Speaking like a Chilean

Chile’s dialect has a different accent, and uses some words that are unfamiliar to the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. Many of these words come Mapudungun, a language spoken by the indigenous Mapuche people. Here is a list of some of my favorite ways to spice up the language.

• Drop the “s” – when people speak fast “quieres más porotos” becomes “quiere ma poroto”
• Guagua – the Chilean word for baby comes from Mapudungun
• ¿Cachai? – The verb “cachar” usually means to recognize or to understand. People say it comes from the Engish word “catch”.
• Pololo/a – This word for boyfriend/girlfriend comes from the Mapudungun word for a green pyrophilic insect. Some 150 years ago, firefighters used them as insignias on their uniforms. They would give these metal broaches to their girlfriends, and so began to be called “pololos”.
• Fome – I’m still not exactly sure how to translate this word, but I usually hear it used to mean boring or depressing. “Que fome” means “what a bummer”.
• Poh – Adding this sound to other words makes them sound sarcastic or ironic. “Sipoh” means “yeah, duh”
• Al tiro – It translates literally to “at the shot”, but it means “right away”