"Essential" Colombian expressions to help you through the day

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here. Also see the accompanying video, available below, after the text.]

After almost ten years based in Bogotá, one might have thought that I'd be fluent in Spanish by now.

The fact is, I speak the dominant language here mostly in social settings, where conversations seldom turn into deep intellectual affairs. When I've had to use Spanish professionally, it's mostly been in a reading and writing capacity, thus I feel more comfortable using the language in those domains.

'Pa' las que sea', minus the more vulgar part you'll often hear Colombians say.

Nonetheless, and with that social, working-class element very much in mind, I've adopted a few Colombian expressions to help one through the day. Although some of them may get one into a spot of bother if used incorrectly or in the wrong context.

They are sayings that are quite removed from the polite Bogotá world of 'su merced' ('your mercy') when addressing people. Also, the likes of 'dar papaya', literally 'to give papaya fruit' and used when one exposes or has exposed oneself to a robbery or such like, I've explained umpteen times before.

Do note, years ago I published a piece on useful-to-know Colombian gestures, which you can check out here: https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2013/04/more-than-words-colombias-useful-to.html. It's a handy accompaniment to this, the gestures doubling up as words as well, of course!

Ahí vamos

Perhaps my favourite of them all for the very simple fact that it has an Irish feel to it and sums up my life — and that of most people, I wager — adequately. Basically, it's similar to our use of 'grand' i.e. things aren't fantastic, but neither are they too terrible. The exact translation is 'there we go'.

'¿Cómo ha ido, Corrigan?'
'Ahí vamos.'
'No further questions, your honour.' (Except, in these parts, you generally get asked a salutatory question in a different form a multitude of times before the conversation moves on — if it moves on at all, that is.)

In the early days, I used to think it was 'hay vamos', with the Spanish pronunciation of 'hay' somewhat similar to 'ahí', especially when said rapidly. That makes no real sense, though, with 'hay' meaning 'there is/are' and 'vamos' as 'we go' or 'let's go'. It wasn't all down to my mishearing, however. Some locals do actually believe the expression is 'hay vamos'.

Marica

OK, this is far from exclusively Colombian and I did cover it in the gestures' article referenced above. It means gay/homosexual and can be used either jovially or, should the mood dictate, aggressively. Similar, it could be said, to how some British and Irish people use, to say it Cockney-accented so as to appear less offensive to some here, 'kaaaaant'.

The reason I've included it is because, in my beloved Barrio Santandercito, some people have a tendency to say 'gringo marica' when I tell a joke or make a snide remark.

This annoys me somewhat. As some of you will already know, I dislike being referred to as a gringo. Irlandés marica is fine. Gringo marica, no.

'Colombians appear to love gonorrhoea — not the actual sexually transmitted infection, blasting out the word that is.'

(Me) chupalante

This rather generic saying makes the list for the simple fact that it generated a great laugh when I was encouraged to say it in my local tienda.

'I suck' is the literal translation, as simple as that. Now is that a case of one sucking at something figuratively or actually sucking something? I guess it depends.

Pa' las que sea, gonorrea

How I understand this retort is, more or less, 'whatever (it is), gonorrhoea.' Colombians appear to love gonorrhoea — not the actual sexually transmitted infection, blasting out the word that is.

This particular saying is used in verbal defiance of somebody or something, as in, 'Bring it on, I'm more than ready.'

Péguelo, ñero

'Hit/stick it, knacker.' In my part of Ireland, knacker is probably the closest word to ñero, or ñera when referring to a female. "Officially", skanger is more accurate while in the UK it would be chav.

The expression is employed similarly to previously mentioned pa' las que sea, they seem to balance each other out.

Pirobo

When I asked my Colombian friends who use this what it means exactly, they couldn't really tell me, only to explain how it's used.

A Google search informs me that in Colombia it's another term for marica, but generally used pejoratively. From my observations, though, it's uttered similarly as well, i.e. mostly in a non-offensive manner.

Worthy mentions

Caremondá, careverga and hijueputa — the one-word version of hijo de puta, son of a bitch — are also common but certainly not unique to the Colombian capital.

Some Bogotanos, perhaps in a bid to get in touch with their costeño (people from the coast) side, use caremondá and careverga — both of which are similar to dickhead — almost in a mischievous manner. They're not "their" words, they're more the preserve of those less-refined coastal folk, so they feel like they're crossing a boundary saying them. Something like that.

Péguelo, ñero, indeed.
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