Latin American Culture
Select one of the following topics for more information about the culture in Latin American countries.
Paronyms
Homonyms
Vos Formation
Proverbs and Refrains
Idioms
Guatemaltequisms
Paronyms
Paronyms
The words that are pronounced similarly but are written a little bit differently are called paronyms.For example:
|
Spanish |
English |
| Parónimos: | Paronyms: |
| Actitud/Aptitud | Attitude/Aptitude |
| Adepto/Adapto | Adept/Adapt |
| Adicción/Adición | Addiction/Addition |
| Amén/Amen | Amen/They love |
| Acta/Apta | Notes/Capable person |
| Bestia/Vestía | Animal/He,she,you dressed |
| Cesto/Sexto | Basket/Sixth |
| Compresión/Comprensión | Compression/Understanding |
| Corruto/Corrupto | Musical instrument/Corrupt |
| Índico/Indico | Indian/I indicate |
| Legión/Región | Legion/Region |
| Papa/Papá | Potato/Dad |
| Óptico/Ótico | Vision/Hearing |
| Poción/Porción | Potion/Portion |
| Respecto/Respeto | About/Respect |
| Revólver/Revolver | Revolver (gun)/To mix |
Homonyms
Homonyms
The words that are pronounced and written in a similar form but have different meanings are called homonyms. These are divided into two groups:
- Homophones: words that have different meanings but are pronounced the same. For example, arrollo (to run over) and arroyo (stream or gutter).
- Homographs: words that mean different things but are written the same way. For example, cara (the face) and cara (expensive)
Here are more examples of homonyms:
Spanish | English |
| Homónimos: | Homonyms |
| Asar/Azar | To grill/Luck |
| Barón/Varón | Baron/Man |
| Bello/Vello | Pretty/Arm, leg hair |
| Aya/Halla | Nanny/He finds |
| Bote/Vote | Small boat/She votes |
| Basto/Vasto | Stop/Vast |
| Cabo/Cavo | Military Grade/I shovel |
| Casar/Cazar | To marry/To hunt |
| Hierba/Hierva | Herb/Boil |
| Hoya/Olla | Sepulcher/Pot (cooking) |
| Masa/Maza | Dough, cornmeal/Pool cue (tip) |
| Sabia/Savia | Wise person/Sap |
| Cara/Cara | Face/Expensive |
| Masa/Masa | Dough/Multitude |
| Quetzal/Quetzal | Native Bird of Guatemala/Currency of Guatemala |
| Peso/Peso | Weight/Currency of Mexico |
| Lengua/Lengua | Tongue/Language |
| Evita/Evita | Evita/She avoids |
| Capital/Capital | Capital/Quantity of Money |
Vos Formation
Vos Formation
The vos form is only used:
- In the second person singular because, in Latin America, the second person plural is ustedes. For example, Voshablás del presidente. (You speak of the president.)
