Day 97: Her New Classmate Calls It Palta

Dialogue

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1. 1
   A

   Mamá, en Lima al aguacate le dicen palta. Mi compañero nuevo, Thiago, dijo que traía “pan con palta” de lunch y nadie le entendió.

   Mom, in Lima they call an avocado a palta. My new classmate, Thiago, said he had “pan con palta” for his snack, and nobody understood him.

   Line 1
2. 2
   B

   ¿Y se rieron de él? El hecho de que diga palta no quiere decir que hable mal, mi amor: allá así se dice.

   And did you all laugh at him? The fact that he says palta doesn't mean he speaks badly, sweetheart: that's what they say there.

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3. 3
   A

   Poquito. Pero luego le dijo “choclo” al elote y nos morimos de risa: aquí meter el choclo es regarla.

   A bit. But then he called corn on the cob “choclo,” and we nearly died laughing: here meter el choclo, putting your shoe in, means putting your foot in your mouth.

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4. 4
   B

   Pues los que metieron el choclo fueron ustedes. Palta y choclo vienen del quechua; aguacate y elote, del náhuatl: cada país se quedó con sus palabras.

   Well, the ones who put their foot in their mouth were you guys. Palta and choclo come from Quechua; aguacate and elote, from Nahuatl: each country kept its own words.

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5. 5
   A

   Eso mismo dijo la maestra, y luego le pidió que contara una leyenda de Perú. Mamá, estuvo padrísima.

   That's just what the teacher said, and then she asked him to tell a legend from Peru. Mom, it was awesome.

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6. 6
   B

   ¿A poco? A ver, cuéntamela como la contó él.

   Really? Go on, tell it to me the way he told it.

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7. 7
   A

   Hace mucho, el Sol mandó a sus hijos, Manco Cápac y Mama Ocllo, al lago Titicaca con una vara de oro. Apenas hubieron salido del agua, echaron a andar.

   Long ago, the Sun sent his children, Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, to Lake Titicaca with a golden rod. No sooner had they come out of the water than they set off.

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8. 8
   B

   Qué bonito. ¿Y la vara para qué era?

   How lovely. And what was the rod for?

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9. 9
   A

   Donde se hundiera de un solo golpe, ahí tenían que fundar su ciudad. Y apenas se hubo hundido en un cerro, fundaron el Cusco.

   Wherever it sank into the ground at a single blow, that was where they had to found their city. And no sooner had it sunk into a hill than they founded Cusco.

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10. 10
    B

    Igualito que nuestra águila sobre el nopal. Mañana llévale un paste: también vino de lejos, con los mineros ingleses, y es tan de Pachuca como tú.

    Just like our eagle on the cactus. Take him a paste, one of our pastries, tomorrow: it came from far away too, with the English miners, and it's as much Pachuca as you are.

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11. 11
    A

    Se lo llevo. Y si le dice empanada, te prometo que no me río... mucho.

    I'll take him one. And if he calls it an empanada, I promise I won't laugh... much.

    Line 11