Differences in terminology between Mexico and Spain

Hello, there! How long it has been! Well, perhaps it hasn't been that long, but it seems like an age to me, accustomed as I am to writing to you all so frequently. Anyway, I'm back to tell you all some things which I've been meaning to for a while.

I've been looking forward to writing this post, as I really wanted to tell you all just how many different words we use to refer to the same things in Spain and Mexico. You're probably asking yourselves, 'But, don't they speak the same language? ' Well, yes, but it seems there are many more differences than I expected prior to going to Mexico. For starters, in theory in Spain we speak Castilian and in Mexico they speak Spanish. I say 'in theory' because there have been a number of occasions in Mexico where the natives were very surprised that I spoke Spanish fluently, and even more so when I assured them that Spanish is in fact my mother tongue and that I've been speaking it all my life. They were more surprised yet when they found out that my mother speaks Spanish, too... and many other comical situations such as this from my time in Mexico which I hold very dear. I recognise of course that this kind of thing only happened a couple of times, and that these were older people who perhaps were unaware of the details of colonisation. I treat them simply as amusing anecdotes which bring a smile to my face when I remember them.

Below I've written a list of words which are used in Mexico, and their equivalents in mainland Spain. Some need a little explanation, but others are easy enough to understand just with the two variants of the word. But if this is not the case and any of you has any doubts, like the good Spanish-Mexican I am you can ask me and I'll add examples which will help explain it a little better. Oh, I almost forgot! Please let me know if I've left any out, I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me any more words which I may be unaware of - that way we're all learning!

Spanish in Mexico – Castilian in Spain.

• Elote – Maíz. (corn)
• Charola – Cazuela. (saucepan)
• Platillo – El plato ya preparado con la comida. (a plate of food)
• Mandilón – Calzonazos. (wimp)
• Ejotes – Judías verdes. (green beans)
• Laminero - Hace láminas de autos. (Someone who makes laminates for cars. In Spain, this word can also be used to refer to someone who likes eating sweets. In Mexico, this would be goloso, which can be used in Spain as well as laminoso)
• Esquite – Mazorca, panoja. (an ear of corn)
• Luego, luego - Enseguida, al rato. (in a little while)
• Ahorita – Se refiere a tiempo indeterminado. (refers to an unspecified amount of time)
• Una caguama – Una litrona. (one litre)
• Un six – Un pack de seis cervezas de lata. (a pack of six cans of beer)
• Hacer el paro – Hacer un favor. (to do (someone) a favour)
• Dar chance – Dar la oportunidad. (to give (someone) the chance to do something)
• Birotes – Panecillo. (a bread roll)
• Fraccionamiento, coto, privada – Urbanización. (residential area)
• Pasto – Césped. (grass, lawn)
• Caballito – Chupito. (a shot of alcohol)
• Chequearlo – Comprobarlo. (to check it)
• Kiko – Beso. (a kiss)
• Feria – Calderilla, la chatarra. (loose change)
• Varo, Feria, Lana – Pasta. ('dough', an informal way of referring to money)
• Refrigerador – Nevera. (fridge)
• Maíz tostado – Kiko. (toasted maize/corn)
• Alberca – Piscina. (swimming pool)
• Borrador - Goma. (eraser)
• Carriola – Carrito de bebe. (a baby's buggy/pram)
• Espérame tantito – Espérame un poquito. (wait for me for a bit)
• Chupón – Chupete de niños. (a dummy/pacifier. In Spain, 'chupón' means someone who doesn't pass the ball to his or her teammates in a game of basketball or football, for example)
• Botarga (This word refers to a big costume, like the Michelin Man or the kind of team mascots you get in basketball. I don't actually know of a word in Castilian to refer to these as they're not all that common. In Mexico, for example, some pharmacies have their own mascot like this and as you walk past you'll see someone in costume, it's very funny and I really enjoyed seeing it. Below I've put some pictures of the guy from the pharmacy - I can't share the video of his dancing here but from the pictures you can see how much fun it is, and I've also put a picture of Barney so that the word makes a little more sense)









