Feelings you can only experience in Mexican Spanish

I was raised successful a bicultural environment. Not due to the fact that either of my parents was from abroad, but due to the fact that I went to a bilingual schoolhouse my full life. Most of my teachers were either from the United States oregon the United Kingdom — truthful yes, increasing up, I learned however to number pennies and quarters, arsenic good arsenic Mexican pesos. 

However, I was often funny arsenic to however to construe the use of usted, for example, which successful English does not exist. At a precise aboriginal age, I retrieve being incapable to explicit successful English immoderate of the feelings I spoke astir astatine home, which were inherently of a Mexican accepted upbringing. Culturally, determination were virtually nary words that could transmit the warmth of an apapacho oregon the joyousness of cotorreo successful English. As the editors astir apt know, I often misuse prepositions (I anticipation it brings them immoderate alleviation to cognize I besides acquisition this successful Spanish). 

Nothing screams Mexico much than a radical of girlfriends enjoying themselves cotorreando. (stayhereforu/Pexels)

Beyond my grammatical imperfections and translation confusions, here’s a handpicked usher to immoderate of my favourite feelings you tin lone acquisition successful Mexican Spanish — from an imperfect Mexican writer to an ever-supportive readership.

Cotorrear 

Cotorrear comes from the connection cotorro, meaning parakeets, which are wide known for being talkative and outspoken animals. Cotorrear, thus, implies a noisy speech successful which friends and household members speech implicit 1 different excitedly, astir thing and everything, each astatine once.

People, however, bash not cotorrean with their bosses oregon the constabulary (that would be, to accidental the least, suspicious). You bash truthful with your adjacent interior circle, due to the fact that though it is simply a leisurely talk, it’s usually not conscionable tiny talk. People cotorrean astir their issues, astir authorities and astir however their car landed again astatine the mechanic. 

Apapachar 

As happens with astir Mexicanisms, apapachar comes from Náhuatl, the authoritative connection of the Mexica Empire. It translates arsenic radical allowing others to attraction for them with tender displays of affection, specified arsenic Grandma’s hug, a nice, lukewarm crockery made by Mom, oregon adjacent conscionable going to a beloved friend’s location to speech astir a caller loss. “Ser apapachada, apapachado” implies allowing oneself to beryllium susceptible to a loved one, particularly erstwhile you’re feeling sick oregon down emotionally.

Chacharear 

Chacharar is conscionable fun. It’s what you bash erstwhile you’re connected abrogation and onshore successful the Pueblo Mágico’s wondrous mercado de artesanías, oregon spell connected a Sunday stroll to La Lagunilla market. The connection comes from cháchara: “something small, unimportant and of small value,” arsenic defined by the Dictionary of Mexican Spanish. I deliberation the champion translation is simply “a trinket.”

Chacharear, however, is not similar model shopping. You really get to consciousness and interaction the trinkets successful the market, and adjacent get to sermon a little terms with your vendor (oh, the glorious thrill of regateo!). Also, erstwhile you’re chachareando, it doesn’t mean you volition really bargain immoderate of the things that caught your eye! Actually, you astir apt won’t — you conscionable bash it for the joyousness of contemplating useless things you don’t need, but you someway find absorbing oregon amusing.

My ma wanting to chacharear connected a Sunday greeting is my dad’s worst nightmare. (Cristiano Junior/Pexels)

Achicopalarse 

You cognize erstwhile idiosyncratic is truthful sad, they really circular their backmost successful a crestfallen way? They’re astir apt achicopalada, achicopalado. The word comes, again, from Náhuatl achikopa, which has been translated arsenic “feeling inferior.” However, successful modern Mexican Spanish, the word is utilized arsenic simply “feeling down.”

You’ll astir apt consciousness achicopalada erstwhile your fellow conscionable dumped you, oregon erstwhile you failed the trial you studied truthful hard for. Or adjacent erstwhile your parents unfairly grounded you. People tin adjacent consciousness achicopalados erstwhile the entity is dense with acheronian clouds, oregon the upwind isn’t that nice, too.

Desconchinflarse 

When the blender breaks down, the aerial conditioner doesn’t work, oregon the TV surface refuses to crook on, that’s erstwhile you cognize your appliances are desconchinfladas. And it’s sad. Because they’re not beyond repair, they’re simply waiting for you to instrumentality them to the store to beryllium fixed — and possibly you’re conscionable excessively engaged (or lazy) to go.

However, desconchinflarse does not lone use to hardware. Whenever you wounded your limb oregon perchance strain an ankle, you tin besides accidental your ft is desconchinflado. You don’t get to spell to the hardware store to repair 1 of those, though (please, spell spot a doctor).

Petatearse

Petatearse is perchance the lone feeling successful Mexican Spanish that each idiosyncratic connected satellite Earth (and beyond) volition yet face. It comes from the Náhuatl connection petate, a rug, and it translates virtually arsenic dying. When radical successful the past Mexica Empire died, they were wrapped successful a handmade ritual mat earlier their ceremonial ceremonies. So whenever you perceive idiosyncratic “se petateó,” it virtually means they passed.

However, you would ne'er perceive anyone accidental their grandma “se petateó.” That would conscionable beryllium disrespectful and rude. Petatearse is simply a verb radical usage arsenic slang erstwhile referring to idiosyncratic they don’t cognize successful a mischievous Mexican way. So no, if you person the quality of a beloved person who conscionable mislaid a household member, bash not accidental “se petatearon.” Please. Ever. 

Andrea Fischer contributes to the features table astatine Mexico News Daily. She has edited and written for National Geographic en Español and Muy Interesante México, and continues to beryllium an advocator for thing that screams science. Or yoga. Or both.