Home
Q&A
El español de cada día que no está en ningún libro

El español de cada día que no está en ningún libro

7
votes

You just completed all the Spanish levels at school and got an "A"... but now you're in a Spanish speaking city, like Mexico... but now you hardly understand what people is saying... he, he... you need to graduate in the Real Life Spanish School... are you ready?

You'll listen a quick and only word -

¡yapa'qué!

which should be said in 3 clear words ya para qué... but few people will talk like the CD's taught you wink

Would you like to have more "real life" Spanish lessons? wink

4416 views
updated ABR 7, 2010
edited by AntMexico
posted by AntMexico
yes yes yes! - swing, MAR 31, 2010
very fun! :) - cheeseisyummy, ABR 2, 2010
¡ojo! I'm Mexican and all this stuff is useful in Mexico - AntMexico, ABR 2, 2010
More than idiomatic expresions I intend to let you know the strange words coming from a quick native speaker speech. - AntMexico, ABR 5, 2010

13 Answers

4
votes

Definitivamente, todos los idiomas en los diferentes países, ciudades y poblaciones tienen un sinnúmero de palabras, frases y expresiones, que ponen a prueba a los más entendidos.

En Colombia, por ejemplo, algunas cosas se dicen de una manera en el centro, y de otra en el sur y norte del país. Lo mismo pasa con palabras y expresiones que usamos en ciudades del interior, que se dicen de otra forma en las zonas costeras.

Hay dos palabras que siempre hemos usado, las cuales suenan muy "raro" para otros hispano-hablantes y mucho más para estudiantes de español. Estas dos palabras son: "Berraco", y el verbo: "mamar gallo".

"Berraco" es una palabra que la usamos para todo. Berraco es algo buenísimo, cheverísimo, grandioso, lo máximo. Es algo parecido en inglés a "awesome". ¿Alguno de ustedes la ha escuchado? Los diccionarios hablan de "verraco" como cerdo padre y en Cuba, coloquialmente se usa para describir a una persona despreciable y tonta. Recuerdo haber visto alguna vez en Cali, mi ciudad natal, una pancarta que decía: "Cali, la berraquera".

El otro verbo que alguna vez inmortalizara nuestro escritor Gabriel García Márquez, "mamar gallo", aunque suena un poco raro, quiere decir molestar, tomar del pelo, etc. Lo usamos para todo. A alguien que toma mucho del pelo le decimos que es un "mamagallista".

Lo mismo que pasa en Colombia, pasa en los demás países del continente y con absoluta seguridad en la madre patria. La única manera que las aprendes y las logras entender es cuando vives en determinado país.

Las cosas divertidas de nuestro bello idioma.

updated ABR 6, 2010
edited by RicardoP
posted by RicardoP
Asi es , amigo . De hecho en Medellin , una persona verraca , es alguien valiente . - Bunbury, ABR 4, 2010
¿De dónde eres Bunbury? - RicardoP, ABR 4, 2010
España , Ricardo - Bunbury, ABR 4, 2010
3
votes

I know it's "only" peninsular Spanish, but if you want to practise your listening comprehension, as well as learn some colloquial language (even taboo expressions), try adding this to your learning scheme:

Archivo de podcasts 1-30

Archivo de podcasts 31-119

Guías escritas 1-30

Guías escritas 31-119

updated ABR 6, 2010
posted by Issabela
muchisimas gracias - fabuloso! - margaretbl, ABR 4, 2010
1
vote

-¡chúpate'sa! (¡chúpate esa!)

Ok Toni, I think this could be the same as the english expression

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Suck on that is sometimes used too, but that would be less polite.

updated ABR 7, 2010
posted by galsally
¡Sí, correcto! - AntMexico, ABR 6, 2010
yay! - galsally, ABR 7, 2010
1
vote

-¡Qué Obama legalizó a todos los indocumentados!

-¡chúpate'sa! (¡chúpate esa!)

updated ABR 6, 2010
posted by AntMexico
Try each expresion, firts the quick speech and then the correct speech... so you can feel and catch the difference. :) - AntMexico, ABR 5, 2010
This is double difficult because it's a kind of slang, idiomatic adding a quick speech. - AntMexico, ABR 5, 2010
1
vote

"teaching your grandmother to suck eggs"

This was discussed a year or so ago. I managed to find something on the web that suggested that the expression came to English (17th century, roughly) from Spanish. However, we never managed to find out what the original (in Spanish) expression was.

updated ABR 6, 2010
posted by samdie
If you say mamar gallo in Spain , i promise you nobody is going to understand you . That expression is not used in Spain - Bunbury, ABR 4, 2010
1
vote

"mamar gallo" made me think of this in English.

