Morning! 😃 ☕️
Yesterday you learned the full proverb. Today we start removing words.
Can you remember what goes in the blanks?
In today's email...
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📱 Day 2: First memory test
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🌟 Regional variations you'll actually hear
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🏃♂️ Why each country says it differently
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MEMORIZE 🧠
Dime con _____ andas y te diré _____ eres.
As always, the answer key and audio are at the bottom of this email.
CULTURAL MOMENT 🍅
This proverb exists across the entire Spanish-speaking world, but it doesn't sound the same everywhere.
In Mexico, you'll frequently hear "Dime con quién te juntas y te diré quién eres." The word juntarse is very Mexican for describing social associations. It has a slightly more casual tone, like something a mom would tell her teenage son about his friends.
In Argentina, get ready for voseo: "Decime con quién andás y te digo quién sos." Notice the changes: decime instead of dime, andás instead of andas, and sos instead of eres. If you use the Argentine version in Buenos Aires, you immediately signal that you understand regional differences - and Argentines appreciate that.
In Spain, the proverb stays closer to the classic form, but the tone can be more direct. Spaniards tend to use this proverb with less hedging, sometimes as a frank observation about someone rather than an indirect warning.
The important thing here: No version is "correct" or "incorrect." Each one reflects the linguistic personality of its region.
When you recognize these differences, you show that your Spanish doesn't come from a textbook - it comes from real cultural exposure.
A common student mistake: Using the Spanish version in Latin America can sound a bit formal or distant. And using Argentine voseo in Mexico might cause confusion or laughter. Knowing your audience matters.
WORD SPOTLIGHT 🔍️
Quién - This interrogative word means "who" and it's crucial to understand its weight in this proverb. Quién asks about identity, about essence. It's not qué (what) or cómo (how) - it's quién, the most personal question that exists. The proverb uses quién twice intentionally: first to ask about your associations, then to declare your identity. The repetition creates a linguistic mirror - your companions reflect who you are.
Also note that quién carries an accent mark because it's interrogative/exclamatory. Without the accent, quien functions as a relative pronoun ("the person who..."). In this proverb, both instances of quién are indirect interrogatives, which is why they keep the accent.
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HEAR THE SPANISH AUDIO 🍅
Pro tip: Listen three times.
Once for general meaning.
Once following along with the text.
Once with your eyes closed, focusing purely on pronunciation and rhythm.
ANSWER KEY ✅
Spanish: Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres.
English: Tell me who you hang out with, and I'll tell you who you are.
Today's disappeared words: quién, quién
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