Preposterous Prepositions

You never really have a proper appreciation for grammar until you attempt to learn a language other than your own. Or in unique, strange cases you have an urge to scream,

"Come mierda! I can and will form this sentence however I want!"

Stay away from people like this. They tend to have way too much fun in life, and don't bother memorizing prepositions, which are nasty, unhappy creatures experiencing identity crises in every single language.

For example, the three languages I claim reasonable control over.

-I watched it on the television.

-Lo he mirado en televisión.

-Je l'ai regardé à la télévision.

Three different prepositions, on, in and at (respectively) for the same stupid phrase. Moral of the story: Eat ice cream instead, it is easier to say.

Other Moral: Pay attention to prepositions, and don't waste your time whining about it. In spanish we have a bagillion prepositions, and trying to explain that all argentinians waiters are conquistadores OF spanish teachers, who inevitably fall IN love WITH them, is hella complicated. The phrase is true though. Even if they don't know it yet.

Let's talk about something that doesn't give me a headache or violent urges to break white board markers.

Picnics! I had a lovely picnic in Ciutadella Parc with my brazilian ladies and Madagesh/German friendsie, full of "orgasmic organic food" (seriously, publicity efforts these days...) and ham (originally spelled "jam" by your phonetically challenged friend) and cheese sandwheeeshes.

I wish I could live in moments like these forever, yelling at my friends for speaking portuguese ("porfe, chicas, no entiendo este faceybooky, marshymallow, nossa delicisia cosa.") mangling my french and spanish and basking in warm February weather.

A final note, in the form of a question. In my new classes, there are mostly chinese students. It seems that whenever the professor asks a question (por ejemplo, "hay un estudiante que tenga familia española?") they always respond yes. When the resulting follow up question "who in your family is spanish" draws a  blank stare or a "no entiendo", everyone is confused. "No tengo familia española!" (I don't have spanish family).

I understand that saying yes to questions while lacking a proper understanding happens easily. Welcome to I-Don't-Understand-But-I-Will-Smile-And-Knod-Anyways child. Still, it is confusing, and I would like to know why they always say yes.

Teacher: Is there a student who speaks more than two languages?
Student: Yes.
Teacher: What languages do you speak?
Student: One.
Teacher: One?
Student: One language.
Teacher: Spanish and...
Student: One language.
Teacher: You speak spanish and chinese, no?
Student: Yes. Two languages.
Teacher: And the other one?
Student: No, only chinese and spanish.
Teacher: Okay. Not english?
Student: Yes.
Teacher: You speak english?
Student: Yes. One language.

And it goes on.