Free Spanish Lesson 59. Fun Spanish Words!

Vocabulary For the Newsletter – Vocabulario para el boletín

En español – In Spanish

palabras – words

en verdad disfruto – I really enjoy

hoy – today

un poco acerca de cultura – a little about culture

palabras favoritas – favorite words

carros – cars (in some countries they call them “autos”)

región a región – region to region

diferentes regiones – different regions

palabras divertidas – fun words

la palabra – the word

literalmente – literally

Ahora por supuesto – Now of course

boletín – newsletter

creado – created

inventado – invented

simplemente – simply

el nombre – the name

Yo creo que – I believe that

hay – there is/there are

especialmente – especially

parecen estar – they seem to be

perro – dog

extraño – strange

casi – almost

cabeza – head

nunca había visto – I had never seen

cienes – hundreds

que no escogería – that I wouldn’t choose

un myto – a myth

partes – parts

la gente come perros – people eat dogs (la gente = the people)

por lo menos – at least

he visitado – I have visited

mascotas – pets

tema diferente – different topic

acerca de comida – about food

significa – means

recuerden – remember

yo he mencionado – I have mentioned

alguien – someone

si no comes todo – if you don’t eat everything

offendidos – offended (plural)

En otras palabras – in other words

para comer – in order to eat

frase – phrase

un amigo – a friend

In Spanish there are many great words that I really enjoy and get a kick out of. Today I’ll share some of these with you as well as talk a little about culture.

Some of my favorite words have to do with cars. These words may vary region to region; for example, the word for “horn” in one country is “cláxon”, and in another country it is “bocina”. Most core Spanish words are the same country to country but certain specialized words vary in different regions.

Now we’ll move on to some of the fun words. The word for car “windshield” is “para brizas”, which literally translated means “it stops breezes”. The word for “bumper” is “para choques”, which means “it stops crashes”. And, the word for a heavy-duty grill in the front of a car is called “mataperros” which means “dog killer”.

Now of course, for the record, we are a very animal-friendly website and newsletter, and I wouldn’t have created the word “mataperros” for “grill” if I had invented Spanish. However, by way of information, that is simply the name for “grill” in some regions. I believe that Latin-Americans may have called it “mataperros” because there is an abundance of dogs in many Latin American countries — especially in many poor pueblos where they seem to be everywhere.

Some areas have a kind of dog that is especially strange. It is a gray dog that is almost bald with just a few hairs on its head. Where I am from, I had never seen a dog of that breed before going to Latin America, and especially not hundreds of them in the same city. We’ll just say that it is the kind of dog I would not choose to own myself.

Now, I must dispel a myth. In some parts of Asia people eat dogs but not in Latin America. Even though there are hundreds of dogs there, they still don’t eat them — at least in all the Latin countries I have ever lived in or visited. They do, however, eat guinea pigs which are pets in the U.S., but that is a different topic.

As we are talking about food, there is a fun word that I really like in Spanish that people use commonly. It is called “me ostiga” and it means “I’ve eaten so much of that type of food that I am really tired of it”. There is a place to use and not to use this word.

Remember, as I have mentioned in past newsletters, if someone in Latin America invites you to dinner, if you don’t eat everything or are not very complimentary and thankful for the food, they can become offended.

In other words, don’t ever use the phrase “me ostiga” with the hostess that invited you over to eat. The proper place to use this phrase would be after the meal when you are talking to a friend after you are out of earshot from the hostess.

What’s The Moral of the Story?

1. Spanish words can be fun to learn as log as you use them in the right setting.
2. Don’t plan on eating dog in Latin America, but, be prepared to meet lots of dogs if you visit smaller pueblos.
3. Remember to eat all of your food when eating dinner with the native speakers and compliment the hostess.
4. You may eat guinea pig in some countries but it isn’t very common so I wouldn’t worry too much.

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Written by David S. Clark President/Director, U.S. Institute of Languages. Copyright © 1999-2011 US Institute of Languages All rights reserved.

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.