History Main / ElSpanisho

* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' has an episode where George Bluth is mistaken for his brother while in Mexico. He tries to explain that they want his "brothero." It's even funnier that he puts the accent over the "e" (like you would if it were a real word in Spanish), so he's saying "bro-thero" instead of "brother-o".
* {{Airplane}} gave us the sign "El No a You Smoke-O" (there was also 'Putana Da Seatbeltz" but no clue what language that was spoofing).

* In ''GarfieldAndFriends'', a disguised Garfield tries to convince Odie that he's Italian because "he's-a speaking-a Italian". When the Buddy Bears start to add "educational content" to the show and Garfield tries to repeat the scene, one of the Buddy Bears pops up to [[SarcasmMode helpfully inform]] the viewer that [[DontExplainTheJoke Garfield is really speaking English with a bad Italian accent]].
* In AddictedToLove, the protagonist's fiance tries to explain why he dumped her:
-> '''Charlie''': I met this woman, this apparition, this ''goddesse''.
-> '''Kate''': "''[[LampshadeHanging Goddesse]]''"?
-> '''Charlie''': It's French - for goddess. ([[ElSpanishO It isn't.]])

* {{Airplane!}} gave us the sign "El No a You Smoke-O" (there was also 'Putana Da Seatbeltz" but no clue what language that was spoofing).

* ''IngloriousBasterds''. With Brad Pitt's character attempting to speak Italian. The result is... "Bonjourno."

* ArrestedDevelopment has an episode where George Bluth is mistaken for his brother while in Mexico. He tries to explain that they want his "brothero." It's even funnier that he puts the accent over the "e" (like you would if it were a real word in Spanish), so he's saying "bro-thero" instead of "brother-o".

* In the PGWodehouse novel "Psmith, Journalist", this is how the office boy attempts to make himself understood by an Italian.

This is usually a joke, but sometimes it's just plain desperation, if not outright insensitivity. In the U.S., Spanish is the language that most commonly gets this treatment, with the article "el" being put in front of English words and the masculine ending "o" being put on the end. Other languages get this treatment too. Russian, for example, gets "ski" added to the end of English words, ditto French with "-é" and Latin with "-us".

People all over the world are in contact with people who speak other languages. Much of the time however they cannot actually speak other people's languages. Sometimes, usually as a joke, they will try to "speak" the language by taking words in their own language and then adding stereotypical linguistic markers of the target language in an attempt to fake it. This is usually a joke, but sometimes it's just plain desperation, if not outright insensitivity. In the U.S., Spanish is the language that most commonly gets this treatment, with the article "el" being put in front of English words and the masculine ending "o" being put on the end. Other languages get this treatment too. Russian, for example, gets "ski" added to the end of English words.

* ''Fanfic/AvatarTheAbridgedSeries'' had Sokka attempting to communicate with an inexplicably Spanish Momo. ("Necessito... open-o el door-o.")

* ''TheSimpsons'': Bart has a graffiti spraying alter ego, "El Barto." Nobody ever figures out who it is.

* Shake does it in the ''AquaTeenHungerForce'' episode, "Remooned", when he thinks a convenience store clerk is Mexican. "Get back there-o and cash-o the check-o, amigo."

Sister trope to CanusLatinicus. Compare to AsLongAsItSoundsForeign, which is an attempt to actually use the real language, but getting it right isn't important. Also compare to GratuitousForeignLanguage (which is correct use of other languages) and PoirotSpeak. Not to be confused with ElNinoIsSpanishForTheNino, which is using correct foreign words, but deliberately not translating them in a context where you normally would.

Compare to AsLongAsItSoundsForeign, which is an attempt to actually use the real language, but getting it right isn't important. Also compare to GratuitousForeignLanguage (which is correct use of other languages) and PoirotSpeak. Not to be confused with ElNinoIsSpanishForTheNino, which is using correct foreign words, but deliberately not translating them in a context where you normally would.

* ArrestedDevelopment has an episode where George Bluth is mistaken for his brother while in Mexico. He tries to explain that they want his "brothero." It's even funnier that he puts the accent over the "e" (like you would if it were a real word in Spanish, so he's saying "bro-thero" instead of "brother-o".

Please keep in mind, this trope is ''not'' about using complete gibberish and passing it off as a foreign language. This trope is all about using real aspects of a foreign language in your native tongue in an attempt to pass it off as the foreign language.

* The SaturdayNightLive sketch "J-Pop America Fun Time Now!" consists of clueless college students attempting to host a Japanese-style variety show, adding Japanese-sounding suffixes to English words and names, and causing general embarrassment to their Japanese studies professor, who repeatedly points out that these white kids don't understand Japanese culture at all.

** Homer once did some graffiti with the monicker "El Homo."

* One episode of ''TheMuppetShow'' had the Porcelino brothers call their muppet pyramid "el pyramido". (The real word is "pirámide".)

* Admit it. You use this trope with your friends all the time.

People all over the world are in contact with people who speak other languages. Much of the time however they cannot actually speak other people's languages. Sometimes, usually as a joke, they will try to "speak" the language by taking words in their own language and then adding stereotypical linguistic markers of the target language in an attempt to fake it. This is usually a joke, but sometimes it's just plain desperation. If not outright insensitivity. In the U.S., Spanish is the language that most commonly gets this treatment, with the article "el" being put in front of English words and the masculine ending "o" being put on the end. Other languages get this treatment too. Russian, for example, gets "ski" added to the end of English words.