"teaching your grandmother to suck eggs"

OK Native Spanish speakers explain that one. ( Is it in the phrasebook yet?) grin

updated ABR 6, 2010
edited by ian-hill
posted by ian-hill
I'm a native Ian... but I don't understand what "mamar Gallo" means :) - Benz, ABR 4, 2010
Mamar gallo is a expression used in Colombia , not in Spain , and the tradution is not literal , like many other times. The correct spanish word for this is vacilar . and it means when you do jokes about anybody , or anything - Bunbury, ABR 4, 2010
This is also used in Venezuela, exactly the same expression - and it's an extremely important and useful expresion to know, since as a foreigner you're very likely to be a frequent victim of "mamadera de gallo"! - Gekkosan, ABR 4, 2010
In Mexico that means "someone has just dead" - AntMexico, ABR 4, 2010
1
vote

I'm watching this space with interest smile

It apears to mean 'know' or 'know the ball' but that can't be right jeje.

Toni, I'm always assuming you (and other native speakers) get enough examples of 'real english' from films etc, but if you'd like some examples of it just say, and I bet we can find a lot of unintelligible real english!

updated ABR 6, 2010
posted by galsally
Yeah just talk to any of my native english friends, they all speak jibberish crap to me and I speak fluent english, lol - cheeseisyummy, ABR 2, 2010
Sally, you got the literal translation... but ¡sepa la bola! idiomatic ;). - AntMexico, ABR 2, 2010
so what does it mean as an idiom? - galsally, ABR 3, 2010
1
vote

Ok, let's try another...

  • ¿Dónde está Ana? - ¡sepa! What does sepa mean? smile
updated ABR 4, 2010
edited by AntMexico
posted by AntMexico
also it's said ¡sepa la bola! - AntMexico, ABR 2, 2010
sepa is the imperative form of saber (to know) for usted... and it means 'I don't have any idea" and also could express that you don't mind knowing the answer at all. - AntMexico, ABR 4, 2010
1
vote

Ok, here a common one

- "s'aver"

Try to guess what it means. I'll give you an example

Question -¿Vas a jugar tenis el sábado?

Answer - "s'aver"

updated ABR 4, 2010
edited by AntMexico
posted by AntMexico
something with voy a ver? - swing, ABR 1, 2010
pues, a ver - samdie, ABR 1, 2010
I thought it was "si,...something". I really have no idea. >:( - TheSilentHero, ABR 1, 2010
Well done Samdie! pues, a ver is the right way of saying s'aver... they're quite different! wow! how difficult for non native speakers! - AntMexico, ABR 2, 2010
so does it mean 'we'll see'? or 'possibly'? - galsally, ABR 2, 2010
Yes, it does! - AntMexico, ABR 2, 2010
A saber ( similar to who knows ) - Bunbury, ABR 4, 2010
0
votes

Aquí va otra...

  • ¡Mira, allá está tu hermana!
  • ¿s'on'tá?
updated ABR 6, 2010
edited by AntMexico
posted by AntMexico
0
votes

Jeje, I got one, not from Mexico City though. This is a solidly Yucatan phrase, 100%
"Lo busco, lo busco y no lo busco"

updated ABR 4, 2010
edited by nuxita
posted by nuxita
Ni idea!! - Benz, ABR 4, 2010
uhm, no conozco la expresión... imagino a alguien que intenta encontrar algo dando vueltas sobre sí mismo (?) - AntMexico, ABR 4, 2010
0
votes

Can we clarify if this is specifically mexican, per se? I think this is very fun but am most interested in costa rican "jibberish" real life speak. In other words I need to know whether it will make sense outside of mexico smile

updated ABR 2, 2010
posted by cheeseisyummy
hi! from the 1st post 'but now you're in a Spanish speaking city, like Mexico... but now you hardly understand what people is saying... ´ - AntMexico, ABR 2, 2010
:) - cheeseisyummy, ABR 2, 2010
0
votes

I'm ready for the real world.

Hit me.

-Slaps hand on the table-

updated MAR 31, 2010
edited by TheSilentHero
posted by TheSilentHero
SpanishDict is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website.