Learning the Local Language

Your Guide to Real World Spanish

by Jared Romey

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©2012 Copyright Jared Romey

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Places you may have spotted Speaking Latino“Jared is the go-to guy for anyone learning or considering learning Spanish, and he’ll blow you away with how much he knows about the Latin American varieties of the language.” -Donovan Nagel, Mezzofanti Guild: An Online Community of Serious Language Learners

“Romey translates common colloquialisms into English so that Americans can actually understand what the heck locals are saying when they visit South American countries.” - Monica Garske, AOL News

“Acabo de descubrir Speakinglatino.com. Que sitio mas padre, chido, chévere, tuanis, bacán...” -Jake Fisher comment on Facebook

“@JaredRomey ¡¡¡Me ca*** de risa!!! ¡Buenísimo! I had to pause several times to recover from laughing! You made my day!” -@MultiMae from Mae’s Language Lounge Blog via Twitter

“Es más, este gringo interesado en el vocablo chilensis creó un verdadero ranking de frases típicas de nuestro país y las tradujo a un vocabulario comprensivo para los turistas, todo a base de experiencias propias que lo han llevado a entender frases como: más inútil que cenicero de moto o andar más doblado que conejo de mago.” -Diario La Nacion Domingo, Chile

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The Mezzofanti Guild Blog

Learning a foreign language is tough. It takes hours and hours and hours of study, sweat and practice just to achieve the level that a 5-year old native speaker already achieved. Anyone that denies this is lying to you.

There is no reason to make it more complicated for yourself. Yet many people, waste hours in the process without realizing it.

Whether today is your first day of learning Spanish, or you’ve put in lots of hours (and probably some money too), maybe even you are already an advanced Spanish learner, Speaking Latino and this e-book will make life slightly easier for you.

No, you will not be fluent tomorrow. I don’t have a bottle of snake oil to sell you that will give you native pronunciation. I will save you time though. The premise of what I will share is simple and yet nobody

Learning the Local Language

how speaking latino will save you hours and hours learning Spanish

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[ 3 ]How Speaking Latino Will Save You Hours and Hours Learning

Spanish

[ 5 ]Who am I?

[ 7 ]On to Learning

the Local Real World Spanish

[ 8 ]4 Local Language

Dimensions

[ 10 ]Why Would You Care to Learn the Local Spanish of a Particular Country?

[ 12 ]8 Secrets to Speak

Like a Local

[ 17 ]Online Spanish Slang

Dictionaries

[ 35 ]Books

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ever told me this in my early attempts to learn Spanish. Because of my personal experience I want to share this short, powerful sentence so you avoid wasting the time that I wasted.

Here goes: Not all Spanish is the same.

I know it’s simple, almost stupid even. But repeat it out loud: Not all Spanish is the same. I’m serious, say it out loud.

Most people do not understand this simple concept when they begin Spanish. And it is not their fault. Teachers never discuss this. Many of them may not even know either. The truth is this simple statement opens up a complex concept that many people want to avoid.

What do I mean by not all Spanish is the same? Think of English as a comparison. In the United States, a soda may also be known as pop. In England an elevator is a lift. The hood of a car, a bonnet. Ever heard the term gobsmacked? Or skint? These are common British English words that most Americans would not understand.

Well, the same thing exists in Spanish, only more extreme. A simple example is a drinking straw. Depending on the Spanish-speaking country, the correct word may be pajita, sorbete, sorbeto, pajilla, calimete, bombilla, pitillo or popote. That’s EIGHT different options!

You never ran into that in English before did you?

This is where Speaking Latino comes in.This e-book shares tips with you on how to improve your understanding of the local language. This will save you time early on in the process, especially if you have a specific region or country in mind. Even if you don’t, just understanding that different versions of Spanish exist is a huge step forward.

Learning languages opens an amazing opportunity for you to understand the world in a new way. It’s tough, hard work and full of frustration. Please always remember to enjoy the journey.

“England and America are two

countries separated by a common

language.”-George Bernard Shaw

“Those who know nothing of foreign

languages know nothing of their

own.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

My name is Jared and I am a native of the United States of America whose first serious attempt at learning languages began in my early twenties. Until then I’d say I had a more or less typical background. After age 5, I lived in one area of the country, never outside the US and had little exposure to Spanish. Then, in my early twenties, a series of fortuitous circumstances completely changed my life.

