness – Testigo falso
Fees – Honorarios
Felony – Delito mayor
Fight case – Pelear el caso
Find guilty – Encontrar culpable
Find innocent – Encontrar inocente
Fine – Multa
Fraud – Fraude

Tiquismos of the week:

Destaparse el tamal: hell broke loose
Dios tarda pero no olvida: God may take time but never forgets
Donde menos se piensa salta la liebre: the hare jumps in the least expected place (things sometimes happen unexpectedly)

Tiquismos of the week:

Dar agua a los caites: to run like heck
Dar atolillo con el dedo: to make empty promises
Dar pelota: to flirt with someone
Dar los veinte: to end a romantic relationship

Tico humor and wordplay for advanced students( this may be tough to understand):

Nuevamente – Means newly. In jest it means a new mind or brain.

Tiquismos of the week:

Cría fama y échate a dormir: don´t sleep on your laurels Also No duermas sobre tus laureles
Cuando el río suena, piedras trae: life gives us warnings
Cuando llueve todos nos mojamos: misfortune doesn´t discriminate Also Las desgracias no vienen solas

Tico humor and wordplay for advanced students( this may be tough to understand):

Talento – literally means “talent” but in this context it means “It is slow…Está lento.”

Tiquismos of the week:

Como entierro de pobre: As fast as a poor man´s burial
Como soplar y hacer botellas: a task that is easy to accomplish
Como trapito de dominguear: Spiffy, any project to be proud of

Tico humor and wordplay for advanced students( this may be tough to understand):

Sorprendida – literally means surprised but in this context it is “a nun that is on fire.”

Tiquismos of the week:

Caer como San Juan al 24: something happening on a very opportune time (San Juan´s festivities in Costa Rica are on June 24th)
Cambiar la mama por un burro: to make a bad deal
Colgarle el guecho: a gullible person
Como cuando usted era pobre: I´m fine, just like when you used to be poor!

Tico humor and wordplay for advanced students (this may be tough to understand):

Cacareo is the sound a rooster makes or bragging. In this case it is excrement of a prisoner.

Tiquismos of the week:

Boda y mortaja del cielo bajan: Marriage and death seem predestined
Botar el tapón: to release your anger
Bueno le dijo la mula al freno, que entre más grande más bueno: to conclude a project and feel good about it

Tico humor and wordplay ( this may be tough to understand):

Bermudas (Literally Bermuda is a British colony in the Atlantic)– In this case to observe people who cannot talk. The correct way is Ver mudas..