Before youlearnaboutthesubjectofthisarticle, the two fundamental verbs in Spanish you need to know to be introduced in the world of the Candombe are:
bailar candombe - to dance candombe tocar tambores - to play drums
Candombe is an African derived rhythm that has been an important part of Uruguayan culture for over two hundred years. It was recognized by Unesco recently as a unique form of folklore native from Uruguay and stemming from roots in the African continent.
This rhythm traveled to Uruguay from Africa with black slaves, it was their way of communication then, and is still going strong in the streets. The candombe rhythm is created when the three tambores (drums) are played together.
Frequently, many drummers assemble onto the streets of Montevideo (from 3 to 80 drums), playing their drums under the moon lit sky.
The candombe rhythm is created by the use of three drums (tambores), tambor piano, tambor chico and tambor repique. When these three drums heat up, it’s like nothing you’ve ever heard before.
Much can be said about the diversity of Mexico, its ancient culture, tastes, music, colors ...
Now let's talk about the "mejicanismos" (or "mexicanismos"), expressions that may surprise and confuse those who are learning Spanish. Like everything in Mexico, these popular and common words are also colorful, and mostly humorous and full of double meanings.
*Chido, *Padre, *Guay - those three expressions mean the same !! : beautiful
Qué padre tu carro nuevo !
La fiesta estuvo muy guay.
*Apachurrar - Aplastar - to Crush *Apenado - Avergonzado - Embarrased *Babosear - Estar distraído - Being distracted
*¡Bueno! - Una de las maneras de atender el teléfono - One of the ways to answer the phone *Cabrón - Un insulto que se puede definir como "hijo de p...." - A good definiton that would apply to a "son of a b...".
*Coraje - Enojo - Anger
*¡Chinga tu madre! - Interjección para expresar a alguien enojo - Interjection to express anger
*Checar - Comprobar - Check *Chingada, irse a la - Arruinarse -Go bankrupt
*Chingar - Importunar, molestar a alguien - to Bother somebody
*Desmadre - Desorden, desorganización, lío - Big disorder
*Fregado - Dañado - Damaged
*Gringo - Todo lo relacionado con USA - Everything related with USA
*Güero - Rubio - Blond
*¡Híjole! - Interjección de sorpresa o desilusión - Exclamation of surprise
*Me vale madre - No me importa - I don´t care *No manches - ¡No jodas! - Do not fuck with!
In South America almost all the countries speak Castilian Spanish. There are some differences between European Spanish and South American.
Most notedably, in Spain the pronoun "vosotros" is used while in South American spanish "ustedes" (Uds., when abbreviated) is more common. The second big difference with the original Spanish from Spain, is the pronunciation of the letter "z", which in South America, pronounced as "s".
But there are significant differences as well, between the countries, in the way they speak Spanish. As it happens in all the world, each region has its own way to express their everyday language, mixed from the street´s culture, and foreign languages as well.
The word to call those regional differences is, in spanish, "modismos".
Chile has their own "modismos",called "chilenismos". Most of them are very funny and have double meaning, and a sense of humor.
There are lots of Chilesnismos, but we are going to focus specially in their particular use of some verbs, and their meanings.
The following is a list of 35 "chilenismos", we have translated it first to the common Spanish and after to English.
*achacarse – entristecerse - to be sad
*aforrar - pegarle a alguien - to beat somebody
*agarrar pa'l leseo – burlarse de alguien - make fun of
*apechugar – hacer frente - face up to
*atracar - besarse y acariciarse - to kiss and caress
*bolsear – pedir - to ask
*cachar – entender, comprender - to understand
*catetear – insistir - to insist
*chupar – beber alcohol - to drink alcohol
*copuchar – chismorrear - to gossip
*darle a alguien – intimar en el sentido sexual - to keep close relation in a sexual sense
*dar boleta - ganar mucho - to earn a lot
*dar julepe – tener miedo - be afraid
*echar pinta - Lucirse, mostrarse - show off
*estar agarrado de alguien – estar enamorado o querer mucho a la pareja - to be in love or very attached with the couple
*estar apestao /á – estar aburrido o cansado de hacer algo - to be bored or very tired of doing something
*estar cagado – estar en problemas - to be in trouble
*estar pato – no tener dinero - be penniless
*hablar cabezas de pescado – decir tonterías - to talk nosense
*hacerse el loco – fingir - to pretend
*hacer una vaca - hacer una colecta - to collect money
*Ir rajado - ir muy rápido - to go very fast>
*meter cuco - asustar - to scare
*pasarlo chancho - pasarlo muy bien - to have a good time
*patear - terminar un romance o relación - to finish a relationship
*pintar el mono - hacer el ridículo para llamar la atención - to make a fool of oneself to be noticed
*poner el gorro - ser infiel - to be to unfaithful
Here is a short and funny video presentation, giving us a glimpse of some Chilesnismos. Don't worry if you can't understand much, Chilenos are famous for speaking very fast, even for the standards of other Spanish speaking countries.
"Tomar mate" is a very common expression if you go to the "Rio de la Plata" area, in South America.
But "mate" is not only drunk in Uruguay and Argentina, also Paraguay, Bolivia and South of Brasil enjoy this drink.
What is "MATE"?
Mate is an infusion of the "yerba mate" (mate herb), made from leaves and stems of a powerful rainforest tree. Yerba mate was discovered centuries ago by the indigenous people in South America and has been revered as the “drink of the gods” and consumed to enhance, vitality, clarity, and well-being.
Mate has many healthy benefits including beeing a tonic, diuretic and reducer of fatigue, stimulates nervous and muscular systems, and helps the elimination and the digestive problems.
Most of all, tomar mate is a common social practice, an invitation to sit, talk, and share with family and friends, that visitors find very attractive.
The spanish verbs related with this practice are : tomar mate, meaning to drink it, and cebar mate, refering to the action of putting the water in the recipient.
And now that you know what it is, are you ready ?
I want to share with you this video about how to prepair and drink mate in the "uruguayan way ".