It began as I suffered through a typical 9-5 existence. My foray into lunch-hour Spanish shook up my life. I quit my job, stopped by briefly to school, and then left the country... for 14 years. Early stumblings in real-world Spanish taught me that a cola isn’t just a soft drink, bicho doesn’t always mean a bug, and boludo may be heartfelt or middle-finger felt. Twelve Spanish-speaking countries, four startups, two bestsellers and a Puerto Rican wife later, I am still confounded by how many Spanish words exist for “panties.”

I am not an educated linguist. I started as a language learner just like you. I’ve spent thousands of hours studying and speaking Spanish. I had a couple years in my life when English barely existed. And with this, I know how difficult learning to communicate in Spanish may be.

As such I will not get into arguing whether local language is a dialect, regionalism or a separate language. Honestly, I don’t really care which label is placed. What I care about is that if you understand these local differences you WILL communicate better.

Since I have spent thousands of hours studying Spanish, researching my books and blog posts, I am familiar with hundreds of language learning resources. So, I encourage you to contact me with any Spanish struggles you are currently suffering. I may be able to help. It won’t hurt to ask. It’s FREE!

Who am I?

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Jared Romey

“Slang is a language that rolls up its

sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to

work.” -Carl Sandburg

Finally, this is the most extensive list of Local Real World Spanish resources I have seen. Yet I am sure there are more resources undiscovered. Please share any with me that you believe are useful for others. I will spread the word.

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VIDEO “Gallagher and the Language”

On to learning the local, Real World Spanish...

VIDEO“Qué difícil es hablar el español, porque todo lo que dices tiene otra definición”

A song that exposes the frustration of learning Spanish.

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• think, then• cook, cool or good food• bomb, tomb, comb• worse, horse

Confusing English pronunciation examples

• laughter, daughter• ache, steak, stake• go, do

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Spanish is generally considered a simple language to learn in comparison with languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Arabic or even German. In Spanish a word is pronounced just as you would expect with most sounds having only one spelling. Gallagher, one of my all-time favorite comedians, points out several pronunciation and spelling headaches in English that make life hard for English learners (I’ve added a couple extras too):

For a language learner the only way to differentiate among the above sounds is through memorization. There are hundreds of these differences in English. In Spanish far fewer exceptions to the language exist than in other languages.

So to some degree Spanish is in fact easier than most languages. Except for one major component that people do not discuss. Spanish changes significantly from one country to the next. And after 15 years of Spanish study, it still baffles me why NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THIS. As a foreigner learning Spanish you are not told that major differences in the language will hinder your ability to understand and communicate in the language as you travel from one country to the next. This does not just apply to foreigners that are learning Spanish. Native speakers trying to communicate

“Our language is funny – a ‘fat

chance’ and a ‘slim chance’ are the

same thing.” -J. Gustav White

with native speakers from different countries also suffer through this.

Here I must highlight that IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO LEARN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE WITH A SPANISH SPEAKER. However, YOU WILL COMMUNICATE BETTER if you speak to someone in their local language.

It annoys me when I read someone arguing that Spanish is only one language, that everyone speaking Spanish communicates easily and the differences among countries are not important. THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” -Nelson Mandela

You will begin to improve your local Spanish within days, if not hours, of stepping into a new country. As you experience your new local language be aware that 4 basic categories exist where you should focus your learning.

Vocabulary is perhaps the most time consuming. Each Spanish country’s vocabulary will change considerably. A simple word in one country may be an extremely crude term to avoid in another. Or a basic everyday word such as KITE requires you to learn pandorga, chichigua, chiringa, papalote, papelote, volantin, barrilete and

Local Spanish differences fall into these 4 categories:

u Vocabularyv Grammarw Pronunciationx Intonation

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4 Local Language Dimensions

“A different language is a different vision of

life.” - Federico Fellini

VIDEO“How songs can help you learn foreign languages and the relationship between music and language”

cometa (as a quick tip, learn COMETA first, it’s the most universal).

Grammar variations exist across countries but are not difficult to learn. In fact, after a few weeks of local exposure you will be copying common local sentence structures, verb conjugations and similar stuff. At first these differences will sound strange compared to the book grammar you learn but you will quickly adjust to them. Please don’t spend much time fretting over these local differences. Your time is better spent out in the street conversing.

