Typical mistakes in real conversation
I reproduce below, as well as I can remember, a real conversation I just had. The dialogue took place two hours ago, between an English tourist and myself. I think it is a good example of typical mistakes by both parties.
Could you correct my English, please?
This kind of conversation is really hard for me! If you want, you can comment on the mistakes in the Spanish part, and their causes. His Spanish was good. I found it very funny. 
Porfavor seniorita.
-Sí, tell me.
Estoy buscando para restaurante donde mi mujer y yo podemos comer comida buena. Can you understand?
-Yes, I can understand. But... what are you looking for exactly?
Oh, muy bien. Nosotros somos en un grupo y tenemos que encontrar con ellos a las cinco aquí. Cerca porque si andamos mucho después no podemos encontrar. También gustamos comiendo normal. Tortilia o algo como así.
-Ajá, so... well, you have a lot of restaurants in this street. Just go straight ahead about two hundred meters. There is no way for loosing yourself, it's quite closer from here. Ehh I mean that is near from here, just in this street. (indicating with my finger) Ah, and you can eat tortilla in almost all of them, I think. Some are cheaper than others, of course, it depends on what you want.
Oh perfecto! muchas gracias. Eres una encantadora.
-Jeje! De nada! I hope you enjoy
5 Answers
Ajá, so... well, there are a lot of restaurants on this street. Just go straight ahead about two hundred meters. There is no way to get lost, it's quite close to here. Ehh I mean that it is near here, just down this street. (indicating with my finger) Ah, and you can eat tortillas in almost all of them, I think. Some are cheaper than others, of course, it depends on what you want.
I think you did a wonderful job. Your English is better than his Spanish, but you both made yourselves understood, which is the important thing. The only thing I'd add is that most Americans don't know how long a meter is. If it were an Englishman it would be fine. But that's not a problem with your English, it's a problem with Americans 
.
Also, most Americans would think a tortilla is a flat, round piece of bread for making tacos and burritos, rather than what we would call an omelet.
Porfavor seniorita.
-Sí, Estoy buscando un restaurante donde mi mujer y yo podemos comer comida buena. Can you understand?
-Yes, I can understand. But... what are you looking for exactly?
Oh, muy bien. estamos en un grupo y tenemos que encontrarnos con los demás miembros aquí a las cinco ** Estamos tratando de encontrar un restaurante que está cerca porque si vamos lejos no vamos a encontrar los miembros del grupo**** También **nos gustaría comer algo tipico Tortilia o algo así.
-Ajá, so... well, there are a lot of restaurants on this street. Just go straight ahead about two hundred meters. There is no way to get lost it's quite close to here. Ehh I mean that is near here just down this street. (pointing with my finger) Ah, and you can eat tortillas in almost all(most of )them, I think. Some are cheaper than others, of course, it depends on what you want.
Oh perfecto! muchas gracias. Eres encantadora.
I also made some corrections to the Spanish as well You can comment on the accuracy. I am not if should otro miembros or demás miembros. Speaking in foriegn language can be difficult because you don´t have much to think. Prepositions are tricky and close has other meaning besides indifcating proxmity. Down as a prepositions doesn´t seem to have a ready equivalent in Spanish .
I am going to reproduce below, as best as I can remember, a real conversation I just had. The dialogue took place two hours ago, between an English tourist and myself. I think it can be a good example of typical mistakes from both parts. Could you correct my English, please? This kind of conversation is really hard for me! If you want you can comment the mistakes in the Spanish part, and their cause. His Spanish was good. I found it very funny!
Porfavor seniorita.
-Yes. How can I help you?
Estoy buscando para restaurante donde mi mujer y yo podemos comer comida buena. Can you understand?
-Yes, I can understand. But... what are you looking for exactly?
Oh, muy bien. Nosotros somos en un grupo y tenemos que encontrar con ellos a las cinco aquí. Cerca porque si andamos mucho después no podemos encontrar. También gustamos comiendo normal. Tortilia o algo como así.
-Aha!, so... well, there are a lot of restaurants in this street. Just go straight ahead about two hundred yards. (close enough, as 99% of Americans have no idea how far a meter is.) There is no way that you can get lost, it's quite near to here. Ehh I mean that is near to here, just on this street. (indicating with my finger) Ah, and you can eat omlettes in almost all of them, I think. Some are cheaper than others, of course, it depends on what you want.
Oh perfecto! muchas gracias. Eres una encantadora.
-Jeje! De nada! I hope you enjoy
The thing that would be most misunderstood in this conversation is the kind of food that they are looking for. They asked for "tortillas", by which they meant a flat bread that can be fried and used as the bottom piece of a tostada or used to roll things up in as for a burrito. If you would have known that you wouldn't have sent them to a place where they could get a good omlette (hopefully the restaurant that you sent them to was good and they would have enjoyed themselves regardless.) That's half the fun of traveling, and often times one ends up with "happy accidents". Good job, cogu! I know how hard it is for you to take a chance on talking with strangers, so I congratulate you on taking that big step!!
There is no point in suggesting corrections to their mistakes in Spanish. The mistakes were not serious enough to cause misunderstanding of the meaning and you are better qualified than most of us to say what the usual/correct Spanish expressions would be.
With regard to your responses in English, Echoline has already pointed out the possible misunderstanding of "tortillas". American tourists would almost certainly be thinking of the Mexican variety of "tortillas" However, you said an "English tourist". Frankly, I have no idea what the English think a "tortilla" is (although I assume that they have in mind either the Mexican tortilla or the Spanish tortilla.(Are there other possibilities? Chilean, Argentinian, Costa Rican "tortillas"?)
With regard to finding restaurants in/on this street, both are possible but I consider "in" the more usual choice. On the other hand,. if you had said in/on this avenue, I would choose "on". The use of prepositions in English is totally anarchic (not subject to rules/logic). Th most honest answer to "Why is it said that way?" is the (unsatisfactory), "Because that's the way we say it!
I reproduce below, as well as I can remember (or as best I remember), a real conversation I just had. The dialogue took place two hours ago, between an English tourist and myself. I think it is a good example of typical mistakes by both parties. Could you correct my English, please? This kind of conversation is really hard for me! If you want, you can comment on the mistakes in the Spanish part, and their causes. His Spanish was good. I found it very funny.
You might find this site interesting: common mistakes in English
