SPEAKING BORICUA
A Practical Guide to Puerto Rican Spanish
By Jared Romey
Published by Jared Romey
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2005 Jared Romey
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For Mike and Polli...
friends, teachers and, above all, patient parents
Para Mike y Polli...
amigos, maestros y, sobre todo, padres pacientes
TABLE OF CONTENT
English
Version
Introduction
Versión en
Español
Introducción
Lexicon: Puerto Rican and Slang Words
About the Author / Sobre el Autor
Other Books From Speaking Latino
INTRODUCTION
When I first moved to
Puerto Rico, I already spoke Spanish fluently, had traveled and lived
in Latin America extensively, and was quite sure that my move to
Puerto Rico would be an easy transition. What a fool I was! It took
me over month to figure out what a mahón is, and much,
much longer to understand mé-ká-wé-ná (I know, this
one’s tricky...try saying it out loud). It’s now more than two
years later, and I’m still picking up new words every day.
The idea started one day
when I thought it would be fun to keep a list of words (don’t
worry, you aren’t the only person that thinks I have a warped sense
of fun) that were new to me. I began listening to lunch
conversations, reading the newspaper, or just following the
conversations of friends at late-night gatherings, to add to The
List. More often than not new words (to me) popped up in
conversations. Just as often, my “victims” had no idea that they
were being studied. This allowed me to observe the language in its
raw, unedited daily usage.
I may occasionally refer
to “the Puerto Rican language.” This is a non-technical phrase I
use in reference to the uniqueness that has developed within the
Spanish language in Puerto Rico. I chose the title Speaking
Boricua! because this uniqueness almost merits its own name.
Thus, the naming of the modern language, Boricuan!
Some of these words and
phrases are not specific only to Puerto Rico. I have compiled this
list largely based on my personal experiences with Spanish,
specifically in Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Puerto Rico.
At the same time, this is
not meant to be a definitive source on Puerto Rican language or
slang. I just want to put together a guide to help visitors to Puerto
Rico, Puerto Ricans who grew up outside of Puerto Rico, and even
native Puerto Ricans.
I have included short
sections on grammar and pronunciation for the occasional person (like
myself) that actually enjoys these things. In my opinion, the nuances
in any language can be better appreciated once the local grammar and
pronunciation are understood.
Languages are creatures
that live and breathe, each with its own character and personality;
they also provide a wonderful understanding of a culture and its
people. But most importantly, they entertain.
I hope this makes you
smile.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The first steps that started this book really began in 1997 when I moved to Chile, even before knowing anything about Puerto Rico. My dear Chilean friends took the time, mixed with lots of patience, to teach me the idiosyncracies of Chilean Spanish. With them I learned to enjoy the language. That heated up in me an interest to understand the language from each country in which I have subsequently lived. For all their patience during my years there, I want to thank Andrea, Claudia B., Claudia N., Jessica, La Guera, Pamela, Rosa Estér, Teresita y Verónica.
I cannot think of Chile without thinking of Evelyn. Thank you...from the bottom of my heart.
Here in Puerto Rico, as I previously mentioned, there are various people that never realized they were contributing to this book. I loved listening to them and taking notes. Their contributions are priceless. I learned a lot from them.
Apart from the clandestine investigations, Arkel, Bertha, Diana, Laura and Ivelisse helped me understand the Boricua vocabulary. And for the foreign point of view I can’t leave out Gabriela and Ute.
I also need to mention my grandmother, Dorothy Main, who, with the games of Scrabble, introduced me to the pleasure that comes from learning a language well and using it correctly.
Finally, the most important thanks belongs to Brenda Latorre, the key person, from the beginning, in the creation of this book. Without her help and (again) patience, I would never have finished it. At the same time, her family also contributed, with an island perspective of Boricuan.
Thank you to everyone!
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
First of all, this book should be used as a basis for enjoying a visit to, living in, or even just, learning about Puerto Rico. In no way should this lexicon be seen as an academic, literary or reference work on the language.
The words (I will use word in a general sense whose meaning also includes phrases so as not to always repeat word/phrase) in this book will be written, whenever possible, similar to their pronunciation (ex. abombao and malcriao, although the correct spellings are abombado and malcriado). Every once in a while, however, it is not possible to list a word as it is pronounced, because the pronunciation is so far off from the actual word (ex. me ká wé ná, correctly written as me cago en nada).
Throughout the lexicon the following abbreviations have been used to facilitate the understanding and uses of words:
Abbreviations & Meanings
alt. sp. = Alternate
Spelling
ex. = Example
exp. = Expression
o/a = Masculine or
Feminine
pl. = Plural
pr. = Pronunciation
sl. = Slang
syn.
= Synonym
Besides the above abbreviations, the following letters are located before a word’s entry and are to help make the lexicon a bit easier to enjoy (NOTE: The letter may apply to only one definition for words with more than one definition). The four letters are:
C
Commonly used words
F
Food related words
B
Words that may not be acceptable in some circumstances, including
expletives, insulting, crude or politically incorrect words.
E
English root words or
words that have a relationship to English.
Example 1:
CB anda pál cará (anda para el carajo): 1. damn, darn; used when you forget something or did something. 2. exp. to communicate surprise or disbelief.