- With people you know very, very well (It is more informal than tú)
- In social situations
a)Formation of vos in the present tense:
- For verbs ending in ar like hablar you change the ending ar for ás
For example:
Spanish | Spanish | English |
Subject | Infinitive: Hablar | To Speak |
Vos | Hablás | You (informal) speak. |
- For verbs ending in er like comer you change the ending er for és
For example:
Spanish | Spanish | English |
Subject | Infinitive: Comer | To Eat |
Vos | Comés | You (informal) eat. |
- For verbs with the ending ir like vivir you change the ending irfor ís
For example:
Spanish | Spanish | English |
Subject | Infinitive: Vivir | To Live |
Vos | Vivís | You (informal) live. |
b)There are three irregular verbs in the present tense:
- Ir
- Ser
- Irse
c)There are eleven irregular verbs in the command form and in the subjunctive:
- acostarse
- contar
- dormirse
- morirse
- pedir
- pensar
- repetir
- sentarse
- sentirse
- servir
- vestirse
2. Related Vocabulary
Spanish | English |
| Hablar | To speak |
| Presente | Hablás |
| Pretérito | Hablaste |
| Pasado imperfecto | Hablabas |
| Futuro | Hablarás |
| Imperativo | habláo no hablés |
| Condicional | Hablarías |
| Progresivo | Estáshablando |
| Presente perfecto | Has hablado |
| Pretérito perfecto | Habíashablado |
| Presente del Subjuntivo | Hablés |
| Presente perfecto del subjuntivo | Hayáshablado |
| El imperfecto del subjuntivo | Hablaras |
| Pluscuamperfecto del subjuntivo | Hubierashablado |
| Comer | To eat |
| Presente | Comes |
| Pretérito | Comiste |
| Pasado imperfecto | Comías |
| Futuro | Comerás |
| Imperativo | Coméo no comás |
| Condicional | Comerías |
| Progresivo | Estáscomiendo |
| Presente perfecto | Has comido |
| Pretérito perfecto | Habíascomido |
| Presente del subjuntivo | Comas |
| Presente perfecto del subjuntivo | Hayáscomido |
| El imperfecto del subjuntivo | Comieras |
| Pluscuamperfecto del subjuntivo | Hubierascomido |
| Vivir | To live |
| Presente | Vivís |
| Pretérito | Viviste |
| Pasado imperfecto | Vivías |
| Futuro | Vivirás |
| Imperativo | vivío no vivás |
| Condicional | Vivirías |
| Progresivo | Estásviviendo |
| Presente perfecto | Has vivido |
| Pretérito perfecto | Habíasvivido |
| Presente del Subjuntivo | Vivás |
| Presente perfecto del subjuntivo | Hayásvivido |
| El imperfecto del subjuntivo | Vivieras |
| Pluscuamperfecto del subjuntivo | hubierasvivido |
| Contigo | With you |
| Con vos | With you (less formal) |
| Para ti | For you |
| Para vos | For you (less formal) |
| Vos me dijiste que tu mamá está enferma | You told me that your mom is sick. |
Proverbs and Refrains
Proverbs and Refrains
Proverbs and sayings are common sentences that express a warning or a moral lesson and are used by tradition. For example:
- Más vale lo viejo conocido que lo nuevo por conocer. (It’s better to have an old acquaintance than a new acquaintance to get to know.)
- No es rico el que tiene mucho dinero, sino el que vivecontento. (He who has money is not rich, but he who lives happily is rich.)
Common Spanish proverbs and refrains are:
Spanish | English |
| A caballo regalado no se le mira el colmillo | Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. |
| A gato viejo, ratón tierno | Old cat, young mouse. |
| Agua que no has de beber, déjala correr | That which you don’t need, leave for others. |
| A la fuerza, ni la comida es buena | The food is no good when it is force-fed. |
| A la ley de cristo cada quien con su pisto | Dutch treat |
| Al mal tiempo, buena cara | Smile in the face of adversity. |
| Al que madruga, Dios lo ayuda | The early bird catches the worm. |
| Candil de la calle, oscuridad de su casa | Angel in the street, devil in the house. |
| A palabras necias, oídos sordos | To foolish words, turn a deaf ear. |
| Amor con amor se paga | You get what you give. |
| Árbol que crece torcido, nunca su rama endereza | Old habits die hard. |
| A todo coche se le llega su sábado | What goes around comes around. |
| Barriga llena, corazón contento | A full stomach means a happy heart. |
| Cada cabeza es un mundo | To each his own. |
