Six common words and phrases from Granada that you won't find in the dictionary
Spain is famous for its creative use of vocabulary colloquialisms. Where else would someone tell you: "vete a freír espárragos” (go fry some asparagus) when they want you to bug off, or tell you that they’re going to “planchar la oreja” (iron the ear) when they want to go to bed?
There are fun words like sobremesa (time spent chatting after a meal), empalmar (go clubbing at night and directly to work in the morning with no sleep) or botellón (drinking in the street with friends) that don’t have direct English translations but have important cultural significance.
Granada stands apart in its linguistic variation. The accent is different from much of Spain; people speak quickly and often drop consonants in the middle of words or final /s/ in plural forms. Granadinos use slang, colloquialisms, and vocabulary that aren’t spoken elsewhere in Spain (or anywhere!).
If you want to speak and sound like a real “granaíno”, try out a few of these words or phrases:
1. Bocaná: (from "bocanada", literally: baby spit). It means a silly or inappropriate comment. Example: "¿Qué dices, compae? Eso es una bocaná." Translation: What do you mean? That's nonsense!
2. Bulla: In the rest of Spain: lots of noise or many people. In Granada: Hurry. Example: "¿Te vas? ¿Por qué tienes tanta bulla?" Translation: Leaving already? Why are you in such a hurry?
3. Encartar: To be convenient, or to come up with something unplanned. Example: "- ¿Vas a salir esta noche? - No sé, si encarta, sí." Translation: - Are you going out tonight? - I don't know, I'd be up for something (I'm open to it, but don’t have concrete plans or will necessarily go plan something).
4. Mandado (mandaillo, mandao): Errand. Example: "Voy a hacer un mandaillo. " Translation: I have to run an errand.
5. Collejo: cute, pretty. In the rest of Spain, they say "mono". In Granada, "collejo". Example: "- Mira el bolso que me he comprado. ¿A que es muy collejo?" Translation: Check out the bag I bought. Isn't it cute?
6. The famous triple negation for positive statements: No ni ná (no ni nada). OF COURSE. Example: - "Hoy no hace mucho frío." - ¡No ni ná! ¡Yo estoy congelao!"Translation: Today it's not that cold. - Of course it is. I'm freezing.
Did you know any of those words / expressions? What are your favorite local expressions in English or that you have learned in Spanish? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
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