Colombian Spanish – Street Speech From Shakira’s Homeland

While the jury is still out on which Spanish is The Absolute, an overwhelming number of both native and non-native speakers hold the Colombian flavor in high regard. This ambiguous claim might, and often does, spawn a heated debate amongst Spanish speakers for every nationality has reasons to take their Spanish as “standard” Spanish. Nevertheless, if you have set your heart on the Colombian variant, it won’t hurt to learn about some of its most defining features and nuances. The Spanish spoken in Colombia differs from the others in more ways than a few and this article discusses some of the most salient ones of all.

Colombian Spanish is often seen as the most prestigious of all
Photo credit: Juan Carlos Jara Guzmán licensed CC BY 2.0

Well, before we start with the salient features of Colombian Spanish, it is important to note that this is not a single, homogenous dialect spoken uniformly throughout the country. Colombian Spanish is, instead, more of a blanket term applied to a diverse collection of disparate dialects spoken in various regions of this nation. At times, and naturally so, it is also a function of demographics in addition to geography.

On a broad level, the Spanish spoken in coastal Colombia carries an interesting resemblance to the Caribbean dialects owing to the close proximity between the regions. On the other hand, the highland speech tends to be more conservative. It is the educated, and generally conservative, speech of the capital city, Bogotá, that essentially enjoys the widespread respect accorded to Colombian Spanish throughout the New World. This is the Spanish you’re most likely to hear on the television and read in the newspapers.

Too formal?

Colombians use usted even with family and friends!
Photo credit: Edgar Zuniga Jr. licensed CC BY-ND 2.0

Usted is no alien to the Spanish speaking world but in Colombia, particularly Bogotá, it enjoys more currency than anyplace else. While the rest of the world would limit the usage of this word to only formal settings, Colombians use it all the time. Here, usted is used wherever non Colombians would typically use tú or vos, such as with friends and family. Voseo, which is the hallmark of Latin American Spanish, is practically alien to most parts of Colombia.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rules since Colombian Spanish is not a single dialect but a rather inconsistent continuum of almost unrelated dialects. One such exception is the prevalence of voseo in areas like Valle del Cauca and the Paisa region.

It’s not that Colombians never use tú. It’s just that the usage is very minimal and carries a radically different connotation in Colombian societies. When a man uses tú with a woman, it’s seen as flirtatious. And between two men, it’s taboo! Between two men it’s instantly taken as a sign of homosexuality or, leastwise, effeminate behavior. Just stick to usted all along and you’ll do just fine in all situations in this country. Might seem pretty awkward at first but it’s easy to get accustomed to.

Colombian pronunciation

They say the Bogotá accent is the clearest of all and consequently the easiest to understand from a non-native speaker’s standpoint. This meme, along with the fact that this is the Spanish our gorgeous Shakira speaks, should sufficiently incentivize your decision of choosing Colombian Spanish as your target accent!

Though not too many, there still exist some pronunciation features that are more definitive of Colombian speech than any other. One of them is the way they pronounce their j’s as in the word, jardín. While elsewhere it would be rendered with a guttural similar to the one heard at the end of loch in Irish, Colombians prefer the rather simpler sounding “h” of English. So, jardín sounds like “har-deen” in this country and not like “xar-deen” as it does elsewhere. Colombian Spanish shares this feature with some other dialects such as those of Canary Islands, Southern Spain, the Caribbean, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

There’s also a distinct way they pronounce the letters, b, d, and g, in Colombian Spanish. While these letters carry a much softer sound in most cases in other dialects, they are uttered exactly as they are in English by the Colombians. For the linguistic nerds out there, this can be summed up as the “plosive” pronunciation where parts of your mouth enact a sort of explosion. Imagine your lips mildly exploding when you pronounce “b” in English, or your tongue causing a similar explosion with your alveolar ridge when pronouncing “d”. All you need to remember is that he softer sounds for these letters, prominent in Spanish, is more or less absent in Colombian Spanish. The only exception could be the Nariño region where the softer variants do exist.

Gatito or gatico?

Gatito o gatico?
Photo credit: Fluckr You licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

Diminutives are one of the most defining features of Latin American Spanish and words like ahorita and poquito are commonplace in that part of the world. That these little suffixes (such as the -ito in poquito) mildly or radically alter the meaning of the word in question is well-known. Although the degree and direction of this change in meaning largely depends on the dialect, culture, and context, they abound. And Colombian Spanish is no exception.

What’s salient about Colombian Spanish, though, is the suffix itself. Here, -ito is more commonly replaced by a more ubiquitous -ico in words where the last syllable has a “t” in it. In all other cases, -ito prevails. So, the Mexican gatito becomes gatico in Colombia. Colombians share this practice with the Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Costa Ricans, and the Venezuelans.

Another salient feature of this dialect is that it allows for usage of diminutives not only with nouns and adjectives like elsewhere, but also with verbs! Just as with nouns and adjectives, verbs can also take on these suffixes to intensify the action, particularly in the continuous form represented by the -iendo ending (equivalent of the -ing form in English). Thus, while corriendo is “running,” one can turn it into corriendito to imply “scurrying.”

Even prepositions can take on these suffixes in Colombian speech with a similar intensifying effect. So, while junto a is “next to,” juntico a turns it into “right next to.” Double diminutives are also common as in Mexico giving innovations, like, ahoritica (right at this moment) and buenecitico (perfect or top-shelf). As obvious, two diminutives make it sound more intensive than just one and are, hence, typical of more loaded conversations.

Who’s the daddy?

The lower class Colombians speak a very strange Spanish
Photo credit: I. D. R. J. licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

A curious trait of Colombian Spanish is the way family members address each other. No, this is not about usted or tú. This is something even more awkward for a newcomer. What do you think that Latina wife of yours would address you as? Mi amor? Mi esposo? Mi marido? Well, if she is from Colombia, she is most likely to call you – hold your breath – mijo (a colloquial portmanteau for mi hijo or “my son” elsewhere)! Yes, Colombian couples address each other as mijo and mija. Don’t ask why; this is what it is. Just get used to it.

And it doesn’t end here. While your Colombian wife addresses you like a son, think of how she addresses your kids. Well, parents in this country usually call their sons papito (daddy) and daughters, mamita (mommy)! So, who’s the daddy after all? But don’t worry, this kind of awkward usage is not educated Colombian Spanish. You’re more likely to hear them in lower and lower-middle class families.

Another peculiarity of Colombian street-speech is the usage of que in irrelevant contexts. Practically any sentence can be made to start with this word without affecting the meaning. Just another Colombian habit. You are quite likely to hear sentences like these in this country:

Que sale mañana (They’re leaving tomorrow)

Que gracias (Thanks)

This usage is, again, associated with uneducated, lower socio-economic strata of the Colombian society.

There are far more peculiarities in any dialect of any language, let alone Colombian Spanish, to be justifiably covered in a single article. Books have been written discussing these idiosyncrasies and anyone crazy enough about this dialect ought to conduct further research. But no amount of reading and researching can ever rival the value-add of having a native speaker from Colombia as friend. Interacting with them in real is the best way to understand all aspects of their language.

If you have any experience with the Colombians, feel free to share it with the rest of us in your comments. We’d love to learn more about this fascinating dialect through your experiences!

