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Streetwise Spanish A-Z To Help You Speak Spanish
With An Authentic Flair Guaranteed To Win The
 Admiration And Respect Of Native Speakers
Throughout The Hispanic World

Streetwise Spanish A-Z (N-Z)
 

N. Here's a very cool phrase to add to your Spanish vocabulary. It's a phrase that won me a lot of admiring glances one summer night while I was having dinner with several friends from Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Mexico. I was asked:

"¿Te gusta el rape?" - Do you like monkfish?

"Ni fu ni fa." - I can take it or leave it.

Ni fu ni fa is a great Spanish phrase to express indifference and very few non-native Spanish speakers use it. But you're in on the secret now and I promise you, you'll win a lot of respect when you use it.
 

Ñ. Did you know that Spanish is the only language to contain this letter, the eñe?

Did you also know that the European Union tried to tell the Spanish to remove this letter from their alphabet? Apparently it causes all sorts of problems including an eñe key on computer keyboards so the EU wanted an end to this inconvenience. Unsurprisingly, the Spanish refused to comply and camisetas - tee shirts - exclaiming "¡Nosotros Somos La Eñe!" sold in their thousands. Good for the Spanish I say!
 

O. Ostras. I wish I had a euro for every time I have heard "ostras". Ostras is the Spanish word for oysters but it also has another meaning. You know those times when you drop a glass, trip up, run out of sugar, lose your phone, spill a drink, forget an appointment and a whole heap of other minor misfortunes that life loves to throw at us from time to time? We say something like "Damn" in English don't we? Well in Spanish, one word used to express frustration at these moments is "¡Hostia!". Hostia is the communion host and using it in this way is considered mal educado so the word "¡Ostras!" is used instead. This is a common Spanish phrase widely used throughout the Hispanic world and as you're educado, you can now use it too! It will add an authentic flourish to your spoken Spanish without a doubt.
 

P. Pinta. Here's a really cool streetwise phrase that will make huge impression with native Spanish speakers. You know when you see someone or something and you say "looks good" or "looks bad"? It's so easy to do this in Spanish. You use the verb "Tener" along with "pinta", like this:
 

Tiene buena/mala pinta - He/She/It Has Good/Bad Face. That is, he, she or it looks good/bad. Algunos ejemplos:

Ese tipo tiene mala pinta - That guy looks untrustworthy.

Esa película tiene muy buena pinta  - That looks like a really good film.

La sopa no tiene mala pinta - The soup doesn't look bad.

¿Realmente fácil, verdad?
 

Q. Quitar - Time for a false friend that catches out non-native Spanish speakers time and time again. Quitar is not "To Quit" but "To Remove". You have Quitagrasa - degreaser and you'll see this on many cleaning products. Quitar can also be used for "To Take Something Off" so:

Quita La Gorro - Remove the cap.

There is no Spanish verb for "To Quit". If for example, you want to say that you've quit smoking, this is the best:

He dejado de fumar - I've quit smoking
 

R. Rollo. Rollo is the Spanish word for "roll" but it is also has a streetwise usage and you use it to describe how someone or something makes you feel. It's a bit like we use the word "vibe" in English. So, if someone or something is making you a bit jittery, you can say:

Tiene mal rollo - He/She/It has bad vibes

But if someone or something is giving you a good feeling:

Tiene buen rollo - He/She/It has good vibes

Using rollo in this way will really add an authentic flair to your spoken Spanish, and here's some more Spanish phrases using rollo to give you a feel for how to use it:

Esa chica tiene buen rollo - That girl has good vibes

Juan y Roberto tienen mal rollo - Juan and Roberto are giving me bad vibes

Ese bar tiene buen rollo - This bar has a good vibe

Me da mal rollo - It gives me bad vibes, I don't like it, it turns me off

Me da buen rollo - I have a good feeling about it

Really easy to incorporate rollo into your spoken Spanish and you'll win the admiration of native Spanish speakers as well as respect from other gringos who'll want you to share this little pearl with them!
 

S. Salud. I'm sure you know this word, salud is the Spanish word for "cheers" but did you know that salud expands to a fuller expression? You may hear "salud, dinero y amor" - health, money and love - but if you really want to impress the locals say the complete phrase when you raise a glass:

"Salud, dinero y amor y el tiempo para gozarlos" - Health, money and love and the time to enjoy them. 

T. Tener - To Have. There is a big contrast here in Barcelona when it comes to shopping. I love shopping at small shops run by local people. They're very friendly and helpful and it's a more enjoyable and personal experience than shopping in the bigger stores especially the supermarkets. The service is dreadful, the staff are abrupt and most of them are just plain miserable and look as if they're going through an ordeal. Not all supermarket staff are like this of course but most are and their cold, indifferent attitude and slow, slow service makes a shopping trip to these places a not too enjoyable experience.
 

