what does machete actually mean?
When I'm greeted with"cómo estás", I would usually answer" muy bien" which is very common in Venezuela. However, a native Venezuelan advised me to say" machete" instead to be like a native Spanish speaker. Wow, that is who I want to become. Yet, machete means "stingy or mean"in Spanish according to http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/machete. I'm wondering whether or not there's any other explanations? Could anyone shed any light on that? Thanks!!
2 Answers
Welcome to the forum.
I am impressed that you are already good at English and now want to master Spanish.
You must be careful using slang and informal expressions as they can be misunderstood. Something used by friends chatting in a bar can upset someone in a business. I have previously posted a very clever song by two Colombians about the different meanings for words in different parts of the world.Qué dificíl habla español.
If you are going to have a good social life in Venezuela then using the same vocabulary may make you fit in, but may be wrong in other places.
On this site one of the meanings is great or fine BUT the other slang meaning is best avoided: speaking latino
In the main Spanish dictionary there are a variety of meanings depending where you are:
7 and 8 are the usual meanings in Venezuela
My advice is to stick with muy bien for now.
Wikitionary notes that "machete" means something different in Venezuela than in other parts of the world. Wherease "machete" means "a big knife" in most places, it means "Persona emprendedora y eficiente" in parts of Venezuela.
I don't know how this this acts as a greeting, but I'd wait for someone from Venezuela to chime in (to see if your buddy's just pulling your leg). Mardis is right in that Spanish does change from country to country, so you never really know.