The 4 Keywords Of Argentinean Spanish Other Than Che

The Argentineans could practically go on for hours at a stretch with anyone who’d care to listen! And, naturally, this overdose of spoken Spanish is bound to spawn an entire jargon of local slang and idiosyncrasies that could catch even a master of Spanish off-guard. Even someone who can’t say, “My name is Bill,” in Spanish would know that che is what the Argentineans live and breathe. What many don’t know, however, is that Argentinean life doesn’t start and end with just che. A dialect of Spanish as rich as Argentinean ought to do much better than that; here, we explore 4 words from Argentina that you just can’t do without.

Boludo

Unless you mean to insult, use boludo only with someone this close, if you must
Photo credit: Alberto licensed CC BY 2.0

Long, long ago in the days of yore when they used to fight with horses and cannons, it often made sense to have a “cannon-fodder.” This wretched mortal would be typically the one pushed into front line of the battle so as to take the hit from incoming shots and die first, thereby, saving the more precious manpower behind him. It was a brilliant, though cruel, strategy to waste the enemy’s cannonballs on insignificant soldiers and then score later in terms of ammunition.

Obviously, this wretch was popularly thought of as someone having a lot of guts to step into what’s practically a suicide mission. Lot of guts translated into big balls or, in Spanish, boludo. So, basically, the term would stand for someone brave and courageous and thus has “big balls.” But then, another school of thought noted them as utter fools as there was no bravery involved in certain death. Hence, with time, this word came to carry this connotation.

Although, in the streets of Argentina, a boludo would generally be an immature jackass or a moron, it might not always be as offending as it seems. Most teenagers are often heard using this word amongst themselves as casual appelative. It often combines with che in one of the most common street expressions, “¡Che boludo!” This could mean, “Hey moron!” or “Hey buddy!” depending on the context.

At any cost, stay away from using this word unless you are in extremely casual and friendly settings as you never know how it might come across. Especially if you’re older than, say 30, an overuse of boludo might be taken as an attempt to play up a certain image or even cultural or lexical poverty. And if you’re feeling even more adventurous, there’s pelotudo; same meaning but a much bigger punch.

By the way, this word refers to a wealthy person in El Salvador! So, be careful if you’re traveling to both the countries.

Quilombo

Slums of La Boca: ¡Qué quilombo!
Photo credit: Richie Diesterheft licensed CC BY 2.0

This one actually comes from Portuguese, blame it on the shared border with Brazil. Historically, quilombos used to be remote, inland ghettos settled by runaway slaves from the Brazilian sugar plantations. Needless to say, the living conditions in these slums, mostly concentrated along the southern frontiers of Brazil, were poor enough to be compared with Hell on Earth.

Due to the miserable state of affairs in these settlements, the word came to be colloquially used for the whorehouses of Buenos Aires – and sometimes also Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and rest of Argentina – which were equally wretched if not more. With time, though, it has further evolved and generalized to cover any similar situation. So, basically, a quilombo today is a mess or any messed-up situation regardless of the context.

How intense is the connotation? Let’s just say it’s a tad stronger than “mess” but a touch gentler than something like a “shit storm.” Anyway, cutting through all its interpretations, at heart, quilombo remains something raucous, miserable, and downright bad.

Needless to say, you’d be better off limiting this word’s usage to only the most casual of contexts as it’s not a terribly sophisticated expression. Typical usage would be:

¡Qué quilombo! (What a bloody mess!)

Se armo un quilombo (It was a freakin’ mess)

¡Tu casa es un quilombo! (Your house is such a mess!)

Onda

Everything nice is buena onda!
Photo credit: Claudia_midori licensed CC BY 2.0

Onda is also quite prevalent in Mexico as a colloquial term for “vibes.” Literally speaking, this word means “wave” which is similar in connotation to “vibe.” This is the reason why microwave ovens are translated to hornos microondas in Spanish. Pretty straightforward, isn’t it?

Using la onda in isolation simply means cool or good – a tad stronger than bueno. Although there are many phrases using this word, it’s not uncommon to hear it being used on its own in an expression. One example is, ¿Qué onda?

Well, this is quite a handy word due to its versatility and ubiquity, at least in Mexican and Rioplatense dialects of Spanish. The most common expression using this word is ¿Qué onda? which means, “What’s up?” Here, the question essentially meant to be asked is more like, “What’s making waves?” or “What’s going on?”

Other than the extremely common expression mentioned above, the word finds usage in quite a few other contexts as well. Some of the most common expressions use onda along with buena or mala, in the phrases, buena onda (good intention/faith/mood) or mala onda (bad faith/intention/mood). Whether onda indicates nature, mood or intention, depends on the preposition attached to it:

en buena/mala onda (with or in a good/bad intention)

de buena/mala onda (in a good/bad mood)

buena/mala onda (cool/mean or a good/bad thing or situation)

Let’s review some examples:

Mi jefe es muy buena onda (My boss is pretty cool)

La música de esa banda es la onda (This band’s music is the best)

Lupe es mala onda (Lupe is quite mean)

Ahora, estoy de mala onda (I’m in a bad mood right now)

Las mujeres hablan en mala onda de Juan (The women talk harshly about Juan)

Pedo

These Argentineans are definitely en pedo
Photo credit: Leonardo Daniel licensed CC BY 2.0

Going by the dictionary, this word means just a “fart,” but in the streets of Argentina, they are used in contexts that have little to do with this unpleasant Biology. One most common expression you can hear everywhere you go in Buenos Aires is en pedo which means drunk. So, if you ask me if I’d ever try eating reptiles and I answer, “¡Ni en pedo!” I essentially mean that I won’t eat them even if I were drunk.

Another interesting phrase involving pedo is vivir en nube de pedos. If you abide by the literal translation, this would conjure up a rather disgusting image of someone living in a cloud made of farts. But in colloquial speech, this simply refers to someone living in a dream-world, totally detached from reality. Interesting?

The play with words doesn’t stop here. Ever seen a scuba diver slowly ascending back to the surface after a long session? It’s no mean feat to push through the immense pressure of all the water on top of your head, especially when you have gone too deep. Now imagine that diver letting out a fart so strong that it propels him to the surface in one loud jet! There’s an expression for this vision in Spanish – Subir como pedo de buzo – which literally means, “to climb like a scuba diver’s fart.” Well, the image might not be pleasant but the expression is quite handy in a lot of contexts. Essentially it relates to someone “rapidly climbing up the social ladder.”

Of course, these are not the only words that define Argentinean Spanish and you’ll discover many more as you start conversing with the locals. But, these are by far the most prevalent expressions you are likely to encounter on a stroll down the alleys and streets of this country. Just try avoiding their usage in formal settings and you should be just fine. And if, by any chance, you’ve been there and done that, please feel free to share your experiences. Any words or expressions you feel should make the list of Argentinean slang keywords? Share them!

The Spanish Object Pronouns – Leísmo, Laísmo, And Loísmo

The Spanish language has object pronouns just like its other Romance cousins. However, to us English speakers, they often seem alien because English doesn’t stress on them as much as Spanish does. Many rookie learners doing Spanish get thoroughly confused with the multitude of rules surrounding these pronouns and this article intends to clear the air once and for all. Actually, the only confusing bit happens to be the third person forms that seem deceptively simple – La, lo, and le. In keeping with the essence of simplicity that our articles feature, we will try to steer clear of grammatical nomenclature as far as possible.

The confusion around these pronouns is severely compounded by the fact that different parts of the Spanish speaking world have different ways of using them which are not necessarily consistent with what is acceptable as “correct” by prescription grammar.

