Peruanismos

Peru is a country that inspires the adventurous and even mystic spirit in many people. It is a country proud of its Inca heritage, as well as its European culture.

I've listed here a number of Peruanismos (expressions and words used by Peruvians) which can come in handy in next trip to this magical South American country. As Verbs in Spanish deals mainly (well, solely :-) with verbs, I've limited my list to a number of typical Peruvian expressions which contain verbs in them.

At the end of this post you can find a list of other online resources for you to expand your vocabulary and knowledge of Peruanismos.

Enjoy! :-)


1 - Apanar = Fry meat after putting it in eggs, flour and bread crumbs.

2 - Jalar = To fail someone in an exam.

3 - Botar = To expel someone from a place.

4 - Hacer barra = to cheer (a team, an actor, etc.)

5 - Timbear = To play or bet in casinos, card games or the like.

6 - Achicar (la bomba) = To urinate

7 - Caer gordo = To pass as unpleasant.

8 - Atracar = To accept a condition or circumstance.

9 - Apayar = To meet or see somebody in a situation in which he or she doesn't want to be seen.



And here are other sites with more Peruanismos:

1 - La Academia Peruana de la Lengua

2 - Wikilengua

3 - Diccionario de Variantes del Español

4 - Ejemplos de Peruanismos

Enjoy this beautiful presentation showing what Peru has the best to offer: