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Published: November 1st 2014
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Mi querida Eli
Elisabet, my host sister/original Chilean slang translator <3 If it doesn’t hit you in the front side, it’ll hit you in the back! Chilean slang is very infectious and this time around, I've been using a lot of it. I don’t just speak Spanish anymore. I speak Chilean! It really is its on language. When I went out with my host sister and her friends, I was talking to Pablo about dating (he was having lady drama) and this is what he said.
“Las minas de aca son frescas, ¿cachai? Por eso no las pesco. Todo lo cabro chico tienen que aprender eso po." I really enjoyed talking to him but I laughed because I realized that if I hadn't have spent so much time in this culture I would have had NO EARTHLY idea what he was talking about! Even a native Spanish speaker from another country would be like "What??" What he literally said was "The mines here are fresh, catch it? For this reason I don't fish them. All the goat boys have to learn that." But I knew exactly what he was conveying. Translation: He said, "all the girls from here are full of themselves, you know what I mean? That's why I don't pay
Even Marquito says "po"
2 and a half years old. They learn early! them any attention. All the young guys have to learn that."
I've never wanted to be the weird
gringa who's trying too hard. I know I'm not Chilean! Therefore I would bite my tongue trying not to use their slang. But even though I wouldn't say it, I would think it. I couldn't help it. And every now and then it would slip out like a four letter word as I tried to catch it but realized it was too late. This time, I gave up the struggle! Here are some infectious phrases that I've caught myself and other people saying.
One of the most famous- "Po" Everyone and their mother says
po and for a meaningless word thrown around in every conversation, it begins to pack a lot of meaning. It can mean, obviously, or sure, or yeah!, or oh my gosh. Or it can simply fill the air with the quiet confidence that one is among Chilean friends. From the president to the peasant, it is the word of choice.
Runner up- "¿Cachai?" It basically means "You know what I mean?" but when conjugated in different forms it can mean the F-word! It comes from
the English word catch. Break the rules for Spanish conjugation and you have a Chilean hit!
"Carretear"- In Chile a
carrete is a party and
carretear means to party hard! In traditional Spanish,
Carrete actually means a sewing bobbin.
"Pololo"- is your boyfriend and
polola is your girlfriend.
Novio/novia are not used unless a couple is engaged.
"Al tiro"- "at the shot" means right now!
And let me not forget the lack of pronouncing the 's' in plurals and certain words. Your wife is not your "e
sposa" she is you "e-posa". And the boys are not "lo
s niño
s", they are "lo- niño-". I get all of this. My question is, can I now put trilingual on my resume?
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