by Will Cade

One of the most difficult things about learning another language has to be knowing what to say in passing. I can sit with a Spaniard over a cup of coffee and make my way through a conversation no problem. But if I run into a Spaniard in the street and try to talk, it’s like I’m an 8 year old getting up in front of the class to give a speech. I’ll stumble over my words and maybe even stumble into traffic.

Knowing what to say and when to say it are equally important. When I first moved into my apartment in Murcia, I wanted to be as friendly a neighbor as Mr. Rodgers, so I made a point to say hello to the other residents. This would usually happen on the elevator, yet whenever I said “hola,” the Spaniards looked at me like I was crazy. Naturally, I stopped saying hello, expecting to ride the elevator in silence. The Spaniards would then get on, ride up in a comfortable looking silence, and say “hasta luego” before walking out. Hold on, saying hello to a stranger is despicable, but saying goodbye is expected? Finicky, just plain finicky.

When I moved into my apartment in Madrid, I expected more of the same. Once again, I would pass people in the elevator, yet, to my surprise and eventual amazement, they would tell me “buenos dias.” And when they even said “hasta luego” afterwards, I almost did a backflip. Finally, Spain felt like my home in Tennessee, where you have to avoid large crowds if you don’t want to say hello to strangers in the street for hours at a time. But this habit of mine might cause me some problems here in Madrid. Do I say “hola” or “buenos dias?” Oh my, what if I say both?