| Cada oveja busca su pareja | Birds of a feather flock together. |
| Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente | You snooze, you lose. |
| Caras vemos y corazones no sabemos | You can’t judge a book by its cover. |
| Claro como el agua | Crystal clear |
| Con la vara que midas, serás medido | You get what you give. |
| Cuando dios da, da de junto | When it rains, it pours. |
| Cuando el gato se va, los ratones hacen su fiesta | When the cat’s away, the mice will play. |
| Cuando el río truena, es porque piedras lleva | Every rumor has a little bit of truth. |
| Cuando tu ibas, yo venía | I was fishing when you were still a twinkle in your father’s eye. |
| Del dicho al hecho, hay mucho trecho | Saying and doing are two different things. |
| De tal palo tal astilla | The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. |
| Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres | Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are. |
| Donde come uno, comen dos | There’s always room for one more. |
| Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan | Where there was fire, ashes remain. |
| Donde manda capitán, no manda marinero | There’s only one captain to a ship. |
| Donde cabe uno, caben dos | There’s always room for one more. |
| El comal le dijo a la olla, “qué tiznada estás” | The pot calling the kettle black. |
| El padre predica pero no se convierte | Do as I say, not as I do. |
| El lunes ni las gallinas ponen | On Mondays not even chickens lay eggs. |
| El pez grande se come al chico | The big fish eats the little fish. |
| El que busca encuentra | He who seeks shall find. |
| El que más tiene, más quiere | The more you have, the more you want. |
| El que no arriesga, no gana | Nothing ventured, nothing gained. |
| El que no llora, no mama | The squeaky wheel gets the grease. |
| El que no oye consejos, no llega a viejo | He who doesn’t listen to good advice won’t live to be old. |
| El que siembra vientos, cosecha tempestades | You reap what you sow. |
| El que se va a Sevilla, pierde su silla | Finderskeepers, losers weepers. |
| El tiempo lo dirá | Time will tell. |
| El tiempo perdido hasta los santos lo lloran | Time is money. |
| El tiempo vuela | Time flies. |
| En boca cerrada no entran moscas | Loose lips sink ships. |
| En el peligro se conoce al amigo | A friend in need is a friend in deed. |
| Enfermo que come, no se muere | A sick person that eats doesn’t die. |
| Entre menos bulto, más claridad | Two’s company, three’s a crowd. |
| Errar es de humanos | To err is human. |
| Fruta podrida, contagia a las demás | One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. |
| Gallina que come huevo, ni aunque le quemen el pico | Old habits are hard to break. |
| Hablando del rey de Roma y él que se asoma | Speak of the devil. |
| Hablando se entiende la gente | By talking, people come to understand one another. |
| Hasta no ver no creer | Seeing is believing. |
| Hay más tiempo que vida | There is always enough time. |
| Haz el bien y no mires a quién | Do good and don’t consider to whom or how it will benefit you. |
| Hierba mala, nunca muere | You can’t kill the devil. |
| Hombre casado, ni frito ni asado | Married men, not fried or grilled. |
| Hombre prevenido, vale por dos | To be prepared is half the battle. |
| Hoy por ti, mañana por mí | You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. |
| Justos pagan por pecadores | The innocent often pay for the sins of others. |
| La curiosidad mató al gato | Curiosity killed the cat. |
| La educación no pelea con nadie | The educated do not fight with anyone. |
| La práctica hace al maestro | Practice makes perfect. |
| Las apariencias engañan | Can’t judge a book by its cover. |
| La unión hace la fuerza | Two heads are better than one. |
| Lo barato sale caro | You get what you pay for. |
| Del cielo a la tierra no hay nada oculto | That which is done at night appears in the day. |
| Peor es nada | Anything is better than nothing. |
| Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando | A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
| Más vale prevenir que lamentar | Better safe than sorry. |
