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Real World Spanish

When you are learning Spanish nobody tells you that thelanguage can be extremely different from one country tothe next. I remember asking how to say CAKE in school.Although the teacher answered TORTA, it would havebeen better to mention that the word varies from countryto country, but TORTA would probably get you close in

many places. The truth is TORTA is wrong in severalcountries but is a good starting point.

-Jared RomeyAuthor and Creator of

www.SpeakingLatino.com

http://www.speakinglatino.com/http://www.speakinglatino.com/

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Real World Spanish

I started collecting and translating Spanish slang in2003. I had already lived in Mexico, Chile and

Argentina as well as traveled to other Spanish-

speaking countries.

When I arrived to Puerto Rico it amazed me how

different the language was from the other countries I

knew, even with my previous country experiences.

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My Definition ofSpanish Slang

To me, Spanish slang is a collection of the words andphrases used locally (in a country, region or city) that

will not be understand throughout the Spanish-

speaking world. This includes typical slang terms as

well as everyday words that will not be easilyunderstood elsewhere.

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Argot o jerga(slang or jargon)

A type of language that consists of words andphrases that are regarded as very informal, are more

common in speech than writing, and are typically

restricted to a particular context or group of people.

Another synonym in English is lingo. Source: Oxford Dictionary

Example: Pasto is Spanish slang for marijuana

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Coloquialismo(colloquial language)

It is the informal language used in everydayconversations; it is the words and phrases used in

casual conversations that are not used in formal

situations like, for example, a speech or business

letter.

Example: Vamospalmonte. is the colloquial

expression and pronunciation for Vamos para la

montaa.

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Americanismos(words from the Americas)

Americanismoscan be categorized in two ways:

Words passed from an indigenous American languageto another language.

Example: avocado or aguacate, hurricane or huracn,

hammock or hamacaWords or expressions created in the Americas thatintegrate into the Spanish language

Example: revolin Puerto Rico and agitein El Salvador

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Within Amer ican ismos , you may further identify words with specific

countries such as domin ican ismos , ch i len ismos , mexican ismos , etc.

The concept of americanismois not only limited to the vocabulary or

lexicon. It also includes phonetics, grammar and semantic variations of

an American country. Source: Diccionario Austral de la Lengua Espaola

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Anglicismos & angloamericanismos(Spanish words from English)

English is one of the languages that most influencesSpanish today.

Spanish words that come from the English are calledanglicismos.

Angloamericanismosis also a more specific term for thewords that come from US English and are adapted intoSpanish.

Example: basquetbol (basketball), frmula(babysformula), tuit(a tweet) and bloguero(a blogger)

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Modismos(idioms)

It is a phrase that has a figurative meaningorwhose meaning is not clear from the words that formit.

People often confuse modismos with proverbs, but

they arent the same (see proverb explanation next).

Example: Hay que consultarlo con la almohada isthe equivalent idiom of Let me sleep on it.

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Refrn or proverbio(refrains or proverbs)

A simple and concrete saying, popularly known andrepeated, that expresses a truth based on common senseor the practical experience of humanity. They are oftenmetaphorical. - Source: Wikipedia

Proverbs cant be conjugated.

Example: Ms vale pjaro en mano, que cien volando isthe Spanish proverb for A bird in the hand is worth two inthe bush. The literal translation is Worth more is a bird inthe hand than 100 flying.

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Dialecto(dialect)

A dialect is a regional variation of a language.

The term also applies to regional speech patterns,

grammar and vocabulary.

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