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    Chorrocientos, Chorrocientos Mil: Spanish for “A Zillion”

    Crónica de los chorrocientos mil días del barrio de Tepito (1989)

    Chorrocientos, Chorrocientos Mil: Spanish for “A Zillion” A playful Mexican Spanish word for an enormous, completely made-up number. You are telling your friend about a terrible Monday. You had emails, messages, errands, work, traffic, and three people asking you the same question at once. You could say: Tenía muchísimas cosas que hacer. I had so […] More

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    10 Spanish Expressions That Are Not So Easy to Figure Out

    Chuchulucos. Candy of many colors.

    More expressions that confuse Spanish students Spanish expression Literal translation Real meaning in English estar amolado (Mexico) to be ground down / worn to be broke, in trouble, or in a bad situation ser maleta to be a suitcase to be bad at something, clumsy, or useless at a task chuchulucos (Mexico) little trinkets / […] More

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    Chopped Spanish — common spoken shortenings you’ll hear everywhere

    Vente pa'ca. Ricky Martin song advertisement.

    Spanish that is not in the books, but that exists in everyday casual speech In casual Spanish, people shorten words all the time. They move fast, they like rhythm, and they often drop syllables — especially para, está, estoy, espera, and nada. These shortened forms are normal in conversation but usually not written (except in […] More

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    Decoding Governor Newsom’s Tweet: “Vete a la Chingada” Explained

    Gov Newsom

    Students of Spanish often encounter phrases that carry a much deeper meaning than their literal translation, and Governor Newsom’s recent tweet, “Vete a la Chingada,” is a good example. While it is a highly offensive expression in many contexts, its use in this particular political situation takes on a nuanced, “playful trolling” tone, which is […] More