"Vesre" in River Plate Spanish
Questions This Article Answers
What is vesre?
Where is vesre used?
How does vesre work?
What does ñoba mean?
What does garpar mean?
What does sope mean?
What does jermu mean?
What Is Vesre?
Vesre is a type of back slang used in colloquial español rioplatense(River Plate Spanish). It consists of changing the order of the syllables of a word. For example, the word calor(heat) becomes lorca.
The word vesre itself is an example of this device. Vesre is the reversed version of the word revés(backwards). It got this name because it usually consists of reversing the syllable order, but there are other types of alternation.
Vesre is part of lunfardo(Lunfardo), which is the slang born in the slums of the River Plate area, and it became popular through tango lyrics. River Plate Spanish speakers use vesre humorously, to add a positive or negative connotation, or simply to embellish the language. Although any word can have its vesre form, natives generally use it in the same words.
Now, let's learn the most popular vesre words and how to hablar al vesre(speak backwards)!
Lunfardo and River Plate Spanish
Learn more about lunfardo and español rioplatense in the following articles:
How Vesre Works
There are different ways of alternating the syllable order using vesre.
- The most common type of vesre is formed by moving the last syllable to the front of the word. It is mostly used with two-syllable words.
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Stress and Accents
When you change the syllable order, keep in mind the stress remains in the same syllable as in the original word. Therefore, accents may stay the same or be removed in the vesre word.
Spelling Changes
Some words undergo a spelling change to comply with the rules of Spanish grammar and pronunciation.
- The second type of vesre is formed by reversing the order of the syllables. That is, the last syllable becomes the first one, the second-to-last becomes the second, the third-to-last becomes the third, and so on.
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- Finally, there are irregular words that don't follow the patterns mentioned above.
| Standard Spanish | Vesre | English |
|---|---|---|
| abajo | ajoba | down |
| adentro | atroden | inside |
| afuera | arafue | out, outside |
| boludo | dolobu | stupid, dumb |
| doctor | tordo | doctor |
| pantalón | lompa | pants, trousers |
| pasarse | sarparse | to go too far |
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Change of Meaning
Some words change their meaning when they are said using vesre. Look at the following examples.
| Standard Spanish | English | Vesre | New Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| cajón | drawer | jonca | coffin |
| gato | cat | toga | prostitute |
| hotel | hotel | telo | love hotel |
| Japón | Japan | ponja | Japanese man, Japanese woman |
| mujer | woman | jermu | missus |
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Learn more about Spanish grammar and regional varieties with these articles:
