Videos to Learn an Argentina Accent in Spanish Here are four videos that teach and demonstrate an Argentina Accent in Spanish. The first three are a mini-course to an Argentine Accent while the last video is a humorous impression by an American of an accent from Argentina. Course of Three Videos that Teach an Argentine […]
13 Random Fun Facts About Cuba: Infographic
Cuba is usually known for its complicated and controversial politics, but this country has plenty of other interesting, fun facts that have nothing to do with the Castro family or a tumultuous political past. Let’s discover the most interesting Cuba fun facts! 1. Home to The Cuban Bee Hummingbird The Cuban bee hummingbird is the […]
Puerto Rican Spanish: An Interview With Luz Nereida Pérez
Today Puerto Rico commemorates the date when Christopher Columbus arrived to the Island in 1493. Referring to this historical event as a “discovery” has become controversial recently. A “discovery” or not, we can say without any doubt that this was the date that Borikén –native name of the island of Puerto Rico- met the Spanish […]
English to Spanish Conversion of 14 Movie Titles That Went Wrong
When it comes to translations, there is always room for error. I won’t even begin to talk about some of the terrible dubbing or subtitling I have seen – but let’s look at some titles. You’d think the people in charge of these things would be a little more focused on conveying the right message, […]
10 Vulgar Spanish Slang Words Used in the Wrong Place
There are many Spanish slang words that are completely okay in one place, and a total disaster in another. These are some prime examples of when you might be using the right word, in the wrong place. 10 Vulgar Spanish Slang Words Used in the Wrong Place 1. Pichar In Puerto Rico, pichar simply means […]
13 Cool and Interesting Facts About Mexico Day of the Dead INFOGRAPHIC
The traditional Mexican holiday of Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos has become more prominent in recent times. Why is there a celebration for death? Aren’t we supposed to be sad? Is the Day of the Dead related to Halloween? Why don’t they combine both holidays? What is the relation of the […]
Argentine Slang in Reverse: VESRE
In Argentine slang the word vesre comes from the Spanish word for reverse, revés, after moving around a few letters. Just as the word vesre, other words are made by switching around letters. These words are now so common in Argentina that they may be used more than the “real” word. For this reason, it […]
MEZCAL and TEQUILA: What’s the Difference?
Chances are, when you think of Mexican liquor, you think of tequila, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, tequila is not the only liquor made is Mexico – there is also what is considered tequila’s brother- mezcal. Mezcal is made from the maguey plant, which is a form of agave. The reason mezcal is […]
Search Speaking Latino and Lists of Spanish Slang Words
Speaking Latino includes a database of Spanish slang words. Search thousands of words and phrases in the Speaking Latino Spanish slang dictionary. Browse by country or by letter. Use the search box to look for more words and articles.
Learning Spanish, Culture and Language: 26 SANTERÍA Vocabulary Words
Santería is a religion that merges beliefs from Roman Catholic Christianity and Yoruba. It is practiced mostly in West Africa and the Caribbean. Many Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cubans practice Santería. Like any religion, it has unique rituals, ceremonies, and, of course, vocabulary. Here’s a quick guide to some of the words you might encounter […]
TENER LAS BOLAS POR EL PISO And Other Argentine Spanish Expressions With the Verb TENER
Conjugate Argentine Spanish Verbs: TENER The common verb TENER plays an important role in Argentine Spanish with over 15 variations. Here is how to conjugate it in Argentina using the Vos conjugation so common to the country. After, a list of the various phrases using TENER along with their meanings is included: Present Tense Yo […]
Quick Way to Conjugate the Argentina VOS
The Argentina Vos conjugation is used for the second personal, singular verb conjugations. This is the “you” form, or tu in most other Spanish countries, as in You need to buy a book or Tienes que comprar un libro. The Argentine Vos equivalent is Tenés que comprar un libro. Understanding Vos is important if you […]
4 Confusing Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Words: BICHO, BICHA, BICHERÍA and BICHOTE
Although the Spanish slang words from Puerto Rico bicho, bicha, bichería, and bichote seem to have the same “root” they don’t mean the same. For foreigners this will be confusing to the point that I consider them “false friends”. The two similarities these four words have are the root bich- and that they all have […]
Lunfardo English Dictionary Websites
Unfortunately Lunfardo English Dictionary websites are not common on the internet (for a quick introduction to Argentina Lunfardo check out this What is Lunfardo? article.) Here is a list of some good websites that provide detailed information of Argentina lunfardo and slang. There are sections for Argentina-English websites as well as Spanish-only websites. Lunfardo […]
Argentina Spanish Slang: What is Lunfardo?