The standard way

Before we continue into what the regional variations and colloquial “incorrect” usage are, it’s imperative that we first understand what the “correct” usage is. Well, even before that, let’s first brush up on what exactly these “objects” are.

In most languages, a typical sentence has 3 most basic components. Let’s understand this with an example sentence:

Escribe una carta (He writes a letter)

Referring to this example sentence, the three basic components would be:

1. The action – This is typically what we know as the “verb.” In our example sentence, the action word is escribe (writes).


2. The doer – The idea is that if something is being done, someone’s got to be doing it. This person, thing, or entity that performs the action in question is the “subject,” which in our example is él (he/she). Note that it’s often omitted in Spanish but implied inherently.


3. The recipient – This word or phrase signifies the entity at the receiving end of the said action, grammatically known as the “object.” Objects typically answer the “what,” “whom,” or “to whom” in the sentence. Drawing on this, the object in our sentence is the word that answers the question, “What is being written?” Yes, it’s una carta (a letter).

Now, this recipient of action can be stated as either a direct or an indirect object. The letter in our previous example is essentially a direct object. Direct objects usually answer the question, “what.”

However, if we extend our example to answer the question, “to whom,” we get what’s called an indirect object. Let’s try it out:

Le escribe una carta (He writes a letter to her)

So, what’s being done here? Writing. That’s your verb. Who is doing the writing? He; that’s your subject. What’s he writing? A letter, the direct object. And, to whom is he writing the letter? To her, the indirect object. Easy-peasy? Hope so.


Now, let’s have a look at the words used as the direct and indirect recipients of actions in Spanish – The direct and indirect pronouns:

The pronouns for the first and the second persons are fairly simple and easy to digest:

• me – First person singular for both direct and indirect pronouns; directly corresponds to the “me” in English. For example, me dio el libro (she gave the book to me; indirect), me vio (she saw me; direct).
• te – Second person singular for both direct and indirect pronouns; directly corresponds to “you” or “to you” in English. For example, te dio el libro, te vio.

It’s the third person where the heat is. Here, depending on the gender, you have several words that one must choose from. First the direct objects:

• lo – This one answers a “what” question when the recipient is a singular entity in the third person; e.g., lo vi (I saw him), lo tocó (you touched him).
• la – This one is lo’s girlfriend; e.g., la vi (I saw her), la tocó (you touched her).

This shouldn’t cause any grief as the endings should easily give away their meanings. Every Spanish learner worth their grain knows that “o” endings are guys and “a” endings are girls. Well, mostly if not always. So, lo is for the guys and la is for the girls and there’s no “in-between” in Spanish.

What did Lola eat today?
Photo credit: Raellyn & Melissa licensed CC BY-ND 2.0

Direct objects are even simpler. They don’t differentiate between the guys and the girls and just use a standard le for everyone; e.g., le dio el libro (she gave the book to him/her), le escribo una carta (I write him/her a letter). Do note that, as in the first example here, the indirect object doesn’t always have to take a “to” in English. So, “she gave him a book,” can also be expressed as, “she gave a book to him.” In Spanish, they are all the same.

To remember this easily, consider this sentence as a simple visualization or mnemonic device; these always make life a whole lot easier for lazy Spanish learners:

What did Lola eat today? (Imagine Lola to be a fat chick giving off loud farts after probably gorging on more than her fair share of bean burritos!)

This sentence should hint to the idea that anything that answers a “what,” takes a direct object pronoun, i.e., lo or la. The word, “today” rhymes well with “to-le,” hinting that anything that answers a “to what,” takes a le. What did you write? The letter (direct). To whom did you write? To her (indirect).

Forget Lola, try Leísmo

Leísmo is typical of Spanish from central Spain
Photo credit: Nick Richards licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

What the heck is this leísmo? The Spanish you hear in the streets often deviates from what the grammar authorities would prescribe in the classrooms and this one is a classic example.

Largely confined to certain areas of Spain, this colloquialism involves using le instead of lo. This colloquialism has caught on so well over the years that even RAE-prescribed grammar now considers it as an acceptable practice as long as it’s only referring to male persons and not inanimate entities. Some examples are in order here; let’s consider sentences describing someone seeing different things:

• Vio a un hombre / Lo vio (She saw a man / she saw him) – This is your standard Spanish, where lo replaces un hombre as the direct object. The same sentence when spoken casually in parts of Spain, becomes le vio, where le takes on the role of a direct object instead of lo when the entity in question is a male person, in our example, a man. This usage is now allowed by Spanish grammar.
• Vio un anillo / Lo vio (She saw a ring / she saw it) – Again, the masculine ring is referenced in the direct object form by the word, lo. However, despite being masculine, a ring is not a person and hence, cannot take a le as the man in our previous example did.

So, essentially, leísmo is just a colloquial practice allowing for le to be used as a direct object for male persons which would otherwise take a lo. It’s really that simple and if you are learning Latin American Spanish, don’t even bother with it.

Loísmo and Laísmo

This is, again, a colloquial phenomenon confined to parts of central Spain and is nothing but the stark opposite of leísmo. In such dialects, the pronouns, lo and la which are prescribed as direct object by standard Spanish grammar, get used as indirect objects instead of the more appropriate le. So, when it’s lo replacing the le, it is loísmo and when it’s la, it’s called laísmo. This practice, unlike leísmo is not endorsed by the Spanish grammar and is rarely used outside of casual street talks. Also note that laísmo is more prevalent than loísmo in such dialects.

Again, don’t bother yourself with these issues if the Spanish you’re gunning for is the Latin American flavor, because in those areas, there’s no leísmo, loísmo, or laísmo.

So, if you want to say that you gave your girlfriend a kiss, you’d translate it as:

• Standard Spanish: Le di un beso (I gave a kiss to her)
• Laísmo: La di un beso

See how la replaces le in the indirect object mode in a laísmo dialect?

Anyway, be careful while learning such colloquialism even if you are learning the laísmo/loísmo dialect of central Spain. You should know them only so you can understand when it’s being used. Why? Because it’s quite possible that your Spanish would come off as uneducated when you practice loísmo or laísmo.

That’s all there is when it comes to the third person direct and indirect objects in the Spanish language. As for the plurals, just add an “s” to the lo, la, or le and you’ll do pretty good.

Mexican Spanish – Órale, Híjole, And Others

It’s almost impossible to spend some time in Mexico and yet never get to hear some of those exceptionally Mexican words that typically end in “-le” and sound alien even to a native Spanish speaker from outside of Mexico. Words such as órale, híjole, ándale, etc. are as authentically Mexican as mezcal, taco, or piñata and are yet absent from most Spanish language dictionaries. If you don’t understand these words, making sense of most street conversations in Mexico would be nothing short of a challenge as they are generously peppered all over the fabric of Mexican Spanish. This article tries to make sense of this jargon for you.

Órale

Well, órale actually means a whack of different things and in order to truly understand them in various contexts, you need to step out and take a walk down the streets of Chilangolandia.

Órale is as Mexican as taco, mezcal, or piñata
Photo credit: Phillip Pessar licensed CC BY 2.0

Before we actually get down to what it means, it’s important to understand where it comes from. The Mexican Language Academy pegs the word as a derivative of ahora (now) with its first letter somehow lost in transit. The suffix, “-le,” is just that – a meaningless suffix. How it came to be is neither widely known nor terribly important for your Spanish unless you are working on some linguistic research, but it’s there nonetheless.

