Three Things to Avoid Saying in Latin America

    Most people know some basic phrases and words to say when in contact with someone from Latin America. Common words such as hola (hello) and como estas (how are you) are used often. There are several words and phrases that should be avoided because they don’t mean what one would think. Here are three things you should definitely try to avoid saying.

1. Estoy Embarrasado-   while some think that this is a good way to show how embarrassed you are…The translation disagrees. You have actually just said “I am pregnant” so when you’re cheeks get red try saying tengo verguenza instead, it will go over a whole lot better.
2. Estupido - If you are completely bent on calling someone a D.A. (Dumb a**) then this word can be used, but if you aren’t trying to be a jerk use the word tonto. Tonto is like calling someone stupid or dumb. If you’re interested in ascertaining and possibly keeping friends go with tonto for a while instead of estupido.
3. Introducir – I don’t really recommend saying this when introducing a friend or anyone really for that matter unless you are sexually involved with them, and you want everyone to know it. Instead I would recommend saying presentar it means present or introduce someone.

 If you avoid these three phrases you should be quite alright. There are several other important things to remember when speaking Spanish such as formal/ informal, verb tenses, and gender of words. The three phrases above however are important to avoid using.