Ecuadorian Slang_short version Flashcards
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
¡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.
¡Carajo!
Darn, damn
Fresco
Fresh, smooth. For example, if someone asks you how your trip to the coast went, you can tell them how chill, relaxed and uncomplicated it was by saying, “Todo fresco, man.”
Caramba
An exclamation used to express surprise, anger and excitement. It’s often said directly to a misbehaving child or dog and comes off sounding more like, “You rascal!”
¿¡¿¡Quién dice?!?!
Who says?!?! Say this mischievous phrase when someone tells you that you shouldn’t do something, or that something you want to do is a bad idea. You can’t swim right after eating? You can’t go to that concert on the dangerous side of the city? Who says?!?! This became popular thanks to the Ecuadorian comedy group EnchufeTV—you can watch one video in the famous series here. You’ll also hear a TON of Ecuadorian slang in this video.
Loquillo
Crazy person
¿Qué cosa?
What was that? Say this when you didn’t quite understand someone and want them to repeat or clarify something.
¿Qué fue?
What’s up?
¿Qué más?
What else is up? You can use this after you’ve already asked “¿Qué fue?” and want to encourage your conversation partner to keep chatting about their life.
Pelucón
Wealthy person
La yoni
The United States
Zancudo
Mosquito
English Loan Words in Ecuadorian Spanish:Full CoolFreshRelax Super Happy Broder Chance
English Loan Words in Ecuadorian SpanishEnglish has made it all over the world, so it’s no real surprise that it’s made it to Ecuador. As always, the youth adopt what’s “cool” in modern culture. Here are some of the English loan words that you can expect to hear in Ecuador.Full — Full, total, complete, crowded. Full is pronounced with a Spanish accent (“fool”) and precedes nouns as an adjective. For example, ¡Full fiesta! (Total party!)Cool — Same as English!Fresh — Fresh (as in fresh air) or chill, relaxedRelax — This is spoken with an elongated rolled rr sound, and is spoken as a one-word motto. Like, hey man: rrrrrrrelax.Super — Can be used to replace muy or demasiado. Happy — How you feel after a night of partying, tipsy.Broder — Brother. This is used like “bro.” It’s pronounced with a strong rr roll and an extra long oooo, like “broooooder.”Chance — When you’re out of options you can say, “No hay chance,” (There’s no way) or you could say “¡Dame otra chance!” (Give me another chance!) when playing a video game and failing. It’s pronounced more like “chans” or perhaps the name “Chauncey.”
Finde
The shortened slang version of fin de semana (weekend).
Chumar
To drink
Chumado(a)
Drunk
Chupado
Drunk
Biela
Beer
Trago
Drink, shot
La farra
Party
Cueeeeeenta
“Tell me!” or “Spill!” Say this when you want your friend to spill her juiciest gossip over a beer.
Chuchaqui
Hungover/hangover. What you’ll be feeling after you sample all those drinks. This word also belongs to the next section as it’s derived from Kichwa.
Taita or tayta
Dad, father
Dar papaya
To give papaya. This idiom refers to the act of creating opportunities for someone to easily rob you. Examples might include a one-armed selfie while in the busy city center, leaving your bag or purse unzipped, or having your iPhone jutting out from your pants pocket.
