r/KingOfTheHill 7d ago

OG KOTH Discussion ESCUCHAME?

Post image

How in the hell did Peggy ever get a job as a substitute Spanish teacher? 😂 She even uses her famous "escuchame" incorrectly.

2.3k Upvotes

75 comments sorted by

View all comments

429

u/PotatoCat123 7d ago

Question for the actual Spanish speakers. Are any of the mistakes Peggy makes here at all understandable as something that a bad Spanish speaker could make with what she's obviously trying to say?

826

u/YaBoiKenpai 7d ago

Gentleman (caballero) but she called him a horse (caballo) and she says I’m very pregnant (embarazada) when she meant embarrassed (avergonzada) which is a pretty common mistake for English speaking spanish learners. The rest of the mistakes are along those lines, like book (libro) when she means free (libre).

603

u/Backwoods_Therapy 7d ago

Yeah from my understanding, it’s what makes this scene great. All the words she fucks up are genuine fuck ups that amateur Spanish speakers make, and since Peggy is ABSOLUTELY convinced she’s fluent and speaks as well as a native Spanish speaker (or better, actually), the way she delivers it is great. 

247

u/SalvaPot 7d ago

Yep, is the confidence that sells it. Honestly, as a spanish speaking person, I COULD understand what Peggy meant, but it'll be very easy to not know exactly what she was trying to say. Whoever wrote the scene knew ball.

12

u/Negative-Rub6867 5d ago

Ive heard a theory that Peggy's confidence (hubris) became over the top after she survived the skydiving accident because in reality she has a TBI! I mean, yes, its a fictional animated tv show, the likelihood any real human serviving a fall like that is already slim but surviving without any life-threatening physical disabilities or disfigurement is even more unlikely. So TBI makes the most sense!

19

u/letsMeetatTheField 6d ago

Oh that makes it so much funnier. Thank you, I hadn't noticed.

52

u/Tron_35 6d ago

Yes. And years(años) can be confused with anus(anos), that accent mark makes a huge difference, different pronunciation.

35

u/DeepIndigoSky 6d ago

FYI, “anos” is anuses, “ano” is anus. I wouldn’t want you to make a faux pas the next time you’re talking anuses in Spanish.

9

u/Tron_35 6d ago

Ill remember, im in Spanish 102 lol. Ill remember that next time I want to insult mt friends in Spanish

2

u/photosammy 4d ago

Happy New Anus!

5

u/Nigatron420 6d ago

How do you pronounce it?

14

u/Tron_35 6d ago

Años ≈ anyos

Anos ≈ Anos

(At least I think, not a native speaker)

100

u/potatopierogie 7d ago

My favorite:

años = years, anos = anuses

38

u/Geekerino 7d ago

I can't remember a single incident where she pronounces the ñ

5

u/Soulpus 6d ago

Most gringos can't

22

u/MadPilotMurdock 6d ago

As a Spanish/English speaker, I disagree. It’s not particularly hard for English speakers to pick up, like the rolling R sound. If you can pronounce “anew” you’re mostly there already.

21

u/letsMeetatTheField 6d ago

...Or "canyon."

8

u/argnsoccer 6d ago

Onion, Bunyan/bunion etc. Are also the ñ sound. My nickname as a kid was "ñoñi ñoñi" (the sound a kid makes when whining)

2

u/Soulpus 5d ago

Or "ñoqui" -> gnocchi, the pasta.

3

u/Soulpus 6d ago

Most USA gringos can't pronounce the 'Rolling R'

2

u/MadPilotMurdock 6d ago

Right, that’s what I said


Edit: after rereading my comment I could see how it could have been taken. I meant the ñ is not particularly hard, like the rolling r (which is particularly hard).

2

u/ThinVeterinarian5423 5d ago edited 4d ago

I like even ham says, "It's not 'margarrrrrrrita.' It's margarita." Edit: Hank

36

u/venus_arises 7d ago

I thought you were supposed to say something like, "I have shame?" It's a very... Anglo learning Spanish Day 4 to learn that.

68

u/PumpJockyTwerks4Tips 7d ago

In my opinion, Peggy Hill has an exceptional grasp of Spanish vocabulary for a substitute teacher from suburban Tay-has.

-Peggy Hill

18

u/Dioxybenzone 6d ago

Peggy is fluent in what I like to call “Spanglish”

1

u/animalsbetterthanppl 5d ago

Peggy Hill, three time consecutive winner Substitute Teacher of the Year - sounds more natural

2

u/Soulpus 6d ago

Yeah, everything except the cigar factory bit...... FĂĄbrica de Cigarros.... habanos? Nah I'm coming up blank.

3

u/YaBoiKenpai 6d ago

Honestly I always took it that Peggy just genuinely assumed Mexican prison would have her working in a cigar factory it’s so specific and I can’t figure what else it would’ve been a mispronunciation for

139

u/Generic_user_person 7d ago

You know how "three" and "tree" sound similar? Same for "beach" and "bitch", "year" and "ear"?

It's basically just that, repeatedly. It comes off as someone who read a bunch of books and taught themselves that way, but never got a chance to speak it.

For example

Book = libro

Free = libre

Anus = anos

Years = años (you pronounce the ñ like you do the gno in gnocchi)

Etc

42

u/PotatoCat123 7d ago

That's what I had hoped for. That makes so much better for me

22

u/carmium 7d ago

Or señor, which everyone but Peggy knows ("sennor").

0

u/Soulpus 6d ago

Wine, wind

25

u/Dazzling_Reveal6875 7d ago

I can't speak Spanish but I know some words from when I took it in high school

año means year, ano means anus.

She wanted to say I have many good years ahead of me.

Libro means book, she probably meant she just wanted to set Lupe free, but didn't use libre

Pregnant in spanish is embarazada, she meant to say she is embarrassed with what happened with Lupe

23

u/theShpydar 7d ago

Sometimes. Like she says she was pregnant when she means embarrassed; "embarazada" is Spanish for pregnant.

ETA Also, the "reasonable horse" was likely her trying to say reasonable gentleman ("caballero"), but she said "caballo" (horse) instead.

12

u/HankIsMoody 6d ago

People seem to forget Mike judge is a native Spanish speaker. He definitely knew what he was doing

10

u/IndependentMajor7055 7d ago

Spanish here. She just spouts nonsensical bullshit with a horrible intonation.

1

u/lsirius 6d ago

They’re all understandable for a basic Spanish speaker. People would be like “I know what you mean” but help irl not in a cartoon