With pronunciation, again there’s really not a lot to cover. Each country’s accent will be different from the basic Spanish you study. Use the 8 guidelines in the next section to focus on these local differences. Again, do not put a ton of time in copying a certain accent. You will automatically absorb it without much effort, simply by talking to locals.

In my opinion, the hardest of the four areas is to consistently mimic the intonation of a language. This requires lots and lots of practice (at least for me). I would leave this for the last of the four categories to perfect. It is tied closely to the local pronunciation so will require you to first understand that before moving to intonation differences.

The best advice I can share is to just jump in. The more you are involved with people, culture and the language, the sooner you will master the local language. Have fun!

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“Languages are the only thing worth

knowing even poorly.” -Kato Lombi

VIDEO“Gringo Hablando Español Argentino”

American Speaking Argentine Spanish

The most important and perhaps obvious answer to the above question is to communicate better. You will quickly learn (as with other languages) the same word may take on vastly different meanings with only a change in intonation.

People are also more comfortable speaking to someone in their own language. I know this sounds so obvious to the point of stupidity. Of course an Italian speaker will be more comfortable speaking to you in Italian. Even so, people ignore this when it comes to Spanish. Speaking Spanish from Spain with someone from Chile will not create the same level of comfort as speaking Chilean Spanish to a Chilean.

There’s also the challenge involved in learning a culture enough to mimic it, or at least to fit in. It feels quite good when your Spanish is fluent enough that someone doesn’t recognize where you’re from, or that you’re not a native speaker.

In Argentina, when the word “boludo” is pronounced as in “bolUUUUUUdo,” you can bet that there is some anger or frustration in the speaker’s sentence. However, a curt spitting out of “boludo” may just be a term of endearment used between friends.

Why would you care to learn the local Spanish of a particular country or region?

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VIDEO“Jared Romey Speaking in Spanish”

Achieving Spanish fluency as an adult is possible.

Another reason is that it is a good icebreaker when you want tomeet people or make someone laugh. It’s always entertaining to hear a foreigner use typical slang phrases, words and pronunciation in unexpected situations. Walk up to a Puerto Rican friend and say “¿Qué’ e’ la que hay?” Your friend will fall over laughing.

The resources in this eBook will help you improve your Local Spanish Vocabulary, the most important of the 4 categories mentioned in the previous section. Some of the resources mentioned here will cover portions of Grammar, Pronunciation and Intonation but the main focus will be Vocabulary.

The next section, 8 Secrets to Speak Like a Local, covers practical tips on how to pick up the local Spanish.

The following section shares online resources for Learning the Local Spanish, broken into two parts, 1) resources that cover Spanish from numerous countries and 2) country-specific resources.

The final section is a compilation of books available to help learn local Spanish. I have not included every book available, only the most complete and up-to-date books I found.

Remember, the main reason to learn Local Spanish is TO COMMUNICATE BETTER.

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1. Cross Generations Does “Dude, how was your weekend?” sound normal? Now what if it was your grandmother asking you the same phrase? What about your brother mentioning that he was “necking” with his girlfriend? Most likely both sound a little “off”.

These are examples of the generational differences that exist in language. Words are continuously dropped, added or take on new meanings. While you learn, spend time with people from different generations. Kids are always non-judgmental and forgiving when it comes to mistakes. Other than the occasional “You talk funny!” comment, their pace and knowledge will match yours (I know it’s a huge ego blow to have a 4-year old correct you, but hey, suck it up!). At the same time, someone 20 years or more older than you will also enrich your language experience. Spending time with people of your generation is easy, but you will have a wider vocabulary and much more fun if you vary this.

2. Know the language you are learning So you’re learning Spanish? Chinese? Portuguese? That really doesn’t narrow it down much. You need to be aware of much more than the language.

For example, your teacher, where is she from? Where did she grow up? Which city? Is he a native speaker? From which socio-economic level? Answers to these types of questions will help you

8 secrets to speak like a local

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better master the language you learn. As a comparison, think of how many different accents are heard in the United States. Texans, Minnesotans and New Yorkers all have unique accents. The same is true when comparing English accents around the world. Answering the above questions will help you learn and understand the vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and accents you hear. As you become more comfortable with your language you should be able to adjust your vocabulary and accent to your local surroundings, making it easier to fit in.

