Chilenismos

Chilenismos Online Glossary

Chilean is a whole different language from Spanish.  Of course it is basically the same, but many words and phrases, especially slang, are different.  It is like the difference between American English and English (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFMaYLI17z8).  The website above has a pretty comprehensive list of these so called "Chilenismos."  Here are the ones I've heard most:

• Asado - barbecue - in Chile, meat fest (we had one last weekend, blog post to come)
• Bomba de bencina - gas station
• Cachái? Sí, cachoi. - Get it? (Maybe comes from "Catch it?") Yes, got it.
• Carrete/Carretear - party (noun/verb)
• Completo - a variety of Chilean fast food that is a hot dog topped with many things including mayo and avocado
• Carabinero - police
• Cueca - Chile's national dance (Cueca dance on YouTube). I will get to see little children perform this in two weeks when I go to Bingo at my host mom's work.
• Confort - brand of toilet paper, but used to refer to TP in general
• Colectivo - type of taxi that has a route and can pick up other people
• Caña - hangover (I have not heard this because I have had one, just because other people talk about them)
• Guatero - hot water bottle you put on your feet when you sleep during the winter because their houses don't have central heating
• Gringo/a - this one is common and not exclusively use in Chile, but it is essential to know that if you come here, you will be called Gringo/a.  My host mom calls me Gringa and it is a term of endearment.  They also have "Gringo Night" on Wednesdays at the bar called Café Journal.
• Huevón(a)/Hueón/Wueón(a)/Weá - from word for egg, "huevo" - many uses - guy, idiot, thing, vulgarity, etc. depending on the tone
• Italiano - type of sandwich or completo - tomato, avocado, and mayonnaise
• Luca - 1,000 Chilean pesos (kind of like a "buck" in the US)
• Metro - subway
• Micro - city bus
• Mina - attractive young woman
• Onces - Chilean version of afternoon tea/snack - we don't have this at my house, but other people in my group say they do.
• Pisco - most common alcohol here
• Pisco sour - pisco with sour or pisco with Sprite
• Piscola - pisco with Coca Cola
• Po - shortening for pues, which means "well" or "so" - apparently can be used wheneverPorfa - please
• Pololo/a - Boyfriend or girlfriend
• ¿Qué onda? or Es buena onda - What's up? or He/she is a good person.
• Plata - money
• Previa - pre-gaming for a night out
• Schop - draft beer - there is a restaurant called Schop Dog at the mall
• Temblor - tremor (baby earthquake)
• Terremoto - earthquake, alcoholic beverage with white wine and sherbet
• Vale - OK
• Varón - baby boy
• Ya - technically means already, but they say it A LOT. Kind of means "ok" a lot of times.
• Ya po - "Ya pues" - Sure thing, right on it, ok well, etc.