Spanish Terms of Endearment, Idioms, and Other Items of Note

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

Mi chula

My pretty one

Querida

Darling

Hermanita

Little sister

Muñeca

Doll

FUN WORDS TO SAY

Chimichanga
(chim-ee-chahng-guh)

A crisp tortilla with a spicy meat filling.

Burro

(boo-row)

(be sure to roll the “R”!)

Donkey; stupid (Como burro means, “like a donkey”).

Tonto

(tahn-toe)

Silly or foolish.

Chistosa

(chee-stoh-sa)

Funny; a facetious attitude.

Parangaricutirimicuaro

(pahr-rahn-gahr-ee-koo-tee-ree-MEE-kwahr-row)

The name of a town in the Southern part of Mexico; used as a nonsensical tonguetwister in much the same way as “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

EXPRESSIONS

Este arroz ya se coció.

“That rice has been cooked.”

(Similar to our expression, “That ship has sailed.”)

De tal palo tal astilla.

“Of such a stick is the chip.” (Like our phrase, “A chip off the old block.”)

No se puede tapar el sol con un dedo.

“You can’t cover the sun with one finger.”

Al mejor cocinero, se le queman los frijoles.

“Even the best cook burns his beans.”

Porque naces en horno, ¡no quiere decir que eres una barra de pan!

“Just because you were born in an oven doesn’t make you a loaf of bread!”

¡El mero, mero patatero!

“The real, real potato seller!”

(Like “The real McCoy,” or “It’s the real thing!”)

Spanish Food

Gazpacho

A cold uncooked bread soup usually made with stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, vinegar, tomato, and bell pepper

Paella

A rice dish made with saffron and olive oil and usually garnished with vegetables, meat, or seafood.

Churros

Fried-dough pastry snacks, sometimes referred to as Spanish doughnuts, or Mexican doughnuts, that originated in Spain. The long fried stick, sometimes also dipped in sugar or cinnamon, gets its name from its similarity to the horns of the Churro breed of sheep reared in the Spanish grasslands.

Spanish and Latin-American Themed Books