Jubilation!

(Not my photo, but how cute are these two! Photo courtesy of Davidoverholt.com)


As you all know, Florencio is always rather jubiliant. He is cracking jokes, chatting it up, and enjoying life.

I have learned several fascinating tidbits and Spanish phrases from him, such as:


"Las gallinas que entran por la que salen", after he called the kids chickens.

He calls the students who tend to goof off "stars of the class". If they start spacing out, he asks them "Hay alguien en casa?" which of course elicits endless laughs from the students.

Today he was talking about a particular student´s unfinished map. The students had to color a map of Spain, and then color it in. One of the students had not completed this task, and Florencio had a few words to say about it. "That map is ugly if it´s not painted! (pintado) Can you imagine if the women in this class went out without putting make up on (verb pintar again), they would be ugly too! You can´t have anything that´s not painted!"

The students were roaring in laughter. I was smiling/pretending I didn´t understand what he said as usual. However, I was pondering how this one word pintar can be used in different ways. And if I had made a joke like that in English to a student, saying can you imagine women not painting their faces, well that wouldn´t work. As is, I attempted to translate what he said in Spanish for all you English-speakers. It really isn´t funny in English, but it is in Spanish!
We have putting on makeup and painting/coloring as different verbs. That is a shame, because he had the students in hysterics. I need to find some verbs in English that I can manipulate for my awesome jokes!

Words that appear to be similar in English and Spanish are called "False Friends". I wouldn´t necessarily say pintar is a false friend, unless you thought it was a pint. But that is not that point. I came across a False Friend today that I could see being justified in either manner (True or False friend?)

I went in to Florencio´s room, and I found him reading a pamphlet with a bunch of old people sitting on a bench. It was entitled "Jubilación Parcial". Hmmm, what are these old people celebrating? I asked Florencio, and he explained that it is for people who don´t have to work anymore. I pondered the meaning of the word, and how it is not actually a cognate. I went and grabbed my dictionary, and I found that jubiliant is actually jubiloso. Different words! Different meanings!

I walked back into Florencio´s room, and I told him how these words are not actually cognates. He nodded and said that indeed they are, for the old people are celebrating not having to work anymore! What a hoot.

I agree with him. Who doesn´t celebrate not having to work anymore? I think that the Spanish language has it right with this word. We use the word jubilation/jubilee/jubilant, but not with enough frequency. Retirement is such a boring word, lets replace it with jubiliation and call it a day. Celebrate your years of hard work!