Negro is a term of endearment?

Question

I've seen phrases such as "Te extrano negro" and "te amo negro" from girlfriend to boyfriend (both white). I was told it means "sweetie".

Really? Is "negro" really a term of endearment?

Just seems odd to me (an American) .... and, I just can't figure out how the word "negro" came to mean "sweetie".

Welcome to the forum, :) - 00494d19, May 5, 2011

Thanks! Love the site! - dougellis, May 5, 2011

Answer 1

In Spain, negro means a black person; nothing more, nothing less, but in many parts of Latin America is a term of endearment. English borrowed the term negro (meaning black) from Spanish, and at the beginning of the 20th century, due to racist problems in USA, it became a pejorative term. But the fact that in USA a term becomes pejorative doesn't mean that the rest of the planet should follow right away; especially when "negro" is the only word we have for black.

negro

1. m. y f. Andalucía y América U. como voz de cariño entre casados, novios o personas que se quieren bien.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

It says: used affectionately among couples, married or otherwise, who love each other well.

In other words, "darling".

In Argentina we also have "grone" and "groncho". :) - 00e657d4, May 5, 2011

But those are not exactly "neutral". - lazarus1907, May 5, 2011

Definately does not carry a racial meaning in México - pacofinkler, May 5, 2011

Bien dicho =) - DJ_Huero, May 5, 2011

Answer 2

It can be either that or an offensive one. It' all depends on context and who is directed to. May also be different depending on the country.

Offensive... if you are a racist, I suppose. It all depends on your attitute. Some people use Latinos as an insult. - lazarus1907, May 5, 2011

As I said, it all depends on context and intention. You can use as an insult. - 00e657d4, May 5, 2011

Yea, I've heard, (curse word) negritos. So I would agree with Guillermo and Lazarus here... your intelligence decides your language. - DJ_Huero, May 5, 2011

Answer 3

On seeing a black (negro) person in Bolivia it is normal to "pinch" the person you are with for good luck.

I guess it is because there not so many in this South American country.

rofl! is this true - DJ_Huero, May 5, 2011

yep - ian-hill, May 5, 2011

Answer 4

Negro means a black person or a smart black person or back in the day when they were slaves a black slave

hi d, please read your PM - 00494d19, May 5, 2011

Not in Spanish. - DJ_Huero, May 5, 2011

I don't see what's so wrong about Dj's post. While the answer is rather simplistic, what he says is not false.t - Gekkosan, May 5, 2011

Answer 5

Ok, so I would say Lazarus pretty well explained it. But maybe to better clear things up, it's not pronounced as it is in English either. In English you say nee-grow and in Spanish you say neh-grow. See? The word Negro's meaning varies in conversation.

Answer 6

If you will search through this forum, you will find several threads related to this question. The link below is for a thread from last year that references a letter written by a trapped Chilean miner.

link text

Answer 7

Lots of songs immortalize "negra" as a term of endearment, the mariachi La Negra being one of them...I believe "prieta" is also considered endearing but much of this is germane to México...so I think we are all in agreement that context needs to be addressed and each country stands on its own for attaching cultural meaning to various words... heck, in the US still, some young African-Americans will refer to each other with the N-word, but if you're not in their circle of friends, don't even try it!

Answer 8

Well, Babe is the name of a pig in a movie and a stud is a cheap piece of wood, so lots of words can be taken as offensive if that is what you want.