habla espanol?

Hola, gracias, bien, and caliente is pretty much the extent of my Spanish vocabulary. I knew if I wanted to work in a professional kitchen, learning the "second official" language of America would be to my benefit. I have yet to take a class and the five years of French in high school and college have not been much help. On one occasion, I was "talking" to Marilou, the new salad girl, and she offered me a salad which I replied by shaking my head and putting my hands over my belly trying to tell her that I had already eaten. I think I may have inadvertently told her that I was pregnant because she started talking about her nino. Ay, caramba! Maybe in 20 years I can say that I learned Spanish by working in restaurants; but in the meantime, all I can do is smile, nod, and say thank you. (And keep my hand gestures to a minimum, who knows what I might "say" next time.)