Learning Spanish From Kids (and Being Mistaken for a Quechua Speaker)

A Flat Tire Turns Into a Language Class

Driving along the coast yesterday, I realized one of my tires was toast. It was Sunday - usually a day when everything is shut tight - but luckily, I found a small garage near the highway with a mechanic on duty.

Kids Are the Best Language Teachers (No Filters, No Mercy)

While the mechanic pulled out a nail and patched the tire, I chatted with his 10-year-old son, Danilo. Kids are the ultimate language tutors - they don’t care if you understand them or not, they just speak at warp speed, full slang included.

From iPhones to Geography — And an Unknown Country Called Russia

I tried steering the conversation away from “how much does your iPhone cost” to more neutral school talk. Danilo enjoys school - but had never heard of Russia.
“You’re going to Chile? Do they also have beaches and blue water?”
— Yep.

“Is Your Native Language... Quechua?”

About 10 minutes in, he paused.
“You don’t understand everything in Spanish. Is your native language Quechua?”

In Peru, Quechua is spoken by indigenous highland communities - about 13 million speakers. Explaining “Russian” or even the concept of “another language” didn’t go well 😂

My First Quechua Phrase, Courtesy of the Local Teens

Some older kids later taught me how to introduce myself:
Nuka sutiy Max - My name is Max.

What Have You Learned From Kids Recently?