Spanish: Become a Porteño by learning regional expressions in Valparaiso, Chile!
Hello everyone.
Chile is famous for speaking a rather unique Spanish language among Spanish-speaking countries.
One of the reasons, which I believe is one of the reasons why it is particularly difficult, is the variation of the Spanish language from region to region.
My goodness, Chilean Spanish is long and narrow, so it changes a bit in the regions!
I found it interesting when talking with locals, so I would like to introduce some words about it.
We are picking up what we have heard from people around us that as of 2024, they are still in use (although it can vary by age).
So here you go.
Table of Contents
Valpo （ばるぽ）
This is a shortened version of the phrase VALPARAÍSO.
PORTEÑO (ぽるてーにょ)
This term refers to the residents of Valparaiso. Valparaiso is a port town, hence the Spanish word “puerto” (port).
Pan batido (ぱん ばてぃーど)
A type of bread that is also called “marraqueta” in other parts of the country is called this in Valparaiso. The use of different names in different regions is an example of Chile's diverse culture.
It's like so-called French bread, crunchy on the outside and relatively sticky on the inside. I personally loved it and ate a lot of it!
(The picture above is not necessarily Marraqueta/pan batido, I kinda couldn't find the free-picture properly, so if you haven't seen it, do an image search on the word)
Vamos al plan (ばもす ある ぷらん)
I don't mean “make plans,” I mean let's go to the “Plan District,” the heart of Valparaiso.
It is usually used when going out for a drink in the center of the city or when there is business or administrative business to attend to.
I wondered where the etymology of “going to Plan” came from, which seems to mean going to a “planned area”.
The district was systematically restored after an earthquake that occurred during the late 1900? There is a theory that this is due to the
(I'm a little concerned about the origin of this story, and I'm sure there are many different theories, so please take the above only as half of a story.)
(La micro) O （ら みくろ お）
In all of Chile, “la micro” refers to buses, but since there used to be an “O” route bus called La micro O, it seems that some people, mainly older people, refer to the regional buses.
It seems that this Micro O is actually no longer available.
But I guess I just end up using it as a name when talking about routes that are no longer there, as if X has always been called Twitter, and now we know about it.
Salida de cancha （さりーる で かんちゃ）
It refers to going out in sportswear. The literal translation is “exit from the ground,” describing going out dressed as you are after a workout.
Abrir el tollo（あぶりーる える とじょ）
It refers to talking more than necessary without asking. The term is used to describe excessive talkativeness.
Choros del puerto（ちょろす でる ぷえると）
Choros refers to young people who are a bit delinquent (similar to Flaite), but Choros del puerto is used specifically to refer to the delinquents of Valparaiso.
Andar loreando（あんだーる ろれあんど）
I often say this because there are many Loro (parrots) in Valparaiso.
Andar sapeando , which means to pry into the movements of others.
Sacar los choros del canasto（さかーる ろす ちょろす でる かなすと）
Although the literal translation is “to take the shellfish out of the basket,” it is actually used to mean “to offend.” For example, it is used with the connotation of “me estay haciendo enojar!
I am sure this kind of phrase came about because the people who worked at the port in the past were angry because their meetings were stolen without their permission.
Anyway, it is interesting to note that many of the phrases in Valparaiso are related to the port or to the sea!
Conclusion
How was the article?
Quite a bit of globalization is going on now, and these regional words and phrases are becoming less and less common each year.
On this point, there is some concern about the loss of local-specific culture, but on the other hand, I think it is becoming easier to communicate with people wherever they go.
But at least if you have a chance to talk to someone from Valparaiso, you will definitely get a kick out of saying the above phrases!
In addition to that, please look forward to another article on the general Chilean dialect of Spanish.
For other articles on Chile, see byClicking here!
If you are interested in learning more about Chile, we also recommend reading one of these books.
Reference:
Conoce una ciudad llena de cultura y bellos lugares「Palabras o expresiones porteñas:- ¿Cómo dijo?」
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