So, what the heck does it mean anyway? Órale seems to have little to do with its origins in ahora at first glance. And that shouldn’t bother you either because certain things exist in every language for reasons best left unexplored. Moving on, this word has come to acquire several connotations in Mexican Spanish completely dependent on the context and even the speaker.

One of the ways it’s commonly used is to exhort some action – “let’s go,” “hurry up,” or “come on.”

It’s also often used as an interjection of surprise, excitement, or shock – “wow,” “oh my god.”

Yet another usage is as a term of affirmation or agreement – “yes,” “fine,” “ok,” etc. If you’ve seen the Mexican flick, Amores Perros, you’d have perhaps noticed how Jarocho often uses órale in this sense.

Lastly, it can also function as a standalone greeting, not different from “what’s up” in English. This one is pretty commonly used by the Mexican Americans in the phrase, Órale vato (What’s up, man). The vato in this phrase comes from the gitano lingo as a northern Mexican slang for man.

The fat and famous American stand-up comedian, Gabriel Iglesias loves highlighting his Mexican roots by frequently using órale during his performances. And for the voyeurs in you, there’s Óoorale!, the raunchy gossip magazine sold all over Mexico for ten pesos.

Must you memorize all these forms? Absolutely not! The closest coverall for this term in English would be “whoa.” Typically, wherever you use “whoa” in English, you can use órale in Spanish. Apart from that, it’s best to let the context guide you.

Let some examples illustrate its usage in various contexts:

• ¡Órale güey! (What’s up, dude?)
• Órale, nos vemos a las nueve. (Fine, let’s meet up at nine)
• ¡Órale que no tenemos todo el día! (Hurry up, we don’t have all day!)
• ¡Órale! Es un cuerpo! (Wow! She’s hot!)
• ¡Órale, órale! Dejala en paz, panzón! (Whoa, whoa! Leave her alone, you fatso!)
• Órale pues. (Yeah right / alright then)

As a cue to memory, if you are a wrestling fan, remember Conan, the Mexican wrestler from the days of nWo (New World Order)? Remember how he would pump up the crowd with his órale chants? He used to utter the word at least half a dozen times growing progressively louder, eliciting a public reaction like, “Get up!” or “C’mon!”

Speaking of órale pues, the phrase could also have a subtle sarcastic undertone (something like, “yeah right, whatever”) depending on the context and mood.

Ándale

Speedy Gonzales: The “fastest mouse in Mexico”
Photo credit: Bride of Frankenstein licensed CC BY 2.0

It won’t be wrong to assume most of us English speakers grew up on the never-ending antics of Tom ‘n’ Jerry, the evergreen MGM buddies. Well, our Mexican friends, too, happen to have their own cat-mouse entertainer in the form of Speedy Gonzales (the fastest mouse in Mexico) and Sylvester (the tuxedo cat) in Warner Brothers’ Looney Tunes. The word, ándale, features as one of the most prominent cheer throughout the show and the mice are often heard crying , “¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba¡…” The prominence is so strong that Speedy has invariably come to be associated with the word now.

Now, just as órale, ándale is a very versatile word. It can pull off a range of different meanings. Almost similar in usage to órale, this word can be used for encouragement, surprise, disappointment, affirmation, etc. depending on the speaker’s mood and tone of voice. We have already seen how it can be used as a shout of encouragement in Speedy’s case. So, basically, you can use ándale almost everywhere you use órale.

Also note that the sense of “hurry up” is conveyed by ándale more so than órale. On the other hand, surprised exclamations take órale better than ándale.

Used with pues, it takes the meaning of, “well, then,” or something similar, not any different from órale pues. Ándale pues or órale pues can be used, for instance, at the closure of an informal conversation as a sign of mutual agreement or understanding. Other than a conversation ender, ándale pues is also an phrase of strong approval, more like, “I totally agree,” or “that’s right.”

Let’s see if these examples illustrate all that ándale means:

• Ándale, vamos al cine. (Alright, let’s go to the movies.)
• ¡Ándale, necesitamos irnos! (Hurry up! We have to leave!)
• ¡Ándale, no eres gorda! (C’mon, you’re not fat!)

As far as ándale pues is concerned, it can also be used in the sense of, “I told you so!” For example, your mom is tired of asking you to study but you never listen and stay up watching TV all night; next day, you have a test which you obviously flunk and return home disappointed. That’s when your mom would say something like, “¿Ves? ¡Te lo dije!” And if she’s Mexican, she’d most likely yell, “¡Ándale! ¡Te lo dije!”

Híjole and others

Puerto Vallarte: Words like école, úchale, and újule are typical to central Mexico
Photo credit: Ann Larie Valentine licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

Them mexicans are an innovative lot, at least when it comes to their Spanish. There are dozens of other such off-the-grid interjections that end in “le” and rarely found in any standard dictionary. Most of these words are non-standard but play an extremely important role in the streets of Mexico. These words help express a lot of such emotions and expressions which would otherwise be almost impossible for someone using the language prescribed by the purists. Some of them are:

• híjole – This one is similar to “geez,” “oh shit,” “damn,” or “wow” in English; often used to express extreme surprise, shock, exasperation, or desperation. Most often, it corresponds to the English words, “yikes” and “damn.”
• éjele – This is the word you use when you catch someone with their pants down, literally! So, let’s say, you were watching some skin flick and I caught you in the groove; that’s when I might say, “¡Éjele, ya te vi! (Whoa, I just say you!)”
• épale – This one also loosely corresponds to the English usage of “damn” or “wow.” As an imperative, it can also be used to forbid someone from doing something, more or less like the English interjection, “Stop!”
• école – This is a common expression of strong agreement; very similar to how you say, “exactly,” in English when you vehemently agree with what the speaker just mentioned. It sometimes also translates to, “of course!”
• quihúbole – This one comes from the phrase, ¿Qué hubo?, and loosely means, “what’s up?” Also rendered as quihubo, it’s generally used only with someone very familiar.
• újule – This word is used as an expression of disappointment or dismay; it usually introduces something like a bad news.
• úchale – Almost the same as újule, this word is usually an expression of displeasure or disgust.

It’s worth noting that most of these words with a few exceptions like órale, ándale, and híjole, are used in the deep interiors of central Mexico and might sound a tad funny elsewhere, and definitely alien outside of mexico!

Fresas And Nacos: The Preppies And The White-Trash Of Mexico

No linguistic study of any human culture can ever be complete without a fair understanding of that culture’s social stereotypes. Yankees, redheads, hicks, yuppies, preppies, Valley Girls...you can’t fully understand the Americans unless you understand their clichéd stereotypes. In a similar fashion, if you are learning Mexican Spanish, it won’t hurt to get acquainted with the stereotypes that define their lifestyle and culture. While stereotypes are rightly frowned upon for their prejudices, using them without being judgmental can immensely help understand some of the most colorful and interesting aspects of a culture.

When it comes to Mexican Spanish, stereotypes run deep and are often at the very heart of most prejudices and social humor. While these can come off as potentially offensive if one is not sensitive enough while bringing them up, they are too ubiquitous to be ignored. Mexico has a whole spectrum of such stereotypes and at the two extreme ends of this spectrum are the clichés that have divided the Mexican society for generations. These are the nacos and the fresas, the souls of too many social jokes and parodies in the country.

