Ecuadorian slang Flashcards
Aniñado
Literally, this Spanish word means something akin to “infantile,” “childish” or “spoiled.” This meaning is not totally lost in the slang, as it refers to a wealthy person, usually one from a fancier neighborhood in Quito or Guayaquil. You’ll often hear people exclaim, “¡Qué aniñado!” about stuck-up people or discuss the ulterior motives of los aniñados in politics and social issues.
Quitop/Quitoffff
Add a p or an elongated ffff sound to the end of a word which ends in a vowel, and you’ll sound super Quiteño. It’s a defining characteristic of the accent particular to Quito. For this reason, many people will humorously refer to Quito as Quitop or Quitoffff.
Chiva
You haven’t truly partied in Ecuador until you’ve ridden on a chiva, or party bus. You all pile on, hold onto the poles and handles for dear life and try to dance salsa while the driver guns it around city streets. Everyone drinks from little plastic cups tied around their necks with string. The bus will even make special stops so you can hop off the bus and dance to Top 40 music at historical sites.
Serrano
This means “mountain person” or “highlander,” and is used to refer to anyone living in the mountainous regions of Ecuador. It’s proper Spanish, not quite slang, but it’s important to know for any casual conversation.
Sorroche
Altitude sickness. When you catch a bus from the coastal region at 100 MSNM (metros sobre el nivel del mar — meters above sea level) and zoom up to 2,500 MSNM in one 3-hour drive, this is what you might be feeling. Be sure to sip water constantly as you climb in altitude and bring along (my personal favorite sorroche remedy) ginger chews.
¡Chendo!
Just kidding!
Liguista
A soccer fan who roots for Liga Deportista Universitaria de Quito (or, more simply, Liga de Quito or La Liga). They’re now in the professional league, no longer college league.
La Casa Blanca
The stadium where La Liga plays. Since their team color is white, naturally their stadium is known as the White House.
Muerte Blanca
Yes, the soccer stadium erupts in chaos, fireworks, loud music, audience chants, vuvuzelas and beer cups flying through the sky. But where does it all begin? The Muerte Blanca, the no-holds-barred section of the stadium where only the most rabid fans are seated.
Lámpara
Sketchy. If you know how sketchy parts of Guayaquil can be, then you’ll know exactly how handy this word is. It’s used all over Guayaquil nearly constantly, but outside the city don’t be surprised if other people haven’t heard it before. You can say lamparota if something is super sketchy, and you can even use it as an exclamation: ¡Qué lámpara!
Mono
Literally means “monkey,” but the slang refers to coastal Ecuadorians. This is sometimes used lovingly, for example, when a coastal girl is called by the nickname la mona or la monita. Other times it’s used not-so-lovingly by people from other regions. Just pay attention to the context!
Coco
This favorite coastal fruit (coconut) is also coastal slang for “virgin.”
Caleta
Perhaps my favorite coastal slang word, this one literally means “cove,” but actually refers to a house or home. Imagine a lovely rocky outcropping, waves gently breaking and lapping onto the shore—doesn’t that sound like a lovely way to describe your home?
Barcelonista
Fan of the Barcelona soccer team in Guayaquil. The other major team in Guayaquil is Emelec.
Hornoquil
Fusion of the word horno (oven) and Guayaquil, which is used to curse the at times unbearable heat of this city. Yes, when walking around Guayaquil you might feel like you’re trapped inside an oven, being baked.
Guayaco(a)
Of Guayaquil. This isn’t necessarily slang because it can be used more formally, as in, la comida guayaca (Guayaquil food). However, it’s more casual to call your friend la guayaca (the girl from Guayaquil) than it is to call her la guayaquileña, even though they both mean the same thing.
Amiguero(a)
If you’re amiguero, then you’re extra friendly and amiable. This slang adjective is used to describe someone who makes friends quickly and easily.
Tímbrame
After you’ve first exchanged numbers, or when you’re making plans to hook up with someone later, you’ll often hear them say, “¡Timbrame!” or “Ring me!” It doesn’t just mean “call me” all the time. Rather, because it costs saldo (phone credit) to place calls, your friend is suggesting that you just set off their ringtone to give them your phone number or let them know you’re ready to meet up.
Pana
Buddy. This one belongs more in Guayaquil, but it’s used around the country.
El/la man
Ugh, this one is confusing when learning Spanish, mostly because it’s hard to distinguish if the speaker’s talking about a girl or a guy. Man is pronounced “mahn,” with a Spanish accent. El man means something like “the guy” and la man is the female version, best translated as “the chick” or something similar. You can use it to sound chill when referring to any friend, acquaintance or complete stranger.
Amiguis
A cutesier way than amigos to say “friends,” best reserved for girlfriends.
Porfis
A super cutesy version of por favor used to say “please” in the most adorable way possible. Try making sad puppy eyes when you say this.
Mi llave
Literally means, “my key,” and makes no sense in English or Spanish. It’s just a nonsense phrase used to refer to friends humorously and make your sentence sound silly.
¡De ley!
¡De una!
Absolutely! (to sound enthusiastic)
¡Pilas!
Simón
Look sharp!
Yeah, man!
Verás
This is used in a variety of contexts to mean, “You’ll see,” “Watch out,” or “I’m going to say ‘I told you so.’” When making plans to hang out, you can humorously warn your friend not to break the plans by saying “Quedamos para el jueves. ¡Verás!” (We’re on for Thursday. Or else!). You could also use this to warn someone to exercise caution or be wary of the outcome of their actions.
Ya saaabe
A super chill way to say, “You already know, man!” or “You know it!” The longer you stretch out that aaaa, the chiller you are.
¿Mande?
Come again? This one has a negative historical context rooted in the times of Spanish conquerors, as it was the proper way for a subject to address their ruler. Mande is the polite “you” form of mandar (to command). Basically, you’re politely asking, “What do you want me to do?” or “What do you command me to do?” It’s considered to be polite, so you may use this as you please in Ecuador with whoever you’re addressing.
¡Chuta!
Shoot! If you’re feeling especially frustrated, try elongating the u and saying chuuuuuta or chuuuu. It’s pretty satisfying, right?
azo
Alright, this one isn’t a word so much as a suffix. Adding it to the end of a word expresses that the thing in question is large. Some examples of its usage are buenazo (awesome) instead of bueno, or ricazo (delicious) instead of rico.
¡Qué huevada!
What a load of crap!
¿La plena?
Really? Seriously?
Huevón
Jerk, a**hole. Commonly used between male buddies when joking around.
¡Mentira!
Sure, this word is a proper Spanish word, but it’s used frequently in conversational Ecuadorian Spanish to express disbelief or astonishment. If you’re super incredulous about something your buddy just said, shout “¡Mentira!” in a high-pitched tone of voice.
Bacán
Chévere
Cool
Cool. This is more common than bacán in Ecuador.
¡Qué asco!
Gross! This can be used humorously during a gross-out story, vulgar joke or gritty story from someone’s last night out. You can also just say “¡Asco!”