In Example 1 the two letters (CB) clarify the usage of the phrase. Following the letters in bold is the phrase that has been written as pronounced. Then in parentheses is the correct written form of the phrase. In the case of a word that has more than one definition, each definition is marked by its corresponding number, and then followed by the definition.
Example 2:
le dieron hasta por dentro del pelo: literally “they gave it to him even inside his hair”, see le dieron como a pillo de película.
In the text of Example 2, the information within the quotation marks is a direct translation from Spanish. This is included when the exact translation help clarifies the meaning of the text, or offers a touch of humor. Also in this example, in italics, is a reference to another phrase, which provides a synonym of the phrase as well as give a more detailed definition.
Example 3:
CB cafre: (syn. charro) refers to a person that speaks using many expletives, a person that dresses cheaply (like a prostitute), or a person that speaks in an uneducated form; it is an insult for someone to be called cafre.
For Example 3, the
parentheses (syn. charro) following the word entry in bold
reference another entry in the lexicon that is a synonym for this
word. In the main text of the definition, parentheses are used to
give more detail for a definition or an example to help clarify the
definition.
GRAMMAR & USAGE
As in most countries, several unique grammar adaptations have appeared over the years in Puerto Rico. While sometimes these usages are grammatically incorrect, they are so widespread that they are accepted as being correct. Below are examples:
1. The most common “mistake” in Puerto Rican Spanish is to mix English with Spanish in the same sentence, sometimes known as Spanglish.
Ex. Estaba lloviendo so yo compré una sombrilla.
2. For the 2nd person singular, past tense (preterite) the correct conjugation of a verb is -aste or -iste (ex. hablaste, comiste). You will hear people sometimes add an extra letter S to the end of the conjugated verb.
Ex. me llamastes (me llamaste), me dijistes (me dijiste)
3. Again, in the 2nd person singular, past tense (preterite) the verb traer is almost always incorrectly conjugated as traiste. The correct conjugation is trajiste. The same mistake exists for the 1st person pl.; trajimos is the correct conjugation instead of the incorrectly used traimos.
4. Several phrases have been directly translated from English into Spanish.
Ex. Te llamo para atrás. (I’ll call you back), Te veo (See you).
5. The subject is often placed in incorrectly in front of the verb as in phrases like ¿Quién tú eres? and ¿Cómo tú estás? The correct form is ¿Quién eres tú? or ¿Cómo estás tú?
6. The phrase no me di de cuenta is used incorrectly, instead of the correct phrase no me di cuenta de. The preposition de must be after the substantive cuenta.
7. The phrase más ninguno is often incorrectly used to signify nothing else or nothing more. The correct Spanish phrase is ningún otro. Similarly, más nada is correctly expressed as nada más.
8. The verb haber in the past tense is sometimes mistakenly conjugated in the pl. form as habían instead of the correct form había.
Ex. Habían
tres personas esperando la guagua esta mañana.
(Había
tres personas esperando la guagua esta mañana.)
9. The phrase el más que sabe is used incorrectly, instead of the correct phrase el que más sabe.
10. *The diminutive suffix ITO is sometimes added to words to express small size. It is also used as an expression of esteem or caring for someone.
Ex. Amiguito, ven a verme esta tarde para tomar un café.
11. The phrase más que uno is often incorrectly used to mean only one instead of the correct form solamente uno.
Ex. Ayer fui a comprar dos maletas nuevas, pero solamente queda más que uno, así que no compré nada.
(Ayer fui a comprar dos maletas nuevas, pero solamente queda una, así que no compré nada.)
*Note: While this is
grammatically correct, it has been included to clarify its usages.
PRONUNCIATION
Puerto Rico, as in any other country in the world, has its own unique pronunciation for certain words, phrases and sounds. If you have only ever heard Spanish in a formal class setting or even if you are accustomed to an accent from a different country, it may take some time to understand the Puerto Rican accent when you first arrive on the island. Here are some guidelines to help that transition (words and phrases in parentheses are the correct spellings/pronunciations):
1. Words that end in the letters ADO will be pronounced without the letter D.
Ex. amogollao (amogollado), afrentao (afrentado), eñemao (eñemado).
2. Words that end in a consonant and a vowel (ex. para, carajo, etc.) will be pronounced without the consonant.
Ex. anda pá al cará (anda para el carajo), mira pá yá (mira para allá), me cá ‘e ná (me cago en nada o me caso en nada).
3. Words with the letter R followed by a consonant will be pronounced as if the letter R were the letter L.
Ex. Louldes (Lourdes), almas (armas).
4. Words with the letter S followed by a consonant will be pronounced as if the letter S were the letter H.
Ex. ehnú (esnú), ehtartear (estartear).
5. Outside of San Juan, many people pronounce the double letter RR sound as if it were a J in Spanish and an H in English.
Ex. cajo (carro).
6. For transition words such as De or En, the consonant is sometimes dropped.
Ex. me cá ‘e ná (me cago en nada), pote ‘e leche (pote de leche).
7. The letter P when followed by a consonant may be replaced with the letter C.
Ex. concecto (concepto), Pecsi (Pepsi)
8. The letter S is often dropped and replaced with an English letter H sound.
Ex. loh muertoh (los muertos), pehcadoreh (pescadores)
9. The letter R at the end of a word is often pronounced as an English R. The sound comes out as a “hard”sounding letter with more emphasis than normal placed on the R.