The fresas

Generalization is the salient feature of any social stereotype and those of Mexican Spanish are no exceptions. While fresa is Spanish for strawberry if the dictionaries had their way, it’s also a Mexican Spanish slang term for what the Americans would call a preppy. Mostly used by the teenagers, this is a stereotype of the superficial, high-class Mexican – snobbish, arrogant, shallow, selfish, fussy, and tasteful.

A typical fresa haunt
Photo credit: Michael Rael licensed CC BY 2.0

Fresas are usually either wealthy or act like they were. They tend to imitate the American culture in an attempt to sound and appear cool and elite. The hallmark of their vernacular is a generous sprinkling of English phrases on their Spanish; “¡Qué cool!,” “O sea (Like, used as a filler),” “super,” “vales mil (you are very important),” “fresh,” and so on. Other than such adulteration, the fresa accent is also typically faked to sound different from the otherwise slow-pitched Mexican accent. There’s a difference in their tone and they typically consist of a more “proper” vocabulary.

Fashion is the first tell-tale sign of a fresa as they are mostly clad in top brands like Armani, Lacoste, Banana Republic, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, Zara, Polo Ralph Lauren, Hollister Co., Furor, and Wayfarer. In a nutshell, they would be found imitating the style and dressing of the characters in Rebelde Way, a popular TV show in Mexico. Often, wannabe fresas would be seen in cheaper knock-offs of these brands in an attempt to appear rich and classy. Fresas would mostly be found shopping in expensive malls and using cards more than cash for payments.

Stereotyping continues with other non-linguistic fresa traits as well, music being one of them. A fresa would typically follow bands like Nikki Clan, Rebelde, Luis Miguel, Mecano, Pandora, Maná, RBD, Timbiriche, Kudai, Sasha, and Flans.

Though this word is now well understood across Latin America thanks to the growing dominance of Mexican television, other Latin American countries have their own terms for stereotypical parallels. One such example would be the Venezuelan sifrina which refers to a rich, spoilt girl. The regular Spanish for popcorn, cotufa, is also a Venezuelan slang term for a “dumb blonde” stereotype with no direct association whatsoever with the subject’s hair color. Coming back to Mexico, fresa kids are also, more traditionally, referred to as niños bien (fine kids) or gente bien (fine people).

The nacos

At the other far end of the socio-economic spectrum, you have the nacos. Generally, they are less educated, pretentious, classless, and uncouth – the “white-trash” of Mexico. Their language is more vulgar, laden with swear-words and double-entendres. This is in sharp contrast with the fresas, who consider it a statement of class to speak refined Spanish and use English words and phrases in their speech.

The word itself goes back to the colonial times of Mexico when the Church used to be the single most important institution in the Catholic Mexican society. A regular church attendance was one of the ways to continue being respected and considered elite in the society. So, to make life easier for themselves, the wealthier families would have their naco (servant) run to the church and reserve their seats well before the mass began.

Mercado Jamaica (Mexico City): A typical naco haunt
Photo credit: Luigi Guarino licensed CC BY 2.0

Nacos typically follow mariachi, banda, or norteño music, such as Los Tigres del Norte, and down cheap tequila. Their favorite food is street tacos and they enjoy lucha libre (free wrestling) and soccer. They are not very brand-conscious when it comes to their clothing and style. Many dye the front of their hair blond and wear a mullet at the back. Brands like Chivas are their pick and they rarely buy anything American.

While the fresas are too particular about toting around the latest gadgets, especially American-made, nacos rarely go for anything non-Mexican or expensive. They watch only Spanish movies, especially old ranchera flicks, as Hollywood doesn’t appeal to them. They are often completely ignorant about even the most widely-known Hollywood celebrities like Nicole Kidman!

In Guadalajara terms, while a Plaza Galerias would be the typical fresa haunt, nacos would rather be found shopping at Mercado Libertad in San Juan de Dios or the working-class neighborhood of Oblatos. Cheap supermarkets are where the nacos are at. Flashy malls are only for those who are or want to “appear” rich.

Tú Or Vos? The Culture Dilemma

English, as we know it today, is a very simple language when it comes to addressing people. You have just one word (you) that can be used for strangers and acquaintances alike regardless of your level of intimacy with them. With Spanish, life gets a bit complicated because depending on where you are and who you are with, you must carefully choose from three different pronouns to sound appropriate. While knowledge of tú and usted is commonplace, it’s vos that’s relatively unknown to most Spanish learners. Here, we will try to explore voseo – the usage of vos – in different cultural contexts throughout the Hispanic world.

Why is it important?

Voseo on a billboard in Buenos Aires: Note “vení” instead of “ven”
Photo credit: Qqqqqq licensed CC BY-SA 3.0

Voseo stands for the usage of vos for the second person singular pronoun. A similar word for the usage of tú is tutear. Although not a part of standard Spanish anymore, vos does have significant currency in certain parts of Latin America where its knowledge is an absolute necessity.

It’s only ironic, however, that it’s now completely extinct in the country of its origin, i.e., Spain. Most courses skip this pronoun simply because the two largest dialects of Spanish, Castillian and Mexican, don’t have it in their inventories. But if the dialect you’re aiming to acquire is, say Argentenean or Uruguayan, you just can’t do without vos.

As mentioned before, voseo is not a global phenomenon. It’s rather dialectical and, more often than not, an aspect of non-standard, regional speech. So, what cultures actually embrace this practice and to what extent? You can take it for granted that regardless of its currency in other countries, voseo is non-existent in Spain and most of Mexico. As for the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, let’s see this one culture at a time.

Cultures with predominant voseo

Voseo at a Nicaraguan airport
Photo credit: Mbhskid520 licensed CC BY 2.0

• Argentina and Paraguay – Tú is practically non-existent in the Rioplatense and Paraguayan dialects, the ones spoken in these countries. In these cultures, usted is sometimes used in some formal settings but vos is the way to go otherwise.
• Uruguay – Uruguay, too, follows the Rioplatense dialect and runs predominantly on vos. In several areas, however, tú is also used albeit with the vos conjugations. Usage of tú with verbs conjugated in the tú form is alien to Uruguay.
• Costa Rica and Nicaragua – Here, just as in Uruguay, vos can be used with verbs conjugated in both vos as well as tú forms. Usage of tú as a pronoun is non-existent in Costa Rica and rare in Nicaragua. Usted is generally used for new acquaintances or strangers but can, in certain parts, be extended to all situations. Unlike Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, however, tú is still preferred in Costa Rica and Nicaragua when it comes to formal communications, such as media, formal correspondence, or while addressing foreigners.

Cultures with extensive voseo

• Guatemala – Here, vos coexists with tú and usted; however, its usage is generally frowned upon by the older generations and those who come from the upper economic class who see voseo as vulgar or uneducated. Usted is the way to go with the elders; vos is the most intimate form and is used with younger family members or close friends; tú, on the other hand, is a little less intimate. One peculiarity here is that vos is preferred amongst men regardless of their intimacy; two men using tú with each other is seen as a sign of homosexuality. Many couples, despite their intimacy, choose to use the less casual tú with each other as a sign of romance and respect.
• Chile – Here, usage of vos conjugations with tú is spreading rapidly while vos as a pronoun is generally reserved only for very intimate encounters. Usted is the preferred pronoun with strangers and the elders; also, some couples use usted despite their intimacy to show respect for each other out of mutual love.
• Bolivia – Voseo is universally used in the Lowlands of Eastern Bolivia where the population is predominantly mestizo, Criollo, or of German ancestry (e.g., Tarija, Beni, Pando, Santa cruz, and the Lowlands of La Paz). In the Highlands of Western Bolivia, however, where the population is predominantly indigenous (e.g., Potosí, Oruro, Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, and the Highlands of La Paz) tú is predominantly the pronoun of choice albeit with verbs conjugated in the vos form.
• Honduras and El Salvador – Here, vos is the most intimate of the three pronouns showing maximum familiarity and, often, least respect. Usted is preferred with strangers and the elders while tú is the way to go with new acquaintances or not-so-close friends.

