What does it mean when someone calls you Flaca?

Question

there is a rude woman that calls everyone Flaca when asking them to do things such a sign paperwork, clean up the work area....etc I looked the translation of Flaca and saw that it means thin/skinny, a compliment. It is hard to believe that with the tone of her voice and the hatred in her eyes that she could possibly be complimenting any one. Is this slang for something bad?

Interesting that you say she is a rude woman. That should help with your answer regarding whether she means it to sound rude. :) - Findy, May 6, 2014

Answer 1

Some people use ¨gorda¨ the same way this person uses ¨flaca¨. It´s a way to call them without using a name.

That's a great example coffee :) - Izanoni1, Oct 19, 2011

Thank you! Feel free to correct my English. - 00a4c226, Oct 19, 2011

Coffee: Another way to say that is: "it's a way to insult them without using a bad name" - --Mariana--, Oct 19, 2011

The only minor "errors" I see are in regards to punctuation (It looks like you are using the diaeresis rather than the quotation marks and the period should appear inside of the quotation marks.), but other than that everything looks ok and is perfectly - Izanoni1, Oct 19, 2011

...understandable. Stylistically, I probably would have used the word "address" rather than "call," but even so, I understood what you meant. - Izanoni1, Oct 19, 2011

@Marianne: I could be wrong, but I don't think that she meant that it was necessarily insulting here. I have notice there is a tendency, sometimes, to call people by certain attributes (gorda, flaca, etc) using them more like nicknames than derogitorily - Izanoni1, Oct 19, 2011

Answer 2

It probably depends mostly on the person's intent (not to mention her Spanish background). In some cases "flaca" can be used affectionately between people who know each other well, but it might also be considered rude if it were meant to point out another person's physical "defects."

I imagine that it is probably fairly similar to the word "scrawny" which I have heard used affectionately in some situations but which can also be used as an insult when it is used to highlight another persons "deficiencies."

:) - FELIZ77, May 7, 2014

Answer 3

First things first....don't jump to conclusions.

The word flaca has no bad connotations that I know of. If she calls everyone that then I wouldn't worry about it. Gorda, gordo, flaco, flaca, negro, negra, all of these are often used as terms of endearment.

As several people have already pointed out, flaca, like any other word can be a compliment or an insult, depending on the context and tone of voice in which it's used.

Pay more attention to her tone than the word flaca. Any word can be used as an insult, it's the context and tone that tells you when you're being insulted.

In all honesty, I'd just ask her why she calls everyone flaca. And given that she uses the word flaca I can only assume she's hispanic.

Buena suerte.

:) - ian-hill, May 6, 2014

Answer 4

It can be a generic address form, like "Honey".

Answer 5

It means skinny and can be an insult, just like fatty can. There is a television show called "El Gordo y La Flaca" with a heavy set guy and a very pretty lady. I translate that title as "The Fatty and the Skinny" I think if they used a different form of the word there would be no question. For example, Gorda can be insulting (Fat Woman) but Gorditta means Plump rather than Fat. But I could be wrong.

I suspect the nasty woman was being insulting by calling everyone skinny. Is she Fat herself? Maybe she is jealous of young, thin girls if she is old and fat. Of course the tone of voice and facial appearance also speaks and from what you said she is being insulting.

They show that TV program here too. :) - Findy, May 6, 2014

Answer 6

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I guess it can have a negative connotation according to the R A E.

Flaca

Answer 7

I concur with rodneyp and I would like to add that that is despite the fact the person could be annoying to the max or just the sweetest person in the world.