Quintessential Spanish – Spain
Venga– Come on (also used a lot in phone conversations)
Vale– (OK, I understand)
Tio/Tia– Dude, Dudette
De puta Madre– f*?king good (it sounds bad when translated, and shouldn’t be used in Mexico at all, but it is an intensifier just like f*?k in English, and is a multi use word)
Rollo– just like the word above, it has many uses and can’t be translated into one single word. For example un buen rollo– is have a really good time, or tener un rollo to have a fling with someone
Vosotros– The English equivalent to this is thou and to Latin American speakers of Spanish it’s only heard in the bible.
Greetings and Salutations/ Saludos
Buenas
Hi
Hola tio/tia!
Hey dude/dudette!
Que tal?
How’s things? (How is it?, very common greeting in Spain)
Que lo pases bomba!
I hope you have a blast of a time!
¿Cómo andamos?
How are you?
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Chatting Up/Ligando
Cuando echaste tu primer polvo- when did you first have sex
echar un polvo (make dust-to have sex, Spain)
Ella tiene un muy buen tipo
She has a really good body
Ellas me hacen tilín pa’áca
I fancy tose girls over there
Es una tía buena
She’s a hot chick
Es un tío bueno
He’s a hot guy
Hola rubio/a
Hey blondie
Me gustan las chatis con 2 buenas peras
I like chicks with big tits
¡Que culo tienes! (Spain: culo is a little crude for the Latin Americans)
What a hot arse you have!
Tengo que casarme de penalti
I’m having a shotgun wedding
Tuvimos un rollo/rollito
We had a shag
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- Formentor- on the northwest corner of the island of Mallorca
In the Bar
Donde esta la marcha?
Where’s the party?
¡Menuda marcha hay en Barcelona!
There’s some night life in Barcelona!
No me digas quien es el mejor cantante de Flamenco en el mundo!
Don’t tell me who the best flamenco singer in the world is! (You might hear some drunk Spaniards discussing this)
Vamos de chiringos.
Let’s go out drinking
Voy a beber como un casaco
I’m going to drink like a fish (cossack)
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That’s Cool
Que guey!
How cool!
Esta de puta madre!
It’s fucking good!
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Sayings / Refranes
Es un cuento chino
It’s a tall store
Tienes mala leche
You have a mean streak (to have bad milk)
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Explain Yourself / Explicate
Arranca de aqui, gilipollas
Get lost you idiot
Estas ido tio
You’re a crazy dude
Esta es la zona de garitos por aqui
This is the bar area around here.
Esto es un coñazo
That’s boring
Mucha palique
Too much chit chat
Ni a palos
Not on your life
Ni de coña
No way
Pija- Snob
Que porqueria hiciste?
What a pig sty you made?
Tienes mucho morro. (Andalucia)
You are cheeky
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On The Street/ En la Calle
Movil
Mobile phone or cellphone
No pasenada tio
No worries dude
¿Tienes pasta?
Do you have some cash?
Tengo un Bin Laden
I have a 500 euro note (Bin Laden because it was hardly ever seen)