Cultures with voseo in some areas

• Ecuador – Voseo is predominant only in certain regions, i.e., the Esmeraldas, the center, and the Sierras.
• Venezuela – Voseo is prevalent in the northwest of the country, especially in Zulia State.
• Peru – Apart from some areas in the north and the south of the country, voseo is also widespread in Arequipa.
• Mexico – Overall, voseo is not a Mexican thing; vos is almost alien to Mexican ears. However, it is widespread amongst the poor indegenous peoples of rural Chiapas. Usage of vos in once-voseo states, like Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Yucatán, is on the decline.
• Colombia – The Spanish of Colombia is a whole new world. Here, tú must be used with caution, though voseo is not a common feature in this country. Not only is its usage considered gay between two men, it’s also taken as a sign of being flirtatious or romantic if a man uses it with the opposite sex! Generally tú is reserved for family members and strangers (except for the situations just mentioned); for younger people, usted is preferred. Usted is preferred between two men, where tú would sound uncomfortably effeminate. Vos is preferred amongst people from western (Chocó, Nariño, Cauca, and Valle del Cauca), central (Primarily the Paisas of Caldas, Antioquia, Quindío, and Risaralda), and north-eastern (Cesar, La Guajira, and Norte del Santander - Ocaña Region) Colombia.

Conjugations

Before you fret over the thought of having to learn yet another conjugation for a new pronoun, let me assure you that vos conjugations are much simpler than their tú counterparts.

Let’s start with the present indicative tense, for example. All you do here is drop the -r from the verb, replace it with an -s ending, and accent the last syllable. That’s it. And no stem-changing nonsense. Sweet, ain’t it? So, your hablar becomes hablás, vivir becomes vivís, and comer becomes comés.

Now the commands, or in other words, the imperative. Again, simplicity is the name of the game here. Just drop the -r ending and accent the last syllable and you are done. So, vivir becomes viví, andar becomes andá, and comer becomes comé. The only tricky verb in the vos world is ir which cannot be conjugated in this method. Solution? Use the synonym, andar instead! So, the command to go would be andá. Hasn’t this simplicity won you over already?

Some Costa Rican Words For Your Private Organs

Regardless of who you are and how you are learning Spanish, one of the first things that strike you as irresistibly interesting is the glossary of naughty words. There are known to be countless learners, quite unsurprisingly, who have researched and assimilated the vulgar and taboo vocabulary even before they learn how to say, “¡Buenos días!” in Spanish! Even some us might as well be one of them. And this is only human; anything forbidden charms us more. Going against the grain is human nature, more so when it comes to acquiring a language. And Spanish has on offer an extremely rich glossary when it comes to vulgarism!

A word of caution

Tiquísmo is as rich as any other form of Spanish
Photo credit: Luis Tamayo licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

While we hope we don’t wind up offending anyone, you are requested to understand that what follows is extremely crude lingo and certain words, if not all, can potentially make us sound extremely unsophisticated to you. We respect your taste and advise you to skip the rest of this article if such vulgar language offends your classy taste.

If you choose to proceed, we am hoping you read it all in the sportiest of spirits and take them as an essential aspect of street Spanish which you must be able to recognize even if you choose never to use them. Also, we strongly urge you to refrain from using them in your speech no matter how well-versed you become with Spanish. Just know them and recognize them when someone is using them. And have fun!

What follows is a list of words most prevalent in common tico (Costan Rican) speech for some of the most intimate parts of the human anatomy. While all of them might not be equally offensive or even offensive at all, it is best to discuss each of these words with a Costa Rican native and understand the gravity of its meaning before deciding on whether or not you should introduce it into your conversations. Even if a word is not particularly offensive, it can still potentially make you sound funny and even wreck your image if used incorrectly.

By the way, the word, tico, is a Costa Rican slang for anything Costa Rican and tiquísmo is the word for the colloquial tico speech or dialect. This article should also serve to illustrate that Spanish is a diverse language and has more dialects than just American and Peninsular.

Penis and testicles


Banano – Literally, this word stands for “banana”, the fruit and is not particularly vulgar


Chile – This one, again, is’t too vulgar and literally stands for “chili”


Chorizo – Literally, pork sausage; hope you can see the connotation


Cojones – A crude word for “balls” or “testicles”


Garrote – Literally, this word means “club” and figuratively stands for a “big penis”


Guaba – This one is quite vulgar


Huevos – Literally this is the Spanish for “eggs” and, by extension, also come to mean “testicles” in the vulgar lingo. For the same reason, tener huevos means, “to have balls or guts or courage” not different from the way it’s spoken in English


Leche – Again, officially this word means “milk” but can also stand for “semen” if used in a naughty way


Pene – This one is probably the only sophisticated way to refer to the organ in question as prescribed by Spanish dictionaries


Picha – This is another dirty word for the organ


Pinga – This one is quite vulgar and unsophisticated


Pistol – Officially, this word means the same in both English and Spanish but the Spanish version also refers to the private organ in honor of its shooting capabilities


Pito – This word literally means “whistle” in English and is not terribly offensive


Rosca –This one’s another vulgar term used in Costa Rica


Vena –This is yet another, equally vulgar word often heard in Costa Rican speech


Verga – Again, this one is also a vulgar term from Costa Rica

Vagina


Arepa – In colombia, this is the name of a local corn pancake but in Costa Rica, it can also mean you-know-what


Bicho – This would normally mean “insect” elsewhere except in Nicaragua where it has vulgar undertones


Cachimba – Used for the private female organ in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, this word is also often used as a colloquial interjection in the sense of “fantastic” or “terrific”


Concha – Officially, this is the Spanish for a “sea shell” but most locals prefer it to mean what-can’t-be-named-here


Endija – This one a particularly offensive Costa Rican slang


Mico – This is one more vulgar term often heard in Costa Rican speech


Panocha or panocho – This is yet another dirty word


Papaya – Now, this one’s not too offensive and can be used in regular speech as a mild insult which won’t be taken seriously (of course, not in formal speech!)


