Day 208: Bogota, Colombia
Tomorrow is the last day of my two month visa in Colombia and I’m moving on. When I first arrived in Colombia I was very frustrated because I could not understand Colombians.
I wasn’t sure if it was because they were mumbling, talking quickly or a combination of the two. One thing I did realize is that there is an incredible amount of expressions that I did not understand:
Listo
Listo literally means ‘ready’ but its also used if something is smart or cool or okay. I hear this several times a day but when I first arrived I thought people were always asking me if I was ready.
A la orden
Colombians are extremely polite and there is a sense of formality in their speech. Anyone serving you, from a taxi driver to a grocery store clerk will say this to you. It literally means ‘to order’ but is more similar to ‘at your service’.
I did not understand this one at all, especially when I would complain to taxi drivers that they were charging me too much and they responded with this phrase which really meant get of the cab gringa.
Con mucho gusto
Another Colombian pleasantry which can be confusing. While in every other country it means ‘nice to meet you’ I started hearing it here from waitresses and other service people when I thanked them.
Caliente
Caliente does not only mean hot but it also means horny. I learned this the hard way when my dance partner did not realize I was saying I was hot temperature wise.
Update: A kind friend just wrote me it was because I said estoy cliente and not tengo calor. Lesson learned.
Claro/cierto/dale
As Tourist2Townie pointed out, if you want to fit in you need to drop ‘si’ and start using local speak.
Lindo/linda
Colombians love to marvel at beauty and bonita, hermosa, guapa and preciosa weren’t cutting it; you’ll often hear them use lindo/linda to describe pretty things.
Chevere/chimba/bacano
All ways to say something is cool although apparently chimba trumps chevre the same way awesome trumps cool. But be careful because chimba also refers to female genitalia – although somewhat nice to see they at least appropriated it in a positive light.
Por’fa
Like our shortened expressions in English ‘por favor’ is too much for many Colombians so it’s become porva. This was the only slang that annoyed me as I could not find the verb in any dictionary.
Once I mastered these I really felt like I had taken my Spanish to a new level, of course that is today but tomorrow I’ll be in Ecuador and there may be a whole new batch of expressions to learn.
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I'm Ayngelina and in my mid-thirties. I left an amazing job, boyfriend, apartment and friends to find inspiration in Latin America. I'm creating a new life choosing what I want instead of what other people think I should do.
I love this. Local slang is one of those things that seems nearly impossible to learn before spending time in the place. Thanks for the insider info.
Oooh I love learning slang on the road! My personal favorite to date is “budgie smugglers” (Speedos in Aussie). Although I speak Spanish, I’ve never heard a couple of those sayings and would like to implement “chimba!” (exclamation point imperative) into my everyday vocabulary–for the mere sound of it I might add, not it’s meaning! Almost sounds like you’re cutting gown a tree: “timber!”
I realized very quickly that Columbians do not use the diminutive as often as the folks in central america. Whenever I would say “ahorita” for ahora or “cervecita” for cerveza, they would just laugh at me and tell me that I spoke silly Mexican Spanish.
Colombians on the whole speak pretty clearly, albeit much faster than in central america. Once you get down to Chile and Argentina, it’s a whole new ballgame.
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After this series, Columbia rose high on my “Places Next to Visit” list.
Thanks a bunch, Ayngelina!
-j
So where ya headed next?
Claire recently posted..Murphys Law of Travel
Excellent! I’m going to Cartagena in January (although sadly only for a couple of days). This could come in handy
Once you know a bit of slang you feel you really belong.I’m looking forward to your next instalment about Ecuador slang.
Great tips as this is the most difficult thing about traveling in a country that doesn’t speak your native language. The basics simply don’t cut it. We had the same problem in Argentina after a few months in Peru and Ecuador. We thought we had a great grasp on the language, then we entered Argentina and thought they were speaking something completely different. It can be quite frustrating.
What a great, helpful post. Glad you’ve enjoyed your time in Colombia. Still our favorite country we’ve been.
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i love it when colombians do it with gusto.
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I am sure we will be referencing this in future trips. We love to learn the slang, but should probably focus first on perfecting our basic spanish!
