Free Spanish Lesson #21 – Someone’s in trouble gesture

Here is a useful hand gesture often used in Latin America you should know about. This is my favorite of all the Latin American hand gestures.

Being an American, it took me a while to perfect it, but it’s fun and very expressive. As you can see by the title, I like to call it the “Someone’s in Trouble” gesture.

To make this gesture, put your hand in snapping position (thumb touching middle finger and palm turned sideways). Now, make sure your index finger is loose and raise your hand about 8 inches. Then, throw your hand down while rotating it counterclockwise, and quickly raise it again.

It is similar to the movement of cracking a whip. If you do it correctly, your index finger will snap against your middle finger and make a noise. The noise let’s you know you’ve done the movement correctly; however, sometimes Latin people make this gesture without a noise. This movement is usually repeated three or four times.

Learning to do this gesture is fun, but learning how and when to do it is even more fun.

For example, let’s say Juan is planning to invite the guys over to his house to watch a soccer game (Remember, in Latin America, they don’t watch “football” games, they watch “soccer” games). Anyway, Juan’s wife tells him that he can only watch the game with his friends if he straightens the house first.

Since Juan’s wife is going to be gone for a while, he decides to invite the guys over anyway without cleaning the house. Suddenly, Juan’s wife gets home early, sees the house a mess, and yells “JUAN”!! Juan would probably then make the “Someone’s in Trouble” gesture and have a look on his face that says, “Oh no, I’m in trouble”. Some of his friends would probably also make the gesture with a similar expression on their faces.

On a different note, if you still can’t picture how this gesture is made, I suggest watching a Spanish TV channel for an hour or two. Chances are that during this time you will probably see it used.

Moral of the Story: Learning this gesture gets you more immersed in the wonderful Latin culture. Also, if you are prone to getting into trouble a lot and plan to visit Latin America, this is a GREAT gesture for you! If you work with Latin people, watch for this gesture and you will probably start noticing it.

¡Qué le vaya bien! (May everything go well for you!)

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Written by Dave Clark with Try a Free Spanish Lessons

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.