How to speak Spanish like an Andalucían

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One of my favorite things about functioning in my second language was trying to pick up the Andalusian accent and learning Spanish slang. This list is condensed to my favorites words and phrases—ones that are niche to southern Spain or have a little bit of spice—but trust I have quite the extensive list of everything I learned in my notes app.

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Vale

Everything. Vale is the equivalent of okay. Used a “yes” or to signal that you are listening. Spanish professors loved to use it at the end of a sentence as a question or way to check if we were understanding. Overall, Spaniards are notorious for their use of “vale vale vale.” 

Hombre claro

My favorite phrase, combining hombre (dude) and claro (sure, of course, yes) to create yes obviously/yes for sure/duh, of course. I used this excessively because it was one of the first phrases I learned and it made me feel fluent. 

Que guay/chulo

Another one of my favorites, again because it made me feel fluent. Simply “how cool!”

Name Calling

Guiri

Equivalent to gringo. My host brother taught me this the second day and said if I ever heard “guiri” at a bar, I was being upcharged because I’m an American. Could be used in a non-demeaning way, but definitely less frequently heard.

Tío/Tía

“Dude.” Used as a friendly term of endearment.

Coño

Oops sorry; time for an obscenity. This is a go-to swear word for any situation at all. At a football match and mad at a player? ¡Coño! Someone cut you off in traffic? ¡Que coño! I will spare you the direct translation but it roughly in place of any classic English swear.

Informal Contractions

‘ta luego

Shortened version of hasta luego (see you later). Probably just a thing because Andalucíans speak so fast. You would never purposefully say ta luego instead of hasta luego, but I’ve seen it written shorthand this way!

Finde

Shortened version of el fin de semana (weekend). I learned this one from a random Sevillana influencer on Instagram. I’m a fan; I like how cute and short it is!

Noniná

My host family taught this to my parents over dinner and it gives similar vibes as the midwestern “yeah, no,” “no, yeah” “yeah, no yeah” conundrum. Noniná comes from “no ni nada,” and the triple negation becomes a statement of affirmation, as a way of saying “of course.” Unfortunately this can be said sarcastically which changes the meaning to “no way.”

Fíte

Shortened version of fíjate (a command to focus). When I volunteered at the primary school, the teachers used this a lot when the class was chatting during a lesson. Often accompanied by a “shhh” which they pronounced as a quick “ch.”

Other Slang

Mala pata

This is the same as “mala suerte” which translates to bad luck. However, this literally translates to bad leg, and I think that is far funnier.

Mi arma

This does not mean “my gun” like many of us thought. Another way to say “mi amor” or “my love” in English.

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