No Vacation Required recently posted..Passports with Purpose – Build a Village and Eat Pastries
Good words there…
One of the funny things about Spanish is that every single country modifies it in a significant way. While I (native spanish speaker) can communicate fluently with any South and Central America spanish speaker, they all have different words for many things, or they switch words, meanings, and context.
For example, I know 8 ways to say “straw” in spanish (depending on the country), but each word means different things in every country… Talk about slangs!
Thanks for beating me to a post I’d been wanting to write for months! It’s amazing how once you learn these little slang words, how much you’ll use them, and understand what others are saying. It’s like putting grease in the gears of your (Colombian) Spanish skills.
I say “listo” and “chevere” like a champ now, but I still have trouble dropping “si” for “cierto” and “bonita” for “lindo.”
And I try not to throw around “chimba” too much for the reason you mentioned. My friend taught me the more vulgar “cara chimba” if you want to curse someone off!
I love learning slang! My favorite part about working in a restaurant was having all the cooks and dishwashers teach me Mexican slang. Thanks for the insider tips on Columbian slang!
Amazing how much local slang there is. In my German class we have quite a few Latinos from all over and often they don’t even understand each other with all the slang!
You probably learned Spanish from a Mexican teacher (like most people in the states), and that is why you could not understand Colombians. After reading some of your blog I realized that your previous idea about some of expressions was inaccurate. It’s true that Colombians use some of the expression in a particular way, but for example: “con mucho gusto” does not mean “nice to meet you”, that is just “mucho gusto”; instead, it means “my pleasure”….
It’s a subtle difference, and I can see why you were confused. Moreover, if you think Colombians are hard to understand, wait until you speak with Cubans or the people from the Caribbean….
@Camilo
I’m actually Canadian not American so my introduction to Spanish was in Central America, mostly Nicaragua.
But I agree there are many nuances, I was accustomed to using “mucho gusto” as an equivalent when English speakers say “nice to meet you” so the addition of “con” did not make sense to me at all.
Oddly enough while many people say Colombians speak the clearest Spanish, I find Ecuadorians much easier to understand.
This is a lot like Costa Rican slang and I’m still trying to get the hang of it! In my particular town, they are known for changing the slang language as soon as everyone figures out what it means. Right now, they are all saying “pescado”, which means fish, but they say it to mean “cool”, or “OK”. And since I know this, it will probably change to something else next week.
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@Erin
That is funny, I like pescado for cool, doesn’t really work in English though.
nice post! got myself in trouble a couple of times going from country to country where words meant different things. my examples arent really fit for this forum though!
jamie recently posted..La Azotea – Coffee Farm- Guatemala
Language (or understanding it) is so much about the slang, eh? Where to now?
Por fa is my faaaaaaave! I say it all the time and annoy my fiance haha. I learned about “con mucho gusto” meaning something different when I was in Colombia as well. Another way to say you’re horney is estoy calenton/a.
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Great post! I always catch myself using English slang on the road and realise that hardly anyone will know what I am going on about!
Where are you heading next?
I adore the way Colombians talk, they have the most lilting musical accent!
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bahhaa, my ex boyfriend from colombia and I used to have some language barriers (especially when he used terms like those). For a good period of time when we first met he would say Linda and I would respond YOU KNOW MY NAME IS LINDSAY RIGHT!? haha… damn slang!
But at least I didn’t tell my dance partner I was horny!
OH SNAP! haha
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You forgot Parce!! Oye parce! And “el fin”.
WanderingTrader recently posted..Bungee Jumping Argentine Style
Ah I love to try and learn local languages, can’t say I’ve ever made it as far as learning the local slang though. That’s quite admirable lol
I’m surprised that Colombians use so many of the same terms as Chileans do! The only one I didn’t know was chimba. I’ve got a glossary of Chilean slang (chilenismos) on my blog if you’re interested!
Great info…fell into the ‘caliente’ trap myself a while back. Looking forward to starting Spanish lessons again. Thanks for the tips and inspiration.
