The diffrence between flip flops and sandals.

Question

I saw in the phrasebook section that someone has published a translation for sandals as chanclas. Isn't it a mistake and sandals should be translated into sandalias, while chanclas is actually the correct translation for flip flops?

Answer 1

Just to confuse you all - in Australia these are called 'thongs'.

Yes, and our friend Ray washes his in the shower :-) - 0095ca4c, Jul 3, 2013

We called them thongs before they became flip flops here: ) - Ranman, Jul 4, 2013

Answer 2

Flip flops: Chanclas de pata de gallo.

Sandals: Sandalias / Chanclas / Huaraches

Así es como yo siempre he escuchado el uso de estas palabras.

I totally agree. Chanclas y Huaraches. Here I never here sandalias but see it in advertisements. - gringojrf, Jul 3, 2013

Answer 3

"Flip flops" is onomatopoeia.

flip flops sounds like unequal footsteps to me, slap slap might be better if you were looking for onomatopoeia - 0095ca4c, Jul 3, 2013

Answer 4

Apparently it also depends if it's in Spain or somewhere else... Just read in an internet forum that in Argentina they would use the word ojotas or chinelas, in Mexico: Huarache, in Colombia: chancletas, and in Chile: chalas or hawaianas, and finally in El Salvador: yinas.

Answer 5

Just found this on the Spanish wikipedia... I guess it sums it up for flip flops in the best way

"Argentina: se denomina ojota (derivado del quechua ushuta) o «hawaiana» al calzado que consta solamente de una suela liviana con una tira que pasa entre el primer y segundo dedo del pie y, separándose en dos, se une a la suela cerca del talón, sandalia se llama al calzado con talón que no cubre los dedos, generalmente compuesto de tiras de cuero con hebilla o abrojo y se reconoce como chinela o, informalmente, chancleta, al calzado sin talón, con o sin los dedos descubiertos. Bolivia: chinelas Canarias se les conoce como cholas. Chile: hawaianas, chalas, condoritos. Colombia: chanclas, chancletas, arrastraderas o tres puntadas . Costa Rica: chancletas, sandalias, chanclas Cuba: chancletas, cutaras, mete deos Ecuador: zapatillas, sandalias, chancletas o chanclas. El Salvador: yinas (las hechas de goma, plástico, espuma o hule), chancletas, o sandalias España: chancletas/chanclas', chanclas de dedo o esclavas. Guatemala: chancletas, chanclas, sandalias, yinas, flips Honduras: chancletas. México: Bulebules, sayonaras (marca comercial), chanclas, chancletas o sandalias pata de gallo. Panamá: chancletas Paraguay: zapatillas Perú: sayonaras, chancletas, sandalias, chinela (especialmente en Loreto) Nicaragua: chinelas, chancleta Uruguay: chancletas, chinelas, ojotas, romanitas Venezuela: chancletas, cholas, cotizas o sandalias Puerto Rico: sandalias, chancletas, mete deos República Dominicana:chancletas o, con mayor frecuencia, calisos y con menos frecuencia, chanclas o sandalias".

It seems you were able to answer your own question :-) - 0095ca4c, Jul 2, 2013

yeah, after some research on the internet... guess I should check exactly which country I am in before saying it :) - soul71, Jul 3, 2013

I just said the same thing, haha. And the names for some foods are even worse than that. - diagonx, Jul 4, 2013

Answer 6

You've answered your own question very well, keep in mind that Spanish has many, many varieties and some things don't have the same name even in regions within the same country. It's always easier if you say what Spanish-speaking are you're referring to.