3. Vary your instructors This is perhaps the most important point in these 8 secrets. It is easy to fall into the habit of using the same teacher, during the same schedule, and always at the same place. The problem with this is that you will only be exposed to one accent at a time, which severely restricts your exposure to different versions of the language. The best language learning programs offer a mix of teachers from different regions and countries. This allows you to begin to mimic the subtleties of the language and avoids you becoming accustomed to how one person speaks. Even if you do not have the option of varying teachers, the internet now provides enough material for you to watch videos, listen to podcasts, radio announcements and converse with native speakers live. With a little effort you can begin to appreciate the variances in peoples’ verbal communication. As a plus, being exposed to a variety of pronunciations and vocabulary will make your first foray into a foreign country less shocking. I promise you that if your language exposure has been with only one person, the first time you visit you will not have an easy time understanding people.

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4. Focus your vocabulary development Any time you begin to learn a language, you always start with the more common words. You are more likely to learn words such as car, telephone, run and ice cream, before you learn analysis, nuclear, political or border crossing. The same will be true for slang.

Start with the more common words. What are the most common words in any language? The naughty words! Not only is it a great ice-breaker to meet people (Excuse me, my name’s Jared and I just started learning Swahili. If I get really mad at a taxi cab driver, what could I say to him?…and are there any gestures you could teach me?), you will quickly learn the most common words that most people use. To better grasp the scale of the word, I always use the Grandma Test. Is this something you can say in front of your grandmother? mother? girlfriend? only with the guys? Ladies, why use this test? Because, believe it or not, there are some words that us guys only use with other guys, so it’s best to clarify that at the beginning. Another good vocabulary segment to develop early is the fillers that are used. In English, words like uh, like, um, well buy time while you think about what to say next. Other languages have these fillers as well. Once you learn them (shouldn’t take more than a day or two with a little help from someone), and use the local fillers instead of your own, your conversations will come across as more fluid and fluent.

5. Gossip, gossip and gossip When was the first time your English teacher went over the correct usage of “ain’t” with you? Most likely never. At the start of learning a language, most of what we are taught is the formal structure of a language. This is the same with foreign languages. While the formal learning is important, to fit in like a local, you must also learn the street language.

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vocabulary

One of the best ways to do this is to keep abreast of the gossip in the society pages of the country whose language you are learning. Most countries have news rags available that report on the newest romantic gossip surrounding actors and actresses. Often, there are also whole television programs dedicated to gossip of the rich and famous. Most of them sprinkle in slang words, double meanings and sexual innuendo. Besides helping you to fit in more like a local, this has another added benefit. Learning about current news, gossip and celebrities will allow you to participate more in conversations, better understand local jokes, and enjoy everyday life in your adopted country.

6. Ignore What People Say They SayYou might want to read this title a couple times. It’s some weird wording for a local language learning tool. And yet it is extremely important. It means if you ask someone how to pronounce a word their answer MAY NOT be how they truly pronounce it. Again, what they actually pronounce is not how they will tell you they pronounce a word. This seems to defy logic. How can it be? The simple answer is that they are not aware their pronunciation in the flow of a conversation is different from their pronunciation when asked how to pronounce the word alone.

Examples of this in languages abound. An extremely common example in Spanish is with words ending in –ado. Many countries cut off this ending during normal conversation. Take the word comprado. Asking someone how to pronounce this word will most often generate a response of com-pra-do. But when you here the same word in a conversation you may be more likely to hear comprao where -prao rhymes closely with wow.

So while asking for help is useful, be sure to also listen to how words are pronounced during natural conversation between locals.

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VIDEO“SuperXclusivo con La Comay”

Gossip show from Puerto Rico

“You can never understand one

language until you understand at least

two.” -Geoffrey Willans

and Ronald Searle

7. Listen to the rhythmLanguages have rhythm and if you pay attention you will easily hear some of those rhythms. Yes, even languages you understand nothing about. The different accents in Spanish each have their own rhythm. Some accents are easier to pick out like Argentina, Chile, Spain and Mexico in part because of their rhythm. Chilean Spanish in particular is often described as having a sing-song quality to it.

Others are a bit more difficult to differentiate: Colombia vs. Venezuela, Bolivia vs. Paraguay, the Central American countries. If you want to learn a specific accent, begin to listen to the rhythms and intonations natives use, even if you do not understand everything they are saying.

8. Learn the Local Gestures Every place has unique gestures that people in the area understand, but outsiders have no idea what they mean. Often, these gestures are so ingrained in the native speakers’ communication that they forget they even use the gestures. So, if you ask what local gestures people use, they probably won’t be able to answer you.

