Chilenismo Misterioso
Long-time reader, first-time asker! This has been a great resource, thanks to everyone who keeps this going.
I have a friend who's currently living in Chile, learning the language while he stays there. In one of his emails, he mentioned a new word that he picked up. He types it as afúl, and says that it means something like "to the max" (colloquial term that I would assume works as al máximo in Spanish). He's used it both to describe how much he's changed and also how hard he's working. I've been searching but I can't find any reference to it, although I assume it's one of those "chilenismos." It's possible he's spelling it wrong, or it's just not common enough to be included in a dictionary, but I was wondering if there are any chilenos out there that could help me. Have you ever heard anything like this? Thanks!
I'll give it a go in Spanish as well--feel free to correct any mistakes I make, or to let me know if anything would sound better with different phrasing.
Tengo un amigo que vive en Chile que está aprendiendo el idioma cuando está allí. En uno de sus correos electrónicos mencionó una nueva palabra que ganó. La escribe como afúl y dice que significa "al máximo," más o menos. La ha usado para describir cuánto ha cambiado y también cuán duro que está trabajando. He estado buscando pero no puedo encontrar nada de nada, aunque supongo que es uno de los "chilenismos." Es posible que se equivoque con la ortografía, o que la palabra no es suficiente común para incluirla en un diccionario, pero me pregunto, ¿hay chilenos acá que puedan ayudarme? ¿Alguna vez han oído algo como éste? ¡Muchas gracias!
Y siéntanse libre de corregirme, o de sugerirme frases diferentes para mejorar el fluidez de mi habla. Será siempre bienvenido.
2 Answers
Jaenero it isn't "awful".
Yes, it is Spanglish "a ful(l)" means "to the max", most people will speak like that but I don't think anybody would write it. They would spell it out in correct Spanish "al máximo"
Hello. I'm not chilean but spanish, but I lived in Chile for three years long ago.
I'm afraid "áful" is just "awful", a term borrowed from english...
Ask me again if you want.
