Ven, No Te Voy a Hacer Nada: The Sentence No Child Has Ever Believed
Today I discovered the Mexican expression:
"Ven, no te voy a hacer nada." Come here, I'm not going to do anything to you.
And immediately, my childhood in South Africa came flooding back.
Because whenever a parent, relative, sibling, or friend said the English equivalent, it was never followed by anything good.
"Come here. I'm not going to do anything."
That sentence was not reassurance.
It was a confession delivered before the crime.
You already knew they were going to do something. The only mystery was whether it involved a slap, a prank, public humiliation, or all three.
Some expressions do not need translation
Mexico says:
"Ven, no te voy a hacer nada."
South Africa says:
"Come here, I promise I won't hurt you."
And every experienced child in both countries hears exactly the same thing:
Run.
The lesson
The Spanish lesson is simple.
Ven means come.
The life lesson is even simpler.
No vayas.
Why Mexico Smiles
A Foreigner's Education in Warmth, Humor, and Survival
A foreigner comes to Mexico to learn a language and instead learns why Mexicans are the way they are. Read Chapter 1 free, or take home the whole thing.
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