To get around this, spend some time sitting in a park, restaurant or café and watch the conversations around you. You will begin to see gestures repeated after several sessions. Later, ask someone what these gestures mean. As an added bonus, you will hone your non-verbal skills while you observe, since at some point you will understand at least parts of the conversations without hearing a word of it.

“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. -Rita Mae Brown

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VIDEO“American Hand Gestures in Different Cultures”

7 Ways to Get Yourself in Trouble Abroad

The following is the most extensive collection of online Spanish slang dictionaries available. These sites will allow you to search Spanish slang words and phrases from different countries in Latin America. I have not included every website out there since numerous sites exist with small collections of slang terms, often with obvious errors. The sites here are the best I have found and will help you improve your vocabulary and understanding of local Spanish.

online spanish slang dictionaries

Words from All Spanish-Speaking Countries

Speaking Latinowww.SpeakingLatino.com

Format: Word List / Search EngineLanguage: Spanish & EnglishWords: 8,000+Description: As the famous line goes “in full disclosure” this is my own website. I included it not because it is mine, but because it is the most complete website for Spanish slang with English translations I have ever run across. If you find something else, please let me know. There’s plenty of room for more than one of us.

Argentina

Chile

Colombia

México

Perú

Puerto Rico

Uruguay

Click on a country to go directly the biggest collections of words and phrases from:

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RESOURCE PAGESVisit the Speaking Latino Spanish Resource Pages where I have an updated list of books, websites, videos, articles, flashcards and mobile apps from these and other Spanish-speaking countries:

8 http://www.speakinglatino.com/basic-spanish-slang-resources/

Words from All Spanish-Speaking Countries

Tu Babelwww.TuBabel.com

Format: Word List / Search EngineLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 49,000+Description: Search for a specific term or click “diccionario” at the menu on the top of page to select a country from the map. This will take you to the list of terms available by country. This is a social website and the content is provided by the users.

Words from All Spanish-Speaking Countries

Así Hablamoswww.AsiHablamos.com

Format: Word List / Search EngineLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: UnknownDescription: Search for a specific term or by country. Terms include definition, example, synonym and antonym, when available. This is a social website and the content is provided by the users.

online spanish slang dictionaries

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online spanish slang dictionaries

Words from All Spanish-Speaking Countries

1000 Imágenes en la punta de la lenguawww.ccdmd.qc.ca/ri/expressions/

Format: Word List / Search EngineLanguage: Spanish / English / FrenchWords: 683Description: Idiomatic expressions, sayings or proverbs. Search or choose from the list. Listen to audios, and look for the equivalent in English or French. Some of the idioms are available in animated cartoons.

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Glosario de la Biblioteca Virtual Argentina www.biblioteca.clarin.com/pbda/glosario.htm

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 1,484Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order to get the definition in Spanish.

Argentina

online spanish slang dictionaries

Argentine Spanish Slang Dictionary: The Private Parts of Rioplatense Spanishargentineslang.wordpress.com/

Format: Word ListLanguage: English onlyWords: 235Description: Use the menu to select a letter and browse for words. Includes the English definition and the part of speech.

Argentina

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Términos Criollos en Orden Alfabético from FolkloredelNorte.comwww.folkloredelnorte.com.ar/terminos.htm

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 444Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order to get the definition in Spanish.

Argentina

online spanish slang dictionaries

Chilean Slang by ContactChile.cl www.contactchile.cl/en/chile-chilean-slang.php

Format: Words ListLanguage: English onlyWords: UnknownDescription: Browse by letter. Only up to letter T.

Chile

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Chile

Diccionario Chileno by PuroChile.com www.purochile.com/ideas/dicc.php

Format: Word List / Search EngineLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: UnknownDescription: Search only by word, browse by letter.

online spanish slang dictionaries

Glossary Chilenismos from Cachando Chile: Reflections on Chilean Culture cachandochile.wordpress.com/glossary-glosario-

chilenismos/

Format: Words listLanguage: English onlyWords: 314Description: Includes a list of hundreds of Chilean words with English definitions and pronunciation. Some of the terms have links to full articles.

Chile

Diccionario de Modismos Chilenos www.mainframe.cl/diccionario/diccionario.php

Format: Word List / Search EngineLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 1040Description: Search by entering a word or meaning. Browse by letter.

