Languages. A newfound hobby of mine, probably because I am learning Spanish on my own, at my own pace. Much like reading literature, I am far more devoted when I am not on the schedule of academic benchmarks and semester calendars of public schooling.

It’s not just Spanish. I try to pick up some random words from whoever I am around because it’s an incredible feeling to be able to express beyond the horizon of the English language.

Much like a toddler, I can currently spurt things like “vielen herzlichen dank,” “mingalaba,” “tuvalet,” and “salamat po.”

But between Whatsapp, my Kindle, Duolingo, Spotify, and various periods of my travels, I’ve taken a big, nearly tangible, step towards fluency in Spanish.

Some days I can almost taste it. Other days I completely fail to understand a local’s answer to my question and I feel like I still have so far to go.

Entonces, I love languages. These are the five most special words from the Latin American experiences I’ve accumulated over the last four years. I hope you like them too.

 

Saudade (n.)

I begin with my Portuguese selection because it’s more mysterious and therefore prettier to me at the moment. Also, it’s not that hard to choose when your Portuguese vocabulary is limited to ten words.

Paulo wrote this word in my diary, and subsequently the rest of his entry in Portuguese, because there’s no English translation that can signify the same feeling.

Saudade means the sense of missing or longing for someone or something, even if it is in the future or will never occur. It involves not the sadness of being upset, but the sadness generated by a profound longing for something that doesn’t exist in the present moment.

Vou sentir muitas saudades de você.

 

Boludear (v.)

Informal Argentine word meaning to not be doing anything, dilly-dally, or loiter. It also has a strong connotation stupidity, so in certain contexts someone boludeando would be someone acting dumb. I see the word in the playful sense because so many moments of hiking and hitchhiking involve waiting around, or going slow.

I recently published a post about boludeando in Argentine Patagonia, the perfect environment for goofing off among friends and nature.

This verb is not to be confused with boludo/boluda, the term you address your friends, and also to call anyone an idiot.  Any true Argentine will spew boludo as every other word during a conversation, making it far preferred over the more stereotypical Che.

Siempre estás boludeando, boludo!

 

Empalagoso (adj.)

Delfi taught me this one. Based on the kilos of sugar we inhaled between the two of us, it was taught out of necessity.

When something is empalaogoso, it is sickeningly sweet. I immediately think of all the dulce de leche/manjar/arequipe flowing from Mexico to Argentina. I hate that stuff.

Or white chocolate. Augh.

If someone is empalagoso, they are nauseatingly sweet and sappy.

A food, or a place, can be called an empalagamiento, which is the noun form and equally fun-sounding.

Solo puedo comer un bocado porque lo encuentro empalagoso.

 

Chévere (adj.)

First appearing in Peru and used in excess in Northern South America and through Central America, I will always associate this one with Colombia first.

Meaning great, cool, etc., qué chévere is used for anything and everything nice or good or awesome or amazing or incredible.

Chévere alone is a perfectly valid response of agreement or confirmation. It’s practically acknowledgement that you heard what was said.

Interestingly enough, this word actually has an African origin. Chévere likely first established itself in the Afro-Carribbean communities. Which makes me love it all the more.

Esta playa desierta es tan chévere.

 

Pololo (n.)

Whether you consider Chile-speak to be Spanish or not is a personal decision. Whichever side you pick, pololo is undeniably one of the best words of all time. Pololo is Chilean for boyfriend. Which rolls off the tongue in an addicting way.

The rest of Latin America uses novio, but in Chile that would mean the guy is engaged. So use caution with that word.

Polola is girlfriend. Pololos, boyfriend and girlfriend. Pololiendo, dating.

Polololololololo!

Voy a salir esta noche pero mi pololo tiene que trabajar.