What is Lunfardo? Lunfardo is a term that refers to Spanish slang words and phrases used in Argentina. Lunfa is the quick way to say it. A debate exists about whether Lunfardo refers to any Argentina slang or if it only applies to the original terms that began Lunfardo in the late 19th and early […]
3 Regional Peru Spanish Characteristics
Perú, like in the wide variety of food that it offers, also has different regional accents. People in the Highland areas, people in the north, people in the south and people from the Jungle each have their own accent. Peruvian Accent in the Highland Areas Emphasis on the S: One main characteristic is that the […]
2 Ways Náhuatl Helped Shape Nicaragua Spanish
Although the term náhuatl is often associated with Mexican Spanish, it is very influential in Nicaragua as well. Náhuatl is not one language, but a collection of dialects and languages of the Nahua people. These people migrated from Mexico as far south as Nicaragua, and their influence is still seen in Nicaragua today in the […]
Spanish Language and the Media: 27 Headlines With Spanish Slang
This is the second part of our series Slang in the News where we share Spanish slang examples from newspapers around Latin America. In this post of headlines from September, I identify 29 Spanish slang words from 27 newspaper front covers. Using slang in headlines makes them catchy and appealing to the masses. Writing a […]
Spanish-Argentina Relations
Close Cultural Ties Between Spain &and Argentina Historically the Spanish-Argentina relationship has been close yet at times also with problems. Immigration and emigration between the two countries is constant. Whenever Argentina falls into a crisis many people apply for visas and passports to Spain. Since immigration has been constant for 150 years between both countries […]
A List of Spanish Slang Expressions Using CHINGAR: 22 Mexican Spanish Examples
There are a lot of books about Mexican Spanish, but there is one exclusively dedicated to the word CHINGAR. The book El Chingonario: Diccionario de uso, reuso y abuso del chingar y sus derivados published by Editorial Otras Inquisiciones includes about 150 sayings with definitions and examples. This book was a recommendation from a Mexican […]
CHINGAR: The Most Important Mexican Spanish Slang Word
The verb chingar is known throughout Latin America, but there is no other country that uses and abuses this word like Mexico. Chingar is the most important word in Mexico. Here is the official dictionary definition by the Royal Spanish Academy versus the Mexican Spanish meaning of chingar. Chingar according to the Royal Spanish Academy […]
5 Ways to Lose the Gringo Accent in Spanish
You can study Spanish for years and still maintain that pesky gringo accent. Even if your grammar is perfect, if your accent is off, you’re going to have problems. The best-case scenario is that the gringo accent will be distracting, while the worst case is that it will be so off that native speakers will […]
10 Colombian Drinks You Must Try Before You Leave
If you are traveling through Colombia, you are in for quite a treat whenever you happen to get thirsty. This country has a wide variety of traditional drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Here’s 10 must-try drinks! 5 Non-alcoholic Colombian drinks 1. Coffee Who can think of Colombia without thinking of coffee? Even if you generally […]
ORALE meaning In Spanish? (And How To Respond)
Yes! This is a great question because órale in Spanish is one of those versatile Mexican slang words that can mean a few different things. Generally órale in Mexican Spanish means got it, okay, no problem or something similar. What does ¡Órale! mean? You will see and hear this word everywhere from comedian Gabriel Iglesias […]
Should You Learn French and Spanish?
Many people come to a point in their education when they question if they should learn French and Spanish. While I am obviously a bit biased, I truly believe that in most cases, you should learn Spanish since it makes more sense. Here are some of my arguments as to why. 1. The Spanish pronunciation […]
Spanish Words for Bathroom and Bathroom Components: INFOGRAPHIC
One of the first things you learn in a foreign language is how to ask where the bathroom is. I’m sure many people who speak only minimal Spanish can spit out the word baño while they frantically dance about, showing their urgency. While baño will generally get you what you want, it’s certainly not the […]
Which Are the First 3 Puerto Rican Spanish Words Kids Learn to Read?
When I started learning to read at 5 or 6 years old we used the traditional Cartilla Fonética or a phonetics booklet. The Cartilla Fonética is a tool used at school to teach the name and particular sound of each letter, how to make the consonant and vowels liaison to form syllables and how to […]
The Illustrated Guide To Peruvian Food: 9 Dishes You Need To Try
My first real exposure to Latin American culture occurred one day in Washington, DC w hen Nora, a Peruvian friend, walked me two blocks from our office to a small Peruvian restaurant, El Chalán. In the basement of a huge townhouse, only those in the know would ever even have noticed the place. The waiters […]
6 Inverse Colombia Spanish Slang Words
One of the particularities you can get in the slang of a country is the phenomenon of creating new words by inverting or changing the order of the original. These new inverted words keep the same meaning as the original one. Argentina was the first country where Jared identified 24 inverted words and dedicated a […]
EN PAMPA Y LA VÍA: Argentina Spanish Slang Expression
The phrase en pampa y la via is an Argentina Spanish slang expression that means poor and penniless. While in the book Speaking Argento: A Guide to Argentine Spanish I am more focused on translating and explaining these types of sayings into English, I was curious about the origin of this phrase. Sergio Vázquez in […]