Rendija – If you follow the dictionary, this one stands for a narrow slit or opening, for instance, between planks in a wall; the resemblance it bears with the female organ is the reason why it’s also often used in a much dirtier sense


Zanja – Literally, this word means “ditch” but colloquially you know what it also means

Breasts

Busto – This one sounds too similar to the English word, “bust” to mean anything but that


Pechuga – Literally, this stands for the very delicious “chicken breast” and is not a great compliment for a woman

Senos – This is the only politically correct way to refer to them

Tenís – Literally, this one’s the Spanish for “tennis” or a “tennis ball” and is exceptionally vulgar when used as the word for breasts


Teresas – This is another vulgar slang heard everywhere in Costa Rica


Tetas – This is the official, dictionary-endorsed term for “tits”


Tetuda or tetona – These are not-too-vulgar words for “big breasts”

Butt


Ano – This one sounds too similar to the English word, “anus” and hence means the same


Anillo – Literally, this is the Spanish for “ring” but in Costa Rica it means something totally different


Chanchos – Officially, this one means “pigs” but is also a tico slang for “buttocks”


Culo – This is an unsophisticated term for the organ under discussion considered as vulgar in Costa Rica as it is elsewhere


Culantro – This is a Costa Rican play on the word, cilantro (coriander)


Gluteos – This is an unoffensive word for that organ


Hueco del culo – This one is a vulgar Costa Rican slang for one’s “ass”


Nalgas – This is the dictionary-prescribed Spanish for “buttocks”


Trasero – Literally, this one stands for the “rear end”

Tener buen culículum – This expression, a typical example of tiquísmo, is a play on the word, “curriculum” or “résumé”; it essentially means, “to have a good butt,” in reference to a woman’s shapely rear.

Jacket Vs. Hand-Job!

Like all other tongues, the Spanish language too has its own share of regional quirkiness and the one from Mexico, in particular, is no different. In fact, it is this quirkiness of Mexican Spanish that makes it one of most learners’ top favorites amongst all known dialects of Spanish. Let’s explore this quirkiness in something as simple as a “jacket.” We all know it translates to la chaqueta in Spanish. What makes it so special here is that this seemingly innocent word for a piece of clothing has an embarrassing, far-from-innocent, kind of perverted connotation in the streets of Mexico and you must be careful when using it!

The Spanish for “jacket”

Do not call this a chaqueta in Mexico!
Photo credit: Marshall Astor licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

Though Spanish has an extremely diverse vocabulary, enriched by the myriad indigenous cultures it has touched over centuries, we are going to be more concerned about the two most commonly used words for the humble “jacket” in the Spanish-speaking world – chamarra and chaqueta. Of these, chaqueta is the one that carries a sort of stigma at least in Mexico and should be avoided as far as possible if you happen to be in that part of the world. What’s wrong in calling a “jacket”, chaqueta?

Well, before that, let’s first get to know the word that Mexicans use for their jackets – chamarra. Now, chamarra means nothing other than a “jacket” and is hence understood in any Spanish-speaking country even though it is not common outside of Mexico. Same way, it’s not that the Mexicans don’t recognize the dictionary meaning of chaqueta which is commonly used everywhere outside of Mexico for “jacket.” Mexicans understand that chaqueta means jacket no less than their counterparts elsewhere but they choose to accept the other, more colloquial meaning that’s nothing short of taboo.

If you haven’t heard of chamarra yet, tarde o temprano (sooner or later) you will. What you should hope, though, is that you bear it well before you ever enter Mexico. If you need a jacket in Mexico, you say, “Hace frío por eso necesito una chamarra (It’s cold so I need a jacket),” and all’s well. By any chance, if you happen to use chaqueta in that sentence, nothing will say, “I am a stupid gringo,” clearer and louder! All of Mexico would unite in giving you the blush of your life before you even realize what you just said. Your problem intensifies as you move further south. In fact, most gringo-infested regions of northern Mexico do recognize chaqueta and honor its usage without much` fuss. but for the rest of the country, it’s just plain taboo. In fact, even Bolivians also prefer to avoid using this word for the same reason.

The chaqueta taboo

So, what the heck does chaqueta mean in Mexico anyway? And what makes it an embarrassment to the unsuspecting gringo? Well, for the lack of a more politically-correct word, it means “masturbation”. Blush, blush! Well, for whatever reason, the word has become integral to Mexico’s jargon of crude lingo and is applicable to both men and women. The act of self-gratification itself is better portrayed by the phrase, hacerse una chaqueta. Now, you can imagine the reaction of your Mexican buddies when you ask for a chaqueta because it’s so cold!

No, you will not be shot dead or deported if you do wind up using this word anyway. Like already mentioned above, chaqueta is well understood as the Spanish for “jacket” even in Mexico, more so in the north. It’s just that because it has a dirtier meaning, they would prefer to hang on to the latter and make the most of the situation at your expense, laughing their hearts out. It is our two cents, though, to steer clear of chaqueta in Mexico and stick to chamarra instead, unless some sort of pun is intended. On the other hand, innocent mistake could make you sound kinky to Mexican ears and possibly win you some amigos (friends) or even dates, who knows! The choice is yours.

More Spanish for more jackets

The Spanish for a suit-jacket, by the way, is saco and is so on both sides of the Atlantic. Also, Spain has cazadoras that refers to more informal types of jackets, such as denims or bombers. In the name of variety, chumpa is another word for “jacket” used in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras while in Ecuador, they have chompa. And Peruvians and Chileans use casaca! Wait, there is more! If you ever visit Argentina, Uruguay, or Paraguay, you’ll hear them call it campera. And as far as chamarra goes, it’s not just the Mexicans. Chamarra is also known and prevalent in Bolivia and as far away as Andalusia of southern Spain. Even more interestingly, in Costa Rica, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, they just use the English word with a Spanish pronunciation (they pronounce it /yah-'ket/).

So, before concluding this article, let’s summarize the idea: Spanish has two words for a jacket, la chamarra and la chaqueta. while both words are well known in all of Hispanosphere, the former is the only one used in Mexico and the latter, elsewhere. Moreover, la chaqueta has a very vulgar meaning in Mexico and is better not used when talking about the item of clothing.

Taking A Bath Or Taking A Shower?

Two words one picks up pretty early in their Spanish-learning program are ducharse and bañarse. If you are one of them, you already know what grammar has to say about their meanings – that ducharse means “to shower” and bañarse means “to bathe”. Simple, isn’t it? Unfortunately, you are in for a little bit of disappointment if you spent countless hours cramming up these meanings off the dictionary. Why? Well, because the streets of Latin America have a slightly different way of talking about bathing. This is another of the several classic examples of how the Spanish language has evolved differently in different cultures.

Mexicans don’t duchar

Me voy a bañar en la ducha
Photo credit: Suedehead licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

As mandated by the dictionaries, both these verbs are reflexive which means in Spanish, you don’t bathe; instead, you “bathe yourself”. Same goes for shower. So, voy a ducharme/bañarme is “I am going to take shower/bath,” and so is me voy a duchar/bañar.

Now back to Mexico. Here, people use bañarse for the action regardless of whether it’s performed under a shower or in a hot-tub! So, me voy a bañar or voy a bañarme would mean both “I am going to take bath”, as well as “I’m going to take shower”. No need to use ducharse at all! So, now we know better that while in Mexico, you just use bañarse at all times. Also, it is worth mentioning here that you won’t go completely misunderstood if you do end up using ducharse in Mexico albeit it will surely give away your non-Mexican background.

So how do you tell the difference?

That pretty much simplifies everything. One word for both taking shower and taking bath means one fewer word to cram. But if you are like me, you will ask the million-dollar question: How to tell if one is actually taking shower under, well, a shower and not soaking in the bath? Turns out, there’s a simple, three-word solution, en la tina. This phrase when added to the verb, bañar, becomes bañarse en la tina and lends the effect of “bathing in the bath” to the sentence. So, if you want to say that you are going to bath specifically as against taking a shower, you’d simply say, voy a bañarme en la tina or me voy a bañar en la tina or me voy a tomar un baño de tina. The latter literally translates into “taking a bath in the bathtub”.

