Feature photo by ricardo.martins. Photo above by Patrick_coe.
Chile isn’t well known as a destination for language learning, which makes studying there all the more rewarding. All it takes is patience and the ability to laugh at yourself… a lot.
Wilderness
Chile is home to some of the longest stretches of pristine wilderness anywhere in the world. From the Atacama desert to the rivers of Patagonia, the massive glaciers of Tierra del Fuego to the long Pacific coastline, Chile is full of natural wonders that make for world-class outdoor adventuring.
Photo: magical-world (Flickr creative commons)
Amazing people
In your attempts to master Spanish, you will meet many friendly Chileans who will encourage you and help you learn the best (and worst) words in Chilean Spanish.
Even better, once you finish your stint in Chile, you can head to any other Spanish-speaking country with surprising results—they’ll be easy to understand!
Photo by P_R_.
You’ll learn a lot of swear words right away.
Chileans pepper their speech with colorful phrases and plenty of swear words. Anyone under the age of 35 adds huevon or huevona to the end of almost every sentence. Huevon is the Chilean equivalent of dude, but literally derives from huevos, the word for testicles.
Slang.
Chileans use a shortened form of the word pues– “po”– to add emphasis to certain words. The most common are: si po,obviopo, and no po.
Destinations
Much like po, cachai and other forms of “cachar” (to get or to understand) find their way into most conversations with Chileans.
It is the English version of “You know?”
If a Chilean is explaining something to you, you will eventually hear “Cachai?”
Often, a rhetorical “You know what I mean?” and a nod of the head (if you do know what the person means) is enough to keep the conversation going.
When you adopt po and cachai into your vocabulary, you are officially on your way to speaking Chilean Spanish.
You’ll learn to mumble like the locals.
Chileans are notorious for speaking fast. Chilean Spanish is also marked by a lack of clarity of speech. The “s” is hardly ever pronounced; the “d” in nouns and adjectives (like estado and complicado) are skipped, making the endings sound like “ao” instead of “ado.”
Plus, the entire tu form is pronounced differently than you learned in high school Spanish class. Como estas? becomes Como estai? and Que quieres? (What do you want?) becomes Que queri?
You’ll learn Mapuche words.
The Mapuche were indigenous people living in Chile before the Spanish arrived. As the two cultures mixed, the Spanish adopted many Mapuchan words: cahuín (gossip or party), guata (belly), and malón (potluck).
These are words won’t be taught in a university Spanish class—it’s only when you come to Chile that you are exposed to them.
You’ll learn about your own culture and language through Chilean Spanish.
Learning Chilean Spanish (and trying to translate English into Spanish in your head) will help you gain a new perspective on your own culture and language. Chilean Spanish has made me realize just how many American English phrases make absolutely no sense.
Try translating and explaining “Junk in your trunk” or “You’re the bomb.” Even phrases like “No way!” or “Sweet!” do not have direct translations. Certainly, there are similar phrases in Spanish…it’s just a matter of discovering them.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION:
Planning to learn some Spanish? Check out the Top 10 Spanish Schools for Waves, Wilderness and Buena Onda!
Or, check in with some Matador members who are currently tackling the language: read How’s My Spanish? by member jgbrandt, or “Perdon, habla poquito castellano” by member laurenkearns.
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Hey Cathy– Thanks for the insight into Chilean slang–in Mexico they say "huevon" and "huevona", too, but here it means "lazy." Literally, you could translate it as "lazy egg." There's also the classic "Que huevos!" which translates as the English classic, "What balls!" You've gotta pay attention to the intonation, though, because it could be "Que huevos!" as in, what a jerk, or "Que huevos!" as in damn, how impressive. I love Spanish. By the way, do they say "coger" down there as in "vamos a coger el bus?" They say it in Ecuador, but in Argentina and Mexico it means…ahem…something else. Might be something good for travelers to know…in Argentina I asked if I could do something really naughty with the bus…
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The problem with all these Chileanisms, which this writer loves, is that outside Chile no-one understands them! I learnt most of these expressions during the year I lived in Santiago and the 3 months I spent backpacking there and have no use for them now, unless I happen to meet Chileans! However, learning the language there really does give you a great ear for the language as you have to pay such close attention to what everyone is saying so I that way it’s good. Also, it's fun to learn about regional variations. Chileans are also very friendly people – unless you are Argentinian, Bolivian or Peruvian! Can’t argue with what he says about the wilderness and beauty of the country though – 4,000 miles of mountains and coastline – it’s a stunningly beautiful place.
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One of the things I love about traveling in Spanish speaking countries is learning local slang. High school Spanish class only carries you so far. I loved hearing words I didn't know (though I speak Spanish fluently) in Chile.
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I was wondering how Chileans feel about the arts. My dance company was thinking of going to tour in Chile but I am unsure about performance venues. Do you have any suggestions for a struggling dance company to perform? Also, we will probably need experienced, detailed, slightly querky dancers with a good sense of humor when we get there. Do you think we will have a problem finding someone that meets this description?
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Thanks Fredda!
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You know, I haven't heard of them saying coger, though, they could be and I'm just not fluent enough to catch it yet. hilarious story about asking a very inappropriate question in Argentina. Once, I accidentally asked for a quiche with an Italian shoe instead of zucchini (zapato italiano vs. zapallo italiano).
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Yes, many Argentinians I've met have told me they have trouble understanding Chileans. Luckily (or unluckily) for me, I haven't been able to fully pick up all the Chileanismos and still speak very clearly, which has made it really easy for me to speak Spanish in other countries. In fact, I understand them so well that I'm really surprised at how much I've learned.
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During January they have this massive theater and dance festival called Santiago a Mil. There were modern dance companies galore, plays, comedy improv shows, variety, etc. Santiago is a great place to start. I think there's a pretty strong dance scene here. I don't think you'll have any problems finding quirky dancers.
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Love the post. I am 100% in agreement with you because I was in Chile for the whole summer(winter)this year and I love every minute of it. Even though I was knew about all the slangs before because I have their station, it took me a few weeks to get use to it. They are very nice and laid back and their slang is so cool, it fascinates me. It is interesting that each generation has their own slang. I know I will be back there, but don’t know when. And after returning, my spanish has improve to 100% because of my time there. (I was a Spanish major)
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