Chile

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8 See also Chile Culinary Glossary

online spanish slang dictionaries

Chile

Diccionario de Chilenismos by Apocatastasis.com www.apocatastasis.com/chilenismos-diccionario.

php#axzz24oszkUaU

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 521Description: An authorized adaptation of the Diccionario del Coa o Arte del Chamullo y la Movida by Ricardo Candia Cares from 1998.

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Colombia

Colombianismos by Wikcionario es.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wikcionario:Colombianismos

Format: Words ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 415Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order. Most of the entries include examples of usage. Scroll down to the end of the page to see a compilation of vulgar slang.

online spanish slang dictionaries

Diccionario de Parlache Edición Depurada y Actualizada www.tareanet.edu.co/wikitareanet/doku.php/diccionario_de_parlache_edicion_depurada_y_

actualizada?do=backlink

Format: Word List / Search EngineLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 610Description: Search by word or browse the complete list in alphabetical order. Does not search by meaning.

Colombia

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Costa Rican Spanish www.ruralcostarica.com/costa-rican-spanish.asp

Format: Word ListLanguage: English onlyWords: 469Description: Use the alphabet menu at the top to go to the list of words available for each letter. Click a word to see the definition in English and synonym in Spanish when available.

Costa Rica

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online spanish slang dictionaries

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Diccionario de términos Ticos from LaCarretica.com lacarretica.com/index.php?option=com_glossword

&view=default&Itemid=81&lang=en

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 471Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order with the definition in Spanish. The search feature doesn’t work.

Costa Rica

Diccionario de Dominicanismos sites.google.com/site/josellibre2/

diccionariodominicanismos

Format: Words ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 4,892Description: Use the side panel to search by letter in one of the biggest collections of Dominican slang available online. A lot of the entries include examples.

Dominican Republic

online spanish slang dictionaries

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Glosario de Términos Dominicanos by Colonial Tour & Travel www.colonialtours.com.do/diccionario.htm

Format: Words ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 421Description: Scroll down to browse the complete list of words in alphabetical order. Most of the entries include examples.

Dominican Republic

Dominican Slang Online Flash Cards by Quizlet quizlet.com/1598373/dominican-slang-flash-cards/

Format: Flash Cards and Word ListLanguage: English onlyWords: 103Description: See the flash cards or browse the list of words by alphabetical order. Includes audio pronunciation, but not from a native speaker.

Dominican Republic

online spanish slang dictionaries

Dominicanismos en el Diccionario de la Real Academia Española by Academia Dominicana de la Lengua www.academia.org.do/content/blogsection/26/86/

Format: Words ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 290Description: This is the list of words from the Dominican Republic that have been included in the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of Spanish Language.

Dominican Republic

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Léxico popular ecuatoriano montuvio y de la sierra www.edym.com/books/esp/lexicos/lexicos1.htm

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 148Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order.

Ecuador

online spanish slang dictionaries

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Spanish Slang Ecuador www.latinamericalinks.com/spanish_slang_

ecuador.htm

Format: Word ListLanguage: English onlyWords: 143Description: A very simple list of words in alphabetical order with English definitions.

Ecuador

Salvadoreñismos by QueOndas.com queondas.com/aqui_estamos/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=136:salvadorenismos&catid=42:dichos-y-habla-popular&Itemid=30

Format: Words ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 299Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order.

El Salvador

online spanish slang dictionaries

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Dichos Populares by QueOndas.com queondas.com/aqui_estamos/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134:dichos-populares&catid=42:dichos-y-habla-popular&Itemid=30

Format: Words ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 95Description: A full list of sayings from El Salvador. There are no explanations in Spanish or English.

El Salvador

Honduras

Hondureñismos Honduras Slang www.honduras.com/espanol/hondure-ismos-honduras-slang/#.UEpj5FTS50i

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 300Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order with the definition in Spanish.

online spanish slang dictionaries

Mexican Slang Words by Mexico Guru www.mexicoguru.com/mexican-slang.php

Format: Words ListLanguage: English onlyWords: 400Description: Browse the list of words organized by alphabetical order. Click on the word to find the meaning in English as well as an example sentence in Spanish and English.

México

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Diccionario Breve De Mexicanismos from Academia Mexicana de la Lengua www.academia.org.mx/dicmex.php

Format: Words ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 6,200Description: Browse words organized by alphabetical order. It is the most complete and reliable source of Mexican slang, but it’s only in Spanish.

