Wednesday, May 23, 2012

A bit of Chilean slang

If you are a person who is capable of communicating in Spanish and dealing with the language in a large spectrum, there may be some things you have to know before you arrive in Chile. Our country is well-known because of its great amount of slang and idiomatic expressions typically used amongst our people.

Here you have a list of the most common phrases and words used in Chilean Spanish with its explanation.

A calzón quitado: To speak openly about any matter.
Sacar la vuelta: To procrastinate and avoid work.
¿A dónde la viste?: This sentence suggests that the person who says it does not believe in something.
Agachar el moño: Action of resignation when you are scolded by a superior in rank or somebody who deserves respect.
Cabro: A way of calling a young man. There is also the feminine version cabra.
Carrete: Party.
Al seco: To drink a beverage without stopping.
Paco: A form to refer contemptuously to the Chilean police.
Al tiro: Immediately.
Caleta: A lot of.
Andar con caña: To have hangover.
Paleteá: A favor.
Baba: Saliva.
Luca: One thousand Chilean pesos (around US$2).
Bacán: Cool.
Rajarse: It means that somebody pays the entire bill.
Leseras: Silly things.
Balza o barsa: A person who exceeds with his actions the confidence given by somebody else.
Basilar: To dance or party.
Cabreado: To be tired or annoyed for some reason.
Bici: Bike.
Pailón: A stupid man.
Caerse al frasco/litro: To drink alcohol excessively until intoxication.
Bolsear: Action when a person is in a party or wherever and everybody buys something and him or her only consumes. Also, asking for things or food without any consideration.
Brígido: Terrible.
Lata: Boredom.
Rayar la cancha: To clarify the rules.
Empinar el codo: To drink alcohol.
Cabeza de ajo: A person with gray hair.
Lorear: To look or observe.
Cabeza de músculo: It is said in relation to a man obsessed with his physique and spends hours in the gym.
Pega: Work.
Ganarse: to place oneself in a certain area.
Manyar: To eat.
Cahuín: A malicious comment.

There is numberless amount of slang expressions in the Chilean Spanish but we wanted to provide some of the most common ones in order to enable you with sentences or words of our street Spanish. It does not matter if you have a high, intermediate or beginner level in Spanish or  if you have not planned to come to Chile yet ; we do hope this list of slang helps you.



 By Anibal Mansilla

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