| Más vale que sobre y no que falte | Better too much than too little. |
| Más vale solo que mal acompañado | Better to be alone than in bad company. |
| Más vale tarde que nunca | Better late than never. |
| Mientras haya vida, habrá esperanza | When there’s life, there’s hope. |
| Músico pagado no toca bien | Music paid for doesn’t sound good. |
| Nadie da algo sin pedir nada a cambio | There’s no such thing as a free lunch. |
| Nadie nace sabiendo | No one is born knowing. |
| No dejes para mañana, lo que puedas hacer hoy | Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. |
| No hagas a otros lo que no quieres que te hagan | Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. |
| No hay mal que dure cien años | No ill lasts a hundred years and no one can endure it so long. |
| No hay mal que por bien no venga | Every cloud has a silver lining. |
| No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver | No one is more blind than he who doesn’t want to see. |
| Nunca digas: nunca | Never say never. |
| No todo lo que brilla es oro | All that glitters is not gold. |
| Ojo por ojo y diente por diente | An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. |
| Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente | What you don’t know can’t hurt you. |
| Para saber hablar hay que saber escuchar | To know how to speak, you have to know how to listen. |
| Perro que ladra, no muerde | His bark is worse than his bite. |
| Preguntando se llega a Roma | By asking you’ll get to Rome. |
| Querer es poder | Where there’s a will, there’s a way. |
| Todo tiene solución, menos la muerte | Only death has no solution. |
| Zapatero a tus zapatos | Stick with what you know. |
| Los niños y los bolos, dicen la verdad. | Children and crazies (drunks) tell the truth. |
| No puede el buen árbol tener malos frutos | Good trees cannot have bad fruit. |
| Por el fruto se conoce el árbol | By the fruit, one knows the tree. |
| Cada uno sabe dónde le aprieta el zapato | Each person knows his weakness. |
| Acércate a los pobres y te acercarás a Dios | Be near the poor and you’ll be near God. |
| Corazón sin amores, jardín sin flores | A heart without love is like a garden without flowers. |
| Por el canto se conoce al pájaro | By the song, one knows the bird. |
| Por su propio boca muere el pez | To put one’s foot in one’s mouth. |
| Cuando una puerta se cierra, otra se abre | When one door closes, another door opens. |
| Cada uno quiere llevar agua a su molino y dejar seco el del vecino. | Each person who wants to carry water to his kitchen leaves the neighbor dry. |
| Las paredes tienen oídos | The walls have ears. |
| No hay rosas sin espinas | There are no roses without thorns. |
| Quien tiene un buen libro, tiene un buen amigo | He who has a good book has a good friend. |
| Juez limpio de manos, no acepta regalos | A judge with clean hands doesn’t accept gifts. |
| Palabras sin obras, guitarras sin cuerdas | Words without works are like guitars without cords. |
Idioms
Idioms
Idioms are other ways to express an idea following expressions unique to a language and that have no literal translation into another language.
Common Spanish idioms are:
Spanish | English |
| Modismos: | Colloquialisms (idioms) |
| Hacer caso | To ignore |
| Por si acaso | Just in case |
| Llevamos dinero por si acaso tenemos un problema. | We carry money just in case we have a problem. |
| Quiere decir | To mean |
| ¿Qué quiere decir parrandear? | What does to dance in a party mean? |
| Valer la pena | To be worth the trouble |
| Vale la pena viajar a Guatemala. | It is worth the trouble to travel to Guatemala. |
| Echar de menos | To miss a person or the familiar |
| Echo de menos mi alfombra. | I miss my carpet. |
| No cabe duda | There is no doubt |
| No cabe duda que hoy va a llover. | There is no doubt that today it is going to rain. |
| Tocarle a uno | To be one’s turn |
| Me toca a mí lavar los platos. | It’s my turn to wash the dishes. |
| Ponerse de acuerdo | To come to an agreement |
| Nos pondremos de acuerdo y viajaremos a Tikal. | We will come to an agreement and will travel to Tikal. |