México

online spanish slang dictionaries

Diccionario del español usual en México from CervantesVirtual.com www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/diccionario-del-espanol-usual-en-mexico--0/html/

Format: Words ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: UnknownDescription: This is more than a Mexican slang dictionary. It includes the words that are standard or regional, cult or popular, crude or polite,l used in Mexico.

México

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Glossary of Panamanian Spanish from Wiktionary en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary_of_Panamanian_Spanish

Format: Word ListLanguage: English onlyWords: 275Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order.

Panamá

online spanish slang dictionaries

Panameñismos from Canajagua.com www.canajagua.com/search.cfm?diccionario=213

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 222Description: Use the alphabet menu to go to the list of words available for each letter. Click a word to see the definition in Spanish and synonym in Spanish when available. At the beginning of each term you will see in which part of the country that particular word is used.

Panamá

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Perú

Jerga Peruana from El Busca Personas www.elbuscapersonas.com.pe/jergas/jergasperuanas.htm

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 433Description: Use the alphabet menu to browse the list of words in alphabetical order.

online spanish slang dictionaries

Diccionarios de Palabras, Expresiones, Groserías y demás Venezolanadas www.lachuleta.net/dic/diccionarios/

Format: Word List / Search EngineLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 2,534Description: A total of 7 dictionaries are available on this page. They are divided by regions, phrases and general terms. Includes the definition, part of speech, example and synonyms in Spanish.

Venezuela

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Léxico Venezolano from LaTaguaraSuiza.net www.lataguara.net/lexico.htm

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 333Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order. Get ready to zoom in your screen because the font is tiny.

Venezuela

online spanish slang dictionaries

Vocablos de uso común en Maracaibo y zonas circunvecinas http://www.corvetteven.com/diccionario.html

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: 177Description: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order or use the alphabet menu at the top of the page to jump through the list.

Venezuela

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Palabras de uso corriente en el habla popular margariteña http://bit.ly/Pth5LA

Format: Word ListLanguage: Spanish onlyWords: UnknownDescription: Browse the list of words in alphabetical order or use the alphabet menu at the top of the page to jump through the list. The definitions are extensive in most cases.

Venezuela

booksI compiled this selection of books to help you learn the local Spanish languages. This list comes from my personal journey learning Spanish so there are several countries where I have yet to discover a book. Feel free to contact me at Jared@SpeakingLatino.com to suggest others.

I only included the most up-to-date books for each country.

Some of these books have affiliate links so if you click here and purchase the book I may receive a small commission. There is no additional cost to you for doing this. These commissions help me develop more materials for you. If you are not comfortable with this, just use a search website to find the book title. Either way you will enjoy all the books!

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Speaking Argentoby Jared Romey

Language: Spanish / English

Description: This is one of my Speaking Latino books based on

my time living in Argentina. It translates over 1500 typical words and phrases in Argentina and includes goofy illustrations for several terms. It also includes 9 quick vocabulary guide tables and sections about grammar, pronunciation and gestures.

8Paperback | Kindle | Nook | iBook | ePub

Argentina ChileSpeaking Chilenoby Jared RomeyH Bestseller in Chile

Language: Spanish / English

Description: This is one of my Speaking Latino books. Largely based on

my three years living in Chile, it translates over 2000 typical words and phrases and includes humorous drawings for several terms. It also includes 13 quick vocabulary guide tables and sections about grammar, pronunciation and gestures. 8Paperback | Kindle | Nook | iBook | ePub

books

ChileChilenismos: Dictionary & Phrasebook by Daniel Joelson

Language: Spanish / English | English / Spanish

Description: An extensive collection of 1,500 Chilean words and phrases in a simple, almost pocket-sized book with close to two hundred pages. The book presents the words in a list format alphabetically, Chilean to English and then English to Chilean. Later words are presented a second time by topic. 8Paperback | Kindle

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Puerto RicoSpeaking Boricuaby Jared RomeyH Bestseller in Puerto Rico

Language: Spanish / English

Description: This is one of my Speaking Latino books. It includes over 1,500 local words and phrases compiled from my 10 years living in Puerto Rico. 8Paperback | Kindle | Nook | iBook | ePub

Puerto RicoSpeaking Phrases Boricuaby Jared Romey.

