Spanish is a language of great history (de gran historia) and is also a one that is widely used around the world. The Spanish dialect of castellano was brought to the Americas by the conquistadores and extends from top to bottom in Central and South America. From the point (el punto) at which you cross the Rio Grande and head into Mexico all the way to the tip of Chile and Argentina, if you exclude Brazil, everyone (todos) speaks Spanish.
Every Spanish-speaking region has its own manner of accents (sus propios acentos), which one would not find uncommon wherever you go, including the United States. As we know in North America, an accent in North Carolina (Carolina del norte) is distinctly different from that of New York or Boston, as well as in California or Wisconsin. The regional dialects and common expressions or slang phrases help to define a region and are part of the local flavor (sabor local) and charm. This is also true in Central and South America, as there is a rhythmic or musical cadence to Spanish in Mexico, a different accent on the “ll” in Argentina, like the sound of a “j” in English, as well as the loss of the “s” on may words here in Chile. Yet, Spanish is Spanish, the language is really one with a central origin from Spain, and whether one is in Mexico, Argentina, Chile or anywhere else, it is still Spanish (es todavía castellano).
Yet, like any language (algún idioma), Spanish continues to change and evolve with local influences and expressions, and as a result, a large number (un gran numero) of slang expressions are important to understand as well, especially here in Chile. For example, the expression “¡al tiro!” means to do something right away or immediately. The term (esta palabra) has its origins in the fact that at Noon (mediodía) on the Cerro Santa Lucia, at Noon, the soldiers would let go a shot (un tiro) from a cannon and this would be a signal to all the people that it was the noon hour. The expression is used all over Chile and is one specific term that separates Chileans form others in Spanish countries.
I have taken the liberty to expand on this and create a list of 10 other terms that I believe are important for the Chilean traveler to know in order to better understand and integrate into this society.
1. ¡Ándate al punto del cerro! – Get away from me, right now!
2. Saco de plomo – fatty, heavy one, load
3. Pololo, polola – boyfriend, girlfriend
4. Taco – traffic
5. Lukas – Cash, bucks
6. ¡Cachai! – Get it!
7. El descueve – very good looking
8. Me mande un condoro – a great error, a blunder
9. No estoy de ahí – I’m not interested
10. Super-bueno, Super-lindo, Super-importante – really great, really pretty, really important
The list could go one, but you get the idea. To effectively integrate into a society is to work to understand both the context and culture within a language and only by immersion can this really be achieved. I still have a long way to go, but I think I am on the way to becoming a super-estudiante here in Chile.
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