Tom Germain

So, you think you’re fluent in Spanish? That’s nice, but just like someone from New Jersey might have a little trouble understanding the speech of someone from Jersey, the Channel island, or vice-versa, you might need a helping hand in grasping the Spanish dialect spoken in Medellin, Perreira or Manizales.

The “Paisa” version of Spanish bears some resemblance to the Castellano of Argentina. They use the vos instead of “tu”, and veni instead of “ven”, for example, but the many uniquely Argentine words and expressions are absent as is their peculiar enunciation (such as the Argentine ll sounding more like a sh). Paisas speak rapidly, at the tip of the lips, truncating many words, particularly those ending in ‘ado‘.

Here’s a short guide on some of the words and expressions you will hear frequently and what they mean…

Q’hubo? (sounds like “Kee oo-bo”): This is a common greeting, simply means “what’s new?”.

Estas amañao? (Aye-stass ah-mah-gnah-oh?): This will be asked of you by new people you meet. They mean “amañado”, or simply if you’re happy here (in Colombia). Of course, you should always answer enthusiastically “Siii, me gusta mucho!”

Que pecao! (Kay pay-cow!) : They mean to say “que pecado“, or “what a sin“. The real meaning is “what a shame“, usually to express pity or empathy.

Culi- cagao / cagada (Coolie- caw-gow / cah-ga-da) : They mean  “culo cagado“, meaning “shit filled ass!” Strangely this is not a vulgar expression and is commonly used to say child or children.

Pa’ (pah) : A mangled version of the word “para“.

Comida (Co-mee-dah) : You think they mean “food“, but they might be talking about dinner. Breakfast is still “desayuno” and lunch is still “almuerzo“, luckily!

Ahorita (Ah-o-ree-tah) : You may know this is a dimunitive of “ahora“, meaning “now“, but what they really mean is “later“. This one had me standing like a fool waiting for something to happen until I caught on! Unless they say “ahora mismo“, don’t hold your breath!

Mono : I get this one all the time. “Hey mono!“. They’re not calling me a monkey! They mean “blond“, although you’ll often hear someone affectionately calling a dark haired friend “mono“, which is simply Colombian humor!

A la orden : You’ll hear this in shops. It simply means “at your service“.

Cancelar (Can-cell-ar) : This one confused the heck out of me initially. They mean “pay for it“.

iñora (ignore-ah) : They just mean to say “señora“, or “lady“, not ignore!

Buseta (Boo-say-tah): The bus. Public transport tends to be mostly via small, colorful buses, some of which are mere mini vans.

Rumbiar (Room-bee-ar) : To go out, to party. They do a lot of that!

Arriero (R-ee-aye-ro) : The traditional peasant with his donkey.

Parcero (Par-cey-ro) : Buddy, friend. Short form of this is “parce”.

Guache (Goo-ah-tchey) : rude or vulgar person.

Chimba (tcheem-bah) : swear word, like saying “shit!” — don’t use!

Me cayo gordo! (Mey Caw-yo gore-doh) : Basically means “I can’t stand him!”

Guevon / guevona (Goo-ay- von / von-ah) : idiot.

Chevere (Tchay-vay-ray) : Cool, fun. This is also used in the rest of Colombia and in Venezuela.

Bacano / a (Bah-Caw- no / nah): Really good / cool.

Carro (Caw-ro) : Vehicle. In other Latin-American countries it might be “coche” while carro is a carriage, but in Colombia, coche is a carriage!

Saco : Coat or cardigan.

Cola : Derriere. In the restaurant, don’t ask for a cola, but rather a Coca-Cola, or just coca!

Bomba : Not a bomb, but rather the gas station or the gas pump.

Pichar (Pee-tchar) : vulgar, for the act of having sex.

Conchudo / a (Con-tchoo- do / dah) : A person who shamelessly takes advantage of others.

There’s many more, of course, but I reckon that will be for a follow-up article.