| Ni siquiera | Not even |
| No me dijo nada ni siquiera que vendría. | He didn’t tell me anything not even that he would come. |
| En un dos por tres | In a jiffy |
| Terminaremos la tarea en un dos por tres. | We will finish the homework in a jiffy. |
| Tomarle el pelo a uno | To pull one’s leg |
| ¡No me tomes el pelo! El chico no salió de la escuela durante la clase. | Don’t pull my leg! The boy did not leave school during class. |
| Volver en si | To come to |
| Cuando volvió en si, supo que había habido un accidente. | When I came to, I thought there had been an accident. |
| ¡Qué barbaridad! | How awful! |
| Hace mucho calor aquí. ¡Qué barbaridad! | It’s hot here. How awful! |
| Pasar lista | To call roll |
| Cuando la maestra pasó lista, supo que no estabas. | When the teacher called roll, she knew you weren’t there. |
| Quedarse de pie | To remain standing |
| En el banco me quedé de pie porque no había donde sentarse. | In the bank, I remained standing because there wasn’t a place to sit. |
| Hacer caso de | To take notice of |
| Por no hacer caso de ir despacio tuvieron un accidente. | Due to not paying attention to going slowly, they had an accident. |
| A la larga | In the end, in the long run |
| A la larga es mejor invertir en inmuebles. | In the long run it is better to invest in real estate. |
| Al por mayor | Wholesale |
| Si lo compramos al por mayor sale más barato. | If we buy it wholesale, it will be cheaper. |
| Darle a uno ganas de | To make one feel |
| De vez en cuando le dan ganas de bailar salsa. | Sometimes it makes them feel like dancing salsa. |
| Desempeñar un papel | To play a part |
| Desempeña el papel de víctima. | She played the part of the victim. |
| Tener que ver con | To have to do with |
| El libro no tiene nada que ver con el tema. | The book has nothing to do with the theme. |
| A escondidas | On the sly |
| A decir verdad | To tell you the truth |
| A primera vista | At first glance |
| Agarrar con las manos en la masa | To catch someone red-handed |
| Andar con rodeos | To beat around the bush |
| Andar de boca en boca | To be on everyone’s lips, to be generally known |
| Caérsele la baba por | To be wild about, to love someone |
| Correr el rumor | To be rumored |
| Cuando más | When more |
| Dar gato por liebre | To pull the wool over someone’s eyes |
| Dar mala espina | To arouse one’s suspicions |
| De tal palo tal astilla | Like father like son, a chip off the old block |
| El hábito no hace al monje | You can’t judge a book by its cover |
| En menos que canta un gallo | In a flash, in the blink of an eye |
| Haber gato encerrado | There’s something fishy, more than meets the eye |
| Pasarse de la raya | To overstep one’s bounds, to go too far |
| Poner al corriente | To bring up-to-date, to give the low down |
| Poner el grito al cielo | To hit the ceiling |
| Quedarse mudo | To be speechless |
| Ser todo oídos | To be all ears |
| Tragar el anzuelo | To swallow it hook, line and sinker |
| Y por si fuera poco | And if that wasn’t enough, to top it off |
| Ahogarse en un vaso de agua | To make a mountain out of a molehill |
| Estar de moda | To be fashionable |
| Faltar un tornillo | To have a screw loose |
| Hablar hasta por los codos | To speak non-stop |
| A mil por hora | A mile a minute |
| Hablar como loco | To talk too much |
| Hacer acto de presencia | To make an appearance, to show up |
| Hacerse agua a la boca | To make one’s mouth water |
| Las malas lenguas | Gossip |
| Seguir la corriente | To humor someone, to go along with |
| Ser muy ligero de palabra | To be a blabbermouth |
| No entender ni papa | To not understand a thing |
| No poder ver a alguien ni en pintura | Not to be able to stand someone |
| Para chuparse los dedos | Finger-lickin’ good |
| Poner en ridículo | To make a fool out of someone |
| Tener algo en la punta de la lengua | To be on the tip of one’s tongue |
| Tener fama de | To have a reputation for |
Guatemaltequisms
Guatemaltequisms
Guatemaltequisms or colloquialisms are expressions that are commonly used in Guatemala and not all Latin American countries.
