Tengo lo que tu quiere

Question

I have been hearing phrases like this a lot. I assume it is a simple case of dropping the s from "tengo lo que tu quieres". I wonder why it is so prevelant? There are 3500 hits for it, and 13000 with the s. Is it assumed that since the word "tu" is present that you can just drop the s because the "tu" will clarify it? Or is bad Spanish just everywhere? Gracias.

Answer 1

Or is bad Spanish just everywhere?

If you see this written, it is certainly a mistake. if you hear it...often the s sound is so subtle you actually don't hear it, but is "is" there.

I wonder if eventually you get to the point where you can hear the subtle s. I think my listening comprehension is the best part of my Spanish at this point, but this still slips by me a lot, especially at the end of sentences. - jeezzle, Aug 6, 2010

Definitely. It is still there, the tongue is just in a slightly different position. I think the best way to learn to hear it is to practice saying it like the person you are trying to understand. - sagiia, Aug 6, 2010

Then pay attention to the subtle differences in the position of your tongue and lips when saying it with the accent of different areas. Your ear will then become more accustomed to how the sounds of the letters differ between regions. - sagiia, Aug 6, 2010

I believe some Andaluces pronounce like that: the final "s" is typically non-existent. - Gekkosan, Aug 6, 2010

I agree with Gekko-kun. It's not just subtle, it's entirely dropped/inaudible. - samdie, Aug 7, 2010

Answer 2

Jeezzle, you are correct. Dropping the S is lazy Spanish and is quite common in the Caribean countries.

It sucks because you have to learn the good Spanish A N D the bad Spanish if you want to understand everything. - jeezzle, Aug 6, 2010

I'm so glad that isn't true of English! ... oh, wait... - LateToDinner, Aug 6, 2010

lazy like writing tu where it should be tú - 0074b507, Aug 7, 2010

Answer 3

I have recently been listening to various accents spoken on the LoMás TV website advertised here and have understood from a girl called Caroline from Andalucia that they commonly drop the end sounds of words including the s when they are speaking Spanish This might explain why you are experiencing this problem. Andalucia is a region in the South of Spain and like all regions they have their own regional dialect which in their case can be hard for people with little experience of speaking Spanish to understand.

I hope that this is able to help you -)

indeed, the s sound is not audible at all or very sublte, they actually sort of aspire the s only...not done in northern parts of spain - 00494d19, Aug 6, 2010

I have a lot of experience speaking with my Mexican friends, but yeah they don't drop the S. I guess it's more from Spain, in fact the musician in question who is dropping her S a lot is from Spain. - jeezzle, Aug 6, 2010

Answer 4

Yo tengo lo que tu quiere fast forward to 2:05. Does it really say quieres? I don't think my hearing is that off, is there a subtle s sound? My comprehension is good most of the time or so I have been told and I just don't hear it at all. I wonder how I can learn to hear it... do you hear it?

She's rapping in Spanish with a heavy accent. I don't hear it, just like I don't hear the "g" in the "ing" words in English rap. She's not trying to enunciate proper Spanish. - KevinB, Aug 6, 2010

I have no familiarity with speakers from Spain so I can't say for certain. I believe I hear the very same subtle almost breathy sound that I am used to hearing from my boricua friends. But as Kevin says, " she's singing, not trying to enunciate." - sagiia, Aug 6, 2010

True enough. - jeezzle, Aug 6, 2010

Answer 5

It was one thing I had to get used to when I lived in Venezuela. They talk very fast, leave the "s" off the ends of words, and slide over the "d" if it's between two vowels. But it's just like getting used to a new accent in a different part of the U.S. It's harder if it's not your first language, but it doesn't take too long before you're mangling the language just like the locals.

Answer 6

-I speak a lot in my neighborhood and at the school where I work with hispanics from the Caribean, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venzuela. I can tell you that the Venezuelans also aspirate the "s", or as they say it " come la 's' ".

-When I am chatting on line with friends from Mexico or when I receive notes from parents at the school where I work, sometimes it can be challenging to read because they just spell it the way they hear it and usually without any of the accents or tildes. Like desia for decías. Sometimes I have to say it aloud before I understand what they are meaning.

-I know it is important that we learn how to write Spanish properly, but it is also important that we learn to be flexible and adapt to the way it is actually written and spoken by the native speakers with whom we are communicating.

-And I don't believe the s is being completely dropped. For instance "¿Cómo estas?" when I say it like my boricua amigos, for the first s my tongue is hitting the back of my front teeth just a little further down than it would if i said it like my Mex. friends. And for the second s when I say it boricua style, my tongue finishes just behind my front teeth, further forward than it does when I say it like my Mexican friends.