The Quick Guide to Colombian SpanishA Colloquial Spanish Dictionary discover the local languageQuick Guide to Colombian Spanish eBookThe collection of more than 450 terms and sayings will help you become familiar with the richness of the country’s Spanish. It includes slang and colloquial expressions that you will likely run across in everyday conversations. BUY EBOOK […]
Colombian Spanish
Colombian Spanish is a grouping of the varieties of Spanish spoken in Colombia. The term is of more geographical than linguistic relevance, since the dialects spoken in the various regions of Colombia are quite diverse. The speech of coastal areas tends to exhibit phonological innovations typical of Caribbean Spanish, while highland varieties have been historically more conservative.
The Spanish of Colombia, and especially that of Bogotá, is known for the use of "usted" between friends, family members, and others whose relationship would indicate the use of "tú" or "vos" in most other dialects. In Colombian Spanish, the diminutive forms -ico, -ica (rather than the more conventional -ito, -ita) are often used in words whose stem ends with "t".
Slang speech is frequent in popular culture, especially in the barrios of big cities. In the Paisa region and Medellín, the local slang is named "Parlache". Many slang expressions have spread outside of their original areas to become commonly understood throughout the country.
The Colombian Spanish dialects can be divided in: Paisa, Rolo or Bogotá (also called cachaco), Cundiboyacense, Caribbean (also called costeño), Valluno, Andean, Opita, Santanderean, Eastern plains or Llanero, Chocó or Pacific and Island. -Source: Wikipedia
Here are our articles that covers Colombia Spanish slang, language, expressions, dictionaries, culture, and general topics:
10 Additional Dirty Spanish Words and Phrases from Colombia
The following words and phrases didn’t make it to our top 10 list here, but you will also hear them in Colombia and certainly not in a formal Spanish class.
List of Colombian Spanish Words and Phrases
Here is a list of Colombian Spanish words and phrases with English translations. The list includes more than 500 terms.
The Most Versatile Word in Colombian Spanish: VAINA
Every country has a flag, food and symbols that identify them. But what about a single word? During the 6th International Congress of the Spanish Language (VI Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española) celebrated in Panama, the blog Papeles Perdidos, created by the newspaper El País, published an atlas of the representative words of Spanish-speaking […]
The 9 Components of The Colombian Bandeja Paisa: Infographic
During our trip to Bogota, Jared and I have the opportunity to try some of the traditional Colombian cuisine. Among those were the bandeja paisa. Bandeja paisa is perhaps one the most emblematic dishes of Colombia, especially popular in the Paisa region. The Paisa region is formed by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and […]
My Cachaco Experience: 6 Things That Impressed Me in Bogota, Colombia
Jared and I spent almost two weeks in Bogota, Colombia. It was our first time in la tierra cachaca (Cachaco or cachaca is the name given to the people from Bogota). Visiting and experience a new place for the first time always gives you some impressions that stand out. 6 Things That Impressed me from […]
Colombian Spanish Street Slang: 7 Phrases and Their Surprising Real Meaning
It is often said that Colombian Spanish is the clearest, or easiest to understand for non-native speakers. However, with so many different accents within the country this is not always true. Despite the different cadences and slang words used across the different regions of Colombia there are certain Colombian Spanish street slang phrases that remain […]
10 Vulgar Spanish Slang Words and Phrases from Colombia: Infographic
You rarely learn slang terms in class, especially not the extra dirty or harsh ones. Here are 10 Colombian dirty Spanish words and phrases that you won’t hear in any proper Spanish course. I think it’s obvious why your Spanish teacher omitted words like these from the lesson plans. Use them wisely, and sparingly, unless […]
Quick Guide to Colombian Spanish: A Book for Learning Spanish from Colombia
Spanish vocabulary changes significantly from one country to the next. Yet, few people learn about this until they are in a country, stumbling through the local Spanish. Are you learning Spanish? Preparing to visit Colombia? Or even just wanting to be more familiar with its specific slang and local words? This book for learning […]
5 Ways to Start an Argument in Colombia
Everyone’s sensitive about something. There are certain things that are bound to set off the average Colombian, so be warned. Here are 5 sure-fire ways to start an argument with a Colombian. 1. Bring up the drug cartels You might think it’s funny to chat about cocaine use or drug cartels, but this is a […]
The Colombian List of Spanish Slang Expressions Every Student Should Know: INFOGRAPHIC
I am excited to share our first guest blogger post from Emilia Carrillo at Spanish 4 Teachers.Org. As an example of the power of twitter Emilia (@spanish4teacher) and I (@jaredromey) originally met through Twitter and have shared our ideas through emails, twitter and conversation. Without Twitter we would never have met, me living in Miami […]
Resources to Learn Colombian Spanish Slang
Articles, books, videos, websites and flashcards you can use as a reference to learn Colombia Spanish slang. Check out this mega collection of resources to learn basic Spanish and Spanish slang. This extensive collection of resources to learn Spanish and how to speak Spanish save hours and hours of your time on your way to achieving Spanish fluency.
Infographic: 25 Colombia Spanish Slang Phrases for Students
This is the infographic for the guest blog post The Colombian List of Spanish Slang Expressions Every Student Should Know by Emilia Carrillo. If you find it useful, please share, like or pin it for your friends. Infographic: 25 Colombia Spanish Slang Phrases for Students Did you like this? Click here to share it on: […]
CHONTADURO and SALMUERA: Colombia Spanish Words
This was an interesting word-find for me. I had never heard of chontaduro or salmuera until I ran across this jar of preserved fruit. Good think the jar itself offered translations. Problem is, I don’t know what a “palm fruit” is in English either. Hopefully I can taste one soon. As for salmuera, which means […]
BREVAS: Colombia Spanish for Figs
I ran across this in a recent business meeting. I had never heard the word BREVAS before so fortunately the jar of food had the English translation of “figs”. The more general word for FIGS is higos. Curiously though, in Colombia they do not understand the word higos. I’m sure there’s some interesting history there. […]
6 Alcoholic Drinks from Colombia That You Need to Try
If you should ever find yourself in Colombia, do not forgo the opportunity to sample at least one of the following drinks. Your trip would not be complete without this experience, and partaking in a couple of rounds is the quickest way to befriend a Colombian. Need to Learn Colombian Spanish? I recommend you check […]
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 […]
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 […]