Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
before last. If it ends in any other consonant, the stress is on the last syllable. Exceptions are
marked with an accent on the vowel of the stressed syllable.
Latin American Spanish lacks the lisp common in Spain, where
cerveza
is often pronounced
“therVEtha”. One feature of the speech of many Panamanians which makes understanding
more difficult is the aspiration of the “S” sound at the end of a syllable or word, such that
the word
cascada
is pronounced more like “cahcada”. Also, words containing a “ch” such as
muchacho
may sound more like “mushasho”. Generally the Spanish of indigenous Panamani-
ans is easiest to understand.
Formal and informal address
For English speakers one of the most difficult things to get to grips with is the distinction
between formal and informal address. Generally speaking, the third-person
usted
indicates
respect and is used in business, for people you don't know and for those older than you.
Second-person
tú
is for children, friends and contemporaries in less formal settings. (Re-
member also that in Latin America the second-person
plural
-
vosotros
- is never used, so
“you” plural will always be
ustedes
.)
Verbal courtesy
is an integral part of speech in Spanish and one that - once you're accus-
tomed to the pace and flow of life in Panama, especially out of the city - should become
instinctive. Saying
Buenos días/Buenas tardes/Buenas noches
, or the abbreviated
buenos
or
buenas
, and waiting for the appropriate response is usual when asking for something at a
shop or ticket office, for example, as is adding
señor
or
señora
(in this instance similar to the
US “sir” or “ma'am”).
On meeting, or being introduced to someone, people are likely to say
con mucho gusto
, “it's
a pleasure”, and you should do the same. On departure you will more often than not be told
¡Que le vaya bien!
- literally meaning “May all go well with you”, it often translates better
as “Take care” or “Travel safely”.
BASIC WORDS
a lot
mucho
afternoon
tarde
and
y
bad
mal(o)/a
big
gran(de)
boy
chico
closed
cerrado/a
cold
frío/a
day
día
entrance
entrada