Me voy a bañar en la tina
Photo credit: Liza licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

Similarly, bañarse en la ducha can be used to mean “taking shower under the shower.” No points for guessing that the verb, duchar (to shower) actually comes from the noun, ducha which means, you guessed it right, “shower.” Agreed, bañarse is much more simpler than bañarse en la tina and ducharse is much simpler than bañarse en la ducha but we all know Mexicans have their own crazy style of doing things.

So, by now you must have understood that la tina refers to “the bathtub” (also called la bañera) and la ducha, “the shower.” Again, only if life were that simple! You will often hear Mexicans using multiple words for everything including their bathtub which could also be referred to as la bañera or even la bañadera. Don’t worry, however, you will not be crucified if you do end up using ducharse for “taking a shower” as it is standard Spanish and educated speakers round the world understand standard Spanish quite well. You won’t sound, er, Mexican though. Please note that this usage of bañarse for both bathing and taking shower could also exist in some other parts of Latin America, especially places that experience degrees of Mexican influence. In Spain, however, ducharse is the norm for what it means.

Further trivia

At this stage, it is important to add that while ducharse is alien to Mexican ears, it is also unheard of in many other Latin American countries, the Southern Cone in particular, i.e., Argentina, Peru, Chile, etc. On the other hand, in Spain, bañarse is used for bathing in any water body and not just a bathtub. So, you use bañarse when bathing in a river, beach, or even pool. Darse un regaderazo is what they say in El Salvador when talking about taking a shower. However, the same phrase would take on an entirely different meaning if you were in the Southern Cone. For example, in countries like Chile and Argentina, you would use the phrase when you talk about watering the plants.

Remember that, depending on the community you find yourself in, you could be either taking a bath (tomar un baño) or giving yourself a bath (darse un baño). Of course, the phrases become tomar una ducha and darse una ducha when an actual shower is being referred to. This is yet another variety that you could encounter if traveling to a Spanish-speaking country.

If these tidbits of street Spanish intrigue you and rake up your curiosity, feel happy for this is an indication that your mind is actively absorbing Spanish on its own without any use of force on your part! Learning Spanish can never be an act of reluctant force. You have to savor its rhythm, its diversity, its sound, and its rich vocabulary in order to ensure maximum absorption and minimum efforts.

Does Messi Speak The Spanish Of The Illiterate?

Most textbooks claiming to teach easy Spanish would have you believe that the letters “y” and “ll” are pronounced the same in this language and that the sound they carry is that of “y” in “yellow” in Latin America and that of “llio” in “bullion” in Spain. But in reality, native Spanish language is far from this simplistic picture. This language was not born with similar-sounding “y” and “ll”; on the contrary, early Spanish mandated that “y” be pronounced as the “j” in “jug” and “ll” be pronounced as “y” in “yellow”. Centuries of permutation and combination meant that this distinction blurred almost completely – almost.

Does “y” always sound like “ll”?

Yeísmo in America
Photo credit: Davius licensed CC0 1.0 Universal

Yes and no. The distinction between “y” and “ll” in Spanish has almost disappeared today except for some minority pockets such as the rural north in Spain and the indigenous-dominated regions (particularly, Quechua-heavy areas) of Latin America. Today’s Spanish-speakers have a whole range of sounds they attach to their “y” and “ll” and how they pronounce these letters often tell where they come from and what their cultural background is.

Today, we will see how this works in Argentina. Why Argentina? Because these letters don’t see as much diversity in their pronunciation in any part of the world as they do in Argentina.

Pronunciation of “y” and “ll” in Argentina has been the subject of many serious researches and surveys and because of the extremely fluid nature of Spanish in today’s world, these regionalisms may or may not hold water in times to come. Hence, please read this article with a pinch of salt and do not treat these demarcations as etched in stone. Just see them as the state of affairs as of today, more or less. No language, let alone Spanish, can be declared to have a rigid accent-region association at all times; this can only be approximated at best.

Argentina: One country, many pronunciations

Most Argentineans pronounce these letters as either “sh” in “sheep” or as “s” in “measure”. You’ll rarely hear an Argentinean use the “llio” (of “million”), “j” (of “jello”) or “y” (of “yellow”) sound. Now the question that arises is which one, “sh” of “sheep” or “s” of “measure”? One study suggested once that this is a matter of education or, more significantly, social class. Those in the lower strata of the social hierarchy tend to veer in favor of “sh” of “sheep” while the more elite, educated class prefer “s” of “measure”.

The story doesn’t end here. Delve deeper and more shades of gray start popping out. For example, even the Porteños (residents of Buenos Aires) have a wide range of pronunciation. Most primary school teachers are heard teaching the “llio” of “million” for the letter, “ll”. This is deliberate and affects only “ll” and not “y”. The reason could be to reinforce the phonetic distinction between “y” and “ll” and help the children learn which word takes which letter.

This distinction, more often than not, diffuses with age and hardly any grown-up conversation is heard pronouncing “ll” as the “llio” of “million” anyplace in Buenos Aires. While most of Argentina follows the above-mentioned pronunciation, some indigenous people and those in the north-western parts do use the “y” sound of “yellow” for the Spanish “y” and “ll”, in line with the rest of (or rather, most of) Latin America.

Where are we headed?

Messi pronounces his “ll” as /sh/ like most others of his generation
Photo credit: Adam Jones licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

To push us farther from closure, modern studies have also shown a new trend where the socio-educational distinction described above is rapidly giving way to a new, generational distinction. What this means is that while the fact that the elites prefer the “s” of “measure” while the uneducated prefer the “sh” of “sheep” did hold good some three decades ago, it doesn’t today.

Today, the trend is for younger Porteños to prefer the “sh” of “sheep” regardless of educational or social background while those of the older generation prefer the other pronunciation, i.e., “s” of “measure”. Endorsing this theory, the famous Argentinean soccer legend, Lionel Messi pronounces his “ll”/“y” as the “sh” of “sheep” despite being quite bit of an elite. Even if you consider the fact that Messi comes from Rosario, some 180 miles from Buenos Aires, it is still within the sphere of common linguistic influence known as the Rioplatense dialect area.

The indigenous influence

It is true that an overwhelming majority of Spanish speakers around the world, including those from Argentina, today don’t recognize the distinction between the Spanish “y” and “ll”. However, there are some exceptions to the rule even today. In Argentina, these people mainly come from the provinces of Corrientes and Misiones. Those from Corrientes pronounce their “y” as the “j” in “jello” and “ll” as the “llio” in “million”. The Misioneros, however, pronounce their “y” in a fashion that approximates the English “ch” sound. This could be attributed to the Guaraní influence on their speech. Nevertheless, barring these folks, as stated above, almost every Argentinean is a yeísta (one who doesn’t differenciate between the Spanish “y” and “ll”). Furthermore, the natives of Cuyo, Córdoba, and the Mesopotamia regions don’t use the “s” and “sh” sounds of “measure” and “sheep” respectively!

These idiosyncrasies of Argentinean Spanish are not meant to put you off-base with information overload. They are here only to demonstrate the extremely volatile nature of Spanish and give you some fun trivia. As far as your learning is concerned, you just need to focus on the way these letters are pronounced in the specific dialect of Spanish that you are targeting. If you don’t have any particular dialect on your mind (it is highly recommended though that you choose one right at the onset; you’ll only thank yourself later that you did), you’ll be understood everywhere in the Milky Way if you just use the “y” of “yellow” or “j” of “jello” for both “ll” and “y” in all contexts.