Language: Spanish / English

Description: This is one of my Speaking Latino

books. Hundreds of typical Puerto Rican idioms and sayings are translated into English and when available their equivalent English phrases are given. 8Paperback | Kindle | Nook | iBook | ePub

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books

Quick Guide to Colombian Spanish by Language Babel

Language: Spanish / English

Description: More than 450 words and

phrases explained in English. Most of the terms include synonyms and antonyms in Spanish plus an example. This is a book that I compiled. 8Kindle

Colombia

Así habla el mexicano by Jorge Mejia Prieto

Language: Spanish only

Description: A basic book originally published in 1984 and

currently on its 15th printing, with clear and sometimes detailed explanations of word meanings. Also includes a great bibliography of Mexican Spanish books as far back as the late 1800s. 8Paperback

MexicoDiccionario breve de mexicanismosby Guido Gómez De Silva

Language: Spanish only

Description: A hardcover book in true dictionary format with over 230 pages of 5,400 words and phrases. Many of the entries are for generic words that are not unique to Mexico.

8Hardcover

Mexico

Diccionario de Dominicanismos by Carlos Esteban Deive

Language: Spanish only

Description: More than 2,000 entries. It was first

published in 1971, this updated edition is from 2002. 8Paperback

Dominican Republic

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El Chingonarioby Editorial Otras Inquisiciones

Language: Spanish only

Description: Although this book only focuses on one word, chingar, there are over 150 uses mentioned. This is a great book to understand the most diverse word in Mexican Spanish. 8Paperback | Kindle | Nook | Mobile App

Mexico

books

PeruLéxico Peruano: Español de Limaby Luisa P. Portilla Durand

Language: Spanish only

Description: Extremely detailed explanations (many are a full page) and citations for each from the popular press, including examples of usage.

Available in Perú only

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Puerto RicoPuerto Rico y el lenguaje by Luz Nereida Pérez

Language: Spanish

Description: 40 articles that will give you the origin and background

of words from Puerto Rico. 8Paperback

Puerto RicoLa Lengua Boricua 1 & 2 by Raymond Giovanni Ramos Rosario

Language: Spanish only

Description: One of the most recent collections of Puerto Rican words, phrases and idioms with more than 2,000 entries in two books. Short and to the point meanings in Spanish.Book 1 8Paperback |

Book 2 8Paperback | Kindle | Nook |

books

VenezuelaThe Criollo Way: A Brief Guide to the Slang and Idioms of Venezuela by C. Bashleigh.

Language: Spanish with English definitions

Description: Unfortunately this is the only book I have found for Venezuelan Spanish, published in the late 1960’s so I am sure the local slang has changed significantly. I learned about this book from a

friend who lived in Venezuela in the 1990’s so at least until then it was the newest book available.

8Used

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Diccionario de Jergas de Habla Hispanaby Roxana Fitch

Language: Spanish only

Description: This book is the largest collection

of Spanish slang currently available and is published by the website with the same name.

8Paperback | Kindle

El español de España y el español de América: Vocabulario comparadoby Antonio Molero

Language: Spanish only

Description: This book is a table of common Spanish words compared among Spain, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico and Uruguay. The vocabulary is grouped by topics such as food, transportation, money, animals, etc. 8Paperback

General

Illustrations from the section 8 Tricks to Speak Like a Local via flickr under the Creative Commons license Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) 1. LuMaxArt FS Collection Orange0031 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2364659873/) 2. LuMaxArt FS Collection Orange0059 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2364667079/) 3. LuMaxArt FS Collection Orange0025 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2364652529/) 4. LuMaxArt FS Collection Orange0038 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2364661701/) 5. LuMaxArt FS Collection Orange0026 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2365483138/) 6. LuMaxArt FS Collection Orange0052 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2364666439/) 7. LuMaxArt FS Collection Orange0115 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2365527788/) 8. LuMaxArt FS Collection Orange0016 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2365483758/)

It’s easy to stay in touch with Speaking Latino!

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The best way to support Speaking Latino is to stay in touch and to spread the word. If you’re feeling especially generous a positive Amazon review would be fabulous for any one of the books. The Speaking Latino books are lots of fun.

I promise. -Jared

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RESOURCE PAGESVisit the Speaking Latino Spanish Resource Pages where I have an updated list of books, websites, videos, articles, flashcards and mobile apps from these and other Spanish-speaking countries:

8 http://www.speakinglatino.com/basic-spanish-slang-resources/