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@Sophie
Nice to hear I’m not the only one who is caliente
haha great stuff. Slang is always the quickest to pick up and learn
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Hey there,
As someone struggling to learn Spanish, I am impressed by the ability to pick up the slang. Please keep me posted.
Devin the Travel Writer recently posted..The 5-Star- 2-Star Conundrum- part one
Be careful with chimba outside of Medellin. Otherwise, it means something completely different!
Jeff recently posted..Travel Interview with NTN24 in Colombia
Brilliant! Estoy caliente made me laugh out loud and reminded me of Spanish lessons and the nuances between the language of Spain and South America – but too rude to mention in a comment
Corinne @ Gourmantic recently posted..What to See in Paris- Guide for First Time Travellers
Thanks for teaching us some slang. I like por’fa.
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I was also surprised to realize how much Colombian’s use swear words in their everyday language use. And for food, “empanada” will save you lot’s of times as they can be found anywhere!
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look up buzzinapps on itunes store, they have a free colombian slang app
Hey, its ColOmbian NOT Columbia, it pisses me off when ppl do that lol. They are totlly diffrent things!!
I think you are referring to the comments section. In North America we have British Columbia, Columbia University and a popular clothing brand called Columbia which is why it is natural for some of the commenters to make that mistake. But now I make the opposite mistake and call it British Colombia!
And how about “guevona”? Another Colombian slang word that means “lazy”
I’m proud to say I know all of these!!
Nice! I love learning slang in new places. I had such fun in Spain learning it!
I have spent alot of time in Colombia and for me it is a true Paradise. One slang she left out that puzzled me at 1st was “de pronto”, which oddly enough means, “maybe”. I love Medellin. Me encanta las Paisas.
I have found so many people go to Medellin and intend staying for a few days and then never leave!
Hi Ayngelina,
Just started following you. I love this post. I lived in Medellin, Colombia for 3 years. I am 1/2 Colombiana so all of this resonates with me. Love your writing style….and the name of your blog? Genius! Chao, linda.
Aww thanks Christine, Colombia is a really special place.
It is such a great post! I would say main thing about Colombian slang is that it depends on which region you are visiting. For me it was quite imposible to understand people up north the “costenios” but people from Bogotá and Medellin were quite really cool to talk to. I’m so glad my 6 months stay in Colombia was a complete great experience.
Very true! I live in Barranquilla and the Spanish here on the coast is much harder for me to understand than in the interior! And just like everywhere – different regions equal different slang, so there is a lot of learning to do. You’ve got the big ones there though! Good list
What about “vacano”? I understand it means “cool!” I learned it from a Colombian friend and at least once in a Colombian film (can’t recall the film).
i live in colombia already long time
some more slang:
un tinto = black coffee
un perico means in bogota black coffee or in dancing a bag of dope
un pintadito = coffee again
llave = means friend or amigo in medellin
marca gato = cheap brand, fake etc…
mono = when girls talk about you, then this does means your cute and not a monkey
bizcocho = girls talk, this means your cute
q’hubo = when contesting phone colombians always say q’hubo que mas when its a friend similar to how are you or whats up
Thanks for the additions, I think a did hear llave while there but it confused me.
Con mucho gusto means “my pleasure” or “it was my pleasure” !
Hullo! I’m new to your site and had to check out the Colombia section since my novio is Colombian. He taught me a few of these phrases after I was CLUELESS about what his visiting friends were saying!
I learned several new phrases with your post–I’d never heard “a la orden” or “chimba.” Gracias por una clase tan bacana!
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Con mucho gusto
with much pleasure – that they enjoyed helping you
mucho gusto
much pleasure – that they enjoyed meeting you
Its funny what happens to Canadians, specially west Canadians, with Colombian Spanish. While for many Americans, British and overall Europeans find very clear Colombian Spanish, Canadians always say we are rumbling words and that they prefere Costa Rica´s or Nicaragua´s Spanish. As a matter of truth for me as Colombian it is almost impossible to tell the diference between people of tis three countries.
I am British ad married to a Colombian who is from Medellin-I was there recently and was kept bieng told “tranquila” or tranques which means Don’t Worry,
Yes I heard that a lot as well, guess we are worked up even by Colombian standards.