Some popular Guatemaltequisms are:
Spanish | English |
| Guatemaltequismos: | Guatemaltequisms: |
| Aguacate | Person of weak character or body |
| Aguas | Gaseous drinks |
| ¡Aguas! | Indicates danger |
| Aguado | Without energy |
| Al chilazo | Quickly, instantly |
| Amishado | Timid, shy |
| A pata | To stand up |
| Ayote | Head (of a person) |
| Bien pilas | Intelligent person |
| Bola | News or lie |
| Bolo (a) | Drunk |
| Buzo (a) | Smart |
| Bronca | Fight |
| Bote | Jail |
| Boquitas | Sandwich served with a drink |
| Babosada | Stupidity, silliness |
| Babosear | To lie to someone |
| Cachete | Cheek |
| Caite | Indigenous sandal |
| Cañonazo | Sensational news |
| Canche | A blond |
| Cantinear | To be in love |
| Capearse | To ditch classes |
| Catizumbal | Too much |
| Catrín | Elegant |
| Caquero | Presumed |
| Colgarse | To be in love with someone |
| Colado | Party crasher |
| Chafarote | Military person |
| Chamarra | Blanket |
| Chamba | Work |
| Chambonada | Poorly done work |
| Chancle | Elegant |
| Chancletas | Old shoes |
| Chapuzón | A quick dip in the lake or pool |
| Chaye | Piece of glass |
| Chévere | Something very nice or beautiful |
| Chilero | Very beautiful |
| China | Babysitter |
| Chivearse | To have shame |
| Chonte | Police |
| Chorrillo | Diarrhea |
| Dar batería | To give work or problems |
| Dar bola | To give a good result |
| Dar lata | To bother, to anger |
| De grolis | For free |
| De plano | Of course |
| Echar guante | To rob |
| Echar penca | To hit |
| Es otro rollo | It’s something else |
| Faroles | Eyes |
| Filo | Hunger, hungry |
| Flashazo | A good idea |
| Fondearse | To remain sleeping |
| Frías | Beer |
| Fulano | Whatshisname, whatshisface |
| Farolazo | To do a favor |
| Gacho | Bad, poorly done or made |
| Gafo | Without money |
| Gamonal | Generous |
| Goma | Hangover |
| Guineo | Banana |
| Güirigüiri | To chat |
| Huevón | Lazy |
| Hueva | Lazy person |
| Hacer trompas | To be angry |
| Hacer leña | To break something |
| Ir hecho pistola | To go fast |
| Jabonear | To scold |
| Jeta | Mouth |
| Joder | To bother with disagreeable jokes |
| Lata | Bad |
| Leche | Luck |
| Lechudo | A person who has luck, a lucky person |
| Len | Cent |
| Lica | Movie |
| Ligero | Quickly |
| Maceta | Head |
| Mara | Gang |
| Mariachi | Husband |
| Miarbolito | To pee |
| Mish | Cat, shy person |
| Muchá | You (plural) |
| Nanachos | Twins |
| Nequis | A negation |
| Ni rosca | Nothing |
| Ñañaras | Anguish |
| ¡Órale! | See you soon |
| Oreja | Spy |
| Pacha | Baby bottle |
| Palo | Tree, wood |
| Parranda | Party |
| Pedir manita | To ask for help |
| Pelar | To speak poorly of someone |
| Pepenar | To collect |
| Pichinga | Drunk |
| Pisto | Money |
| Pollón | Good health |
| Quemar la canilla | To be unfaithful |
| ¿Qué Honda? | How are you? What’s up? |
| Rapadura | Unpurified sugar |
| Rascado | Easily angered person |
| Ratear | To rob |
| Ratero | Robber |
| Remachar | To study a lot |
| Romplón | Suddenly |
| Seco | Thin |
| ¡Shó! | Shut up |
| Shute | To tell someone to join the conversation |
| Somatar | To hit hard |
| Suéter | Mother-in-law |
| Sholco | Without teeth, toothless |
| Tacuche | Elegant suit |
| Tecolote | Owl |
| Tencha | Jail |
| Tener cuello | To have influence |
| Timba | Belly |
| Traido | Boyfriend, lover |
| Vejiga | Globe |
| ¿Y diai? | What happened? |
| Zacate | Grass |
| Zangolotear | To shake violently |
| Zafarse | To be freed |
| Zumbar | To run quickly |