I decided to add something of structure to this blog and institute a regular feature on Fridays: the Friday Five. Wherein I’ll simply share five (of the many) words I picked up in the week that especially caught my eye/ear. Maybe it seemed super useful, maybe my boyfriend was dumbfounded that I didn’t already know such an important and ubiquitous word, or maybe it fascinated me for no easily explainable reason. Could come from either conversation, TV, or reading. Feel free to share words you learned this week, too.
1. De aposta – on purpose, deliberately
I’d always said a propósito, but Sr. Vocabat says this is even more common here, especially orally. He was a little disappointed I didn’t know it already.
2. Consolador – dildo
Ahem. I learned this in this blog post, and I was enthralled by the connection with consolar. A consoler, a consolation. Not what I would have guessed.
3. Aporrear/se – to bang, hit; to bang (your finger, foot, elbow, etc.)
I have a bad habit of always banging into Sr. Vocabat. If it’s not him, it’s the furniture. Or the walls. Or the cabinets. This word will (sadly) come in handy.
4. Hablar como una cotorra – to talk nonstop, to be a chatterbox
A cotorra is a kind of parrot. Use this phrase to describe the chatty Cathys in your life, those who talk your ears off, the ones who are wearisomely verbose.
5. Colacho, Caliche, Mechas- nicknames for Nicolás, Carlos & María Mercedes, respectively
I’m always intrigued when I learn the names that nicknames (so common here) derive from. When I first heard Mechas, I was totally confused, only knowing that mecha means “wick.” Learning to recognize (nick)names can be very useful.
_________________________________________________ Non-natives, what’s your experience with these words? Had you heard them before? How have you heard them used? Where? If you’re a native Spanish speaker, anything to correct, clarify, comment on or concur with?