One of my favorite Spanish phrases is: "Tener una cara como teléfono ocupado." - To have a face like a busy telephone and it's used to describe people who look annoyed or bothered and it is a perfect description for some of these miserable souls working in the supermarkets here. One in particular is only young - no more than 20 - and she looks like she's carrying the entire world on her shoulders. She won't even say "Hola", "por favor" or "adiós " and she's one of the unhappiest people I've seen here.

Mischievous soul that I am, I'm dying to say to her: "Tiene una cara como teléfono ocupado" but I doubt I get any response at all. Poor girl, to be so unhappy at such a young age really is a shame. 
 

U. Urgencias. If you have an accident or contract some nasty virus then urgencias is the place you need to go to. I'd only been here a week when I was hit by a virus that knocked me for six, including coughing up lots of blood. Off to urgencias - casualty - I went. All you do is register with el recepcionista and then sit in the waiting room - la sala de espera - until the doctor - el médico - is ready to see you. I only waited an hour and I was quickly diagnosed with a respiratory infection and 3 weeks later I was well again. Please note that if you are coming to Spain, health care is not free and you will need medical insurance or enough money to pay for your treatment. Oh, and don't forget to take your passport to urgencias or you won't be treated!

I had a right old time of it trying to explain how I was feeling and I learned the hard way that trying to learn the Spanish you need when you're feeling lousy isn't exactly ideal. You can discover exactly how to deal effectively with emergencies in Streetwise Spanish and you'll find all of the key Spanish phrases along with a very canny tip that will save you a small fortune you simply must do before you visit the hospital all in chapter nine.
 

V. Vino. I have a passion for good food and good wine and along with good company, makes for me the best pleasure life has to offer. A Sunday barbecue on a sun-kissed terrace, a barbecue fired up and ready to cook, a good selection of meat and fish, accompanied by crisp salads and fresh bread shared with good friends is just perfect for me. Wine - vino - to wash it down is essential and for me, vino tinto - red wine - is where it's at. Dry white wine - vino blanco seco - is something I only use for cooking and medium dry white wine - vino blanco semiseco - is just about quaffable. Sweet white wine - vino blanco dulce - is too sweet for me so vino tinto, especially a full-blooded rioja gets my vote.

Rosé is what catches out non-native Spanish speakers. If you enjoy rosé wine then you need to ask for vino rosado and not vino roso or vino rosa.

If you're in a restaurant and you'd want to ask for the wine list:

"Tráigame/tráiganos la carta de vinos por favor."

Don't forget to add "por favor" as without it, it sounds like you're giving an order and may cause unintentional offence to the person who will be serving your meal if you see what I mean! Remember how important educad@ is?
 

W. Wi-fi - The Internet is an absolutely fantastic resource and and with the advent of wireless technology it is possible to surf the net no matter where you are. Here in Barcelona, you'll see signs in most bars proclaiming: "Tenemos Wi-Fi" or "Hay Wi-Fi aquí" and you can enjoy a refreshing drink while you access the web and many people even SKYPE friends and family back home. Truly amazing. But be careful with your pronunciation. Wi-Fi is not pronounced "WHY FY" in Spanish but "WEE FEE" which always makes me think of a vertically challenged Scottish woman! ¿Tiene Usted Wi-fi? - Do you have a small Scottish woman?

Muy chistoso, ¿verdad?
 

X. Equis. There are very very few words beginning with equis in Spanish but here's a nice little moment I had with one of them. I was talking to a couple of Spanish people from Gallicia in my local bar about medical emergencies and how I needed treatment after being here just a week and not speaking very much Spanish. I wanted to explain that I had to have X-rays and so I turned to Hugo, el camarero, and asked him:

"¿Como se dice "x-rays" en Castillano?"

Much to his - and everyone else's - amusement, he says:

"Rayos equis."

Doh!

I got my own back about a week later when Hugo asks me in Spanish:

"¿Cómo se dice aire acondicionado en Inglés?"

In the same style as his earlier reply I said:

"Air conditioning."

And enjoyed my revenge!
 

Y. You know those times when you're in company and someone says or does something silly? Or maybe you're meeting a friend and they turn up wearing clothes that really don't suit and your reaction is:

Huh? What's all that about?

Well to say this in Spanish you say:

¿Y eso?

It translates literally as "And that?" but a more accurate translation is: "What's all that about?" or even "What's going on there?"

So if your new flame turns up wearing a multi-colored flowery shirt that needs the volume lowering, you can just point at the shirt, shake your head and say:

"¿Y eso?"

They'll get the message!
 

Z. Finally, one of my favorite Spanish phrases that's used for those occasions when people are putting their noses into your private business. You could say:

Eso es asunto mío - That's my business

But a less offensive and much more educado Spanish phrase is:

Zapatero a tus zapatos - Mind your own business, literally: Shoemaker to your shoes.
 

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