Spanish Speakers: Words you already know in English
- Gina Shergold
- May 25, 2016
- 2 min read
Did you know, that if you are a Spanish speaker, you probably already know a lot of English words? The histories of the English and Spanish languages both stem from Latin, meaning that you will find many similarities between the two. But there are many English words that come directly from Spanish.
Here are some examples:
Aficionado – used in English to describe a person who is very knowledgeable about an activity or subject (for example, an aficionado of baseball, an aficionado of Spanish history).
Alligator – from Spanish “el lagarto,” which would literally translate to “the lizard” in English.
Armada – a navy
Bonanza – something that creates wealth, good fortune or profits, a large amount of something good.
Bronco – a type of horse (the American football team of Colorado is called the Broncos).
Cafeteria – a place where you drink and eat food.
Canyon – pronounced the same as in Spanish.
Chipotle – a type of chili pepper and the name of a popular American fast food restaurant.
Chocolate – pronounced choc-lit in English.
Chorizo – a type of sausage.
Conquistador – someone who conquers.
Embargo – from the verb “embargar,” a ban on trade/commercial activity with a particular country (for example, the United States has an embargo on Cuba).
Guerilla – a member of a small independent group involved in fighting (for example, guerilla warfare). Remember to pronounce the LL correctly!
Hacienda – a house on a large piece of land/plantation (used especially in the Southwest United States). In English, remember to pronounce the H!
Hurricane – a huge storm
Llama – a type of animal common in Peru, but remember the l‘s aren’t pronounced like y.
Loco – sometimes used by Americans instead of saying crazy.
Macho – used to describe a man who is strong and masculine (for example, Jason Statham is very macho, which is why he acts in so many action films).
Mosquito – a small insect that bites.
Negro (offensive) – can be used to talk about black people, but is almost always considered offensive in English, so be careful!
Patio – a paved outdoor area adjoining a house or restaurant.
Plaza – a city square.
Puma – also called a cougar or mountain lion depending on where you are.
Siesta – also called a nap (take a siesta/take a nap).
Vigilante – a member of a group of individuals who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority.
Comments