• Cachete - Moflete. (chubby cheeks)
• Camarón – Gamba. (prawn)
• Popotes – Pajita para beber. (Drinking straw. In Colombia, they're called 'pitillos'. In Spain, however, 'pitillos' can mean a cigarette, or trousers with very tight-fitting legs. )
• Agujetas – Cordones de las zapatillas. (shoelaces. In Spain, this word is used to describe the kind of pain you get after the first few sessions of going to the gym. )
• Chamarra – Chaqueta. (jacket)
• Arre – Vamos. (let's go)
• Marcar – Llamar. (to call on the telephone)
• Darte el avión – Pasar de ti, no hacerte caso. (to take no notice of someone)
• La neta – La verdad. (the truth)
• Limón – Lima. (lime)
• Lima – Limón. (lemon)
• Chido – Chulo, guay, molón. (cool)
• Padre - Chulo, guay, molón. (cool)
• Padrísimo - Muy chulo, guay, molón. (very cool)
• Güey – Tío. (dude)
• No mames – No fastidies. (stop messing around)
• Pendejo – Imbécil. (Imbecile. I always thought this word was commonly used in Mexican Spanish, but I quickly realised that this wasn't the case when I noticed the reaction of Mexican people when I used it. It's considered an insult, and is looked upon quite negatively. It can only really be used in a playful context which I never really understood, so I preferred simply not to use the word at all. )
• Está Cabrón – Está muy bien. (it's very good, it's great)
• Camión – Autobús. (bus)
• Carro – Coche. (car)
• Me vale madres – No me importa una mierda. (I don't give a sh*t)
• Verga – Mierda. (sh*t)
• A la chingada – A la mierda. (to hell with it)
• Enchilarse – It's strange that spiciness in food doesn't affect Mexicans as much, but that doesn't mean there isn't some level of spice that even they can't handle, it's only normal, but the surprising thing is that they like it, and 'enchilarse' refers to the sensation you get when food is overly spicy. When Mexicans eat something which is really spicy, they say 'this taco me enchiló', or something along the lines of 'this chili se enchila. ' And if you're not from Mexico they'll say to you 'try this, it's not spicy at all! ' and if, like me, you don't have spice as a regular ingredient in your diet, after trying it your mouth will be on fire.
• Mordida – The bribe given to police to avoid being reported for more serious crimes.
• Ocupar – To need something. I learnt the meaning of this word when I left a bike in a car park and the person who came to take it after me asked me: '¿la ocupas? ' I didn't understand what they meant - if I were going to occupy it I would surely be sitting on it, wouldn't I? But what they meant was to ask whether I needed it or whether they could take it now.
• Me da pena – Me da vergüenza. (It embarrasses me)
• Le tengo compasión, me entristece – Me da pena. (It's a shame, I feel for him)
• Mis pendientes – The things I still have left to do.
• Joyas para poner en las orejas – Pendientes. (earrings)
• Mesero -Camarero. (waiter)
• Botana – Algo de picar. (nibbles)
• Morro – Hombre. (man)
• Morra – Mujer. (woman)
• Dar ride – To give someone a lift in a car.
• Pedir Ride – To ask for a lift.
• Salir a pistear – Salir a bailar. (to go dancing)
• Irse de peda – Salir a emborracharse. (to go out to get drunk)
• Hacer el paro – Hacer un favor. (to do a favour)
• Soda – Refresco. (soft drink)
• Chido – Chulo. (cool)
• ¿Qué onda? - ¿Qué pasa? (what's up, how are you)
• Jalar – Pull. It's written on doors: 'jalar/empujar' are used in Mexico and 'tirar/empujar' in Spain.
• Aventar – Lanzar. (throw)
• Moflete – Cachete. (cheek)
• Gamba – Camarón, langostino. (prawn)
• Jitomate – Tomate frito. (fried tomato)
• Totopos – Similar to Doritos.
• Cajuela – Maletero. (porter)
• Camiseta manga corta - Playera. (t-shirt)
• A jacket is called a chamarra, if it's a blazer it's called a saco. There are also differences when it comes to trousers, for example to refer to jeans the term pantalones de mezclilla is used. If you're going to ask for a small size, ask for chica para dama, because they use the words 'chico' and 'chica' to refer to the smaller sizes in clothing. By contrast, in Spain these words are used to refer to the masculine and feminine genders. For example, 'la chica escuchaba música' (the girl listened to music) or 'el chico leía un libro' (the boy read a book).
• Puntos y comas – Comas y puntos. (commas and full stops. What I mean by this is that in Mexico they would write 1, 000 using a comma to separate thousands, and they would use a full stop for decimals, eg one point five would be 1. 5, whereas in Spain one thousand is 1. 000 and one point five would be 1, 5).
• Gis – Tiza. (chalk. This one is really interesting, because 'tiza' is a Nahutl word and yet it is used in Spain, and 'gis' is a Latin word but it is the one used in Mexico. It looks like these two countries have exchanged not only food but words as well! ).
• In Spain, chulo is when something is pretty, funny, or nice, whereas in Mexico it means handsome and is used obly in reference to people, and especially babies.
• In Mexico apetecer is used only for food, and only when it is liked, but in Spain you can use it for many things such as 'me apetece volver a México' (I would like to return to Mexico).

As well as these words, and many more I haven't mentioned, you also have to consider that Mexicans often seem to find second meanings in many words. That is to say, even if you consider a word normal, someone will be able to draw a second meaning from it which will no doubt make you a little uncomfortable! But, as with all things, what matters is the way you deal with it, and as Mexicans like a good laugh I would recommend you simply see it as a joke and look at the positive side of these awkward situations. Personally I find it funny when I remember them, so I won't explain here - that way you can experience them for yourselves first-hand! But I will give you some advice: avoid using the expression 'dejar de hacerme la puñeta' if someone is annoying you or getting on your nerves and, most importantly of all, don't use 'coger' but substitute it for 'agarrar' or 'tomar.

As you can see, there are many differences in the way we refer to things. I'm sure I've forgotten many of them, and there are sure to be many more you guys will know of. So, how about you share the words you think are missing here? That way, I can learn more about the differences which exist in the same language when you change geographical location.

It's been really fun to spend time talking and laughing about different ways of expressing ourselves, at least for me. And aside from the strange differences in the way Spaniards and Mexicans refer to the same things, another aspect of language difference which is interesting is is the changes made when film titles are translated into Castilian as opposed to the Spanish of Latin America. Have you ever thought about that? I myself had never stopped to think about it but believe me, the differences will surprise you! I'll tell you all about it in my next post.

Happy Thursday!

Sara

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