New Royal Academya Oxpañol Spanglish Dictionario

Language is a bit like Darwinism: the strongest words survive. The things that are easiest, the most accurate, the most common, the most useful, earn a lasting place in our vernacular. One of the great things about English, in my opinion, is that we don't have an official body such as the Real Academia Española or the Euskaltzaindia or the Académie Française. These bodies exist to regulate their respective languages.They decide whether to admit new words, change grammar rules, modify spellings, etc. While this is a respectable mission, to maintain a book of rules about a language, in practice it has served to prevent a language from being a living, breathing, evolving part of life.

When Eric, a friend of mine from college, and I were visiting Paris last year, a guide of a walking tour we took was telling us about the Académie Française's recent goings-on. Apparently the group was worried about the word "weekend" encroaching into the French language. Adopting foreign words is very common, for example in English it is common to hear gazundheit, entourage, canyon, cigarette, rodeo, hamburger, or je ne sais quoi, in daily language. The Académie Française decided that weekend was to be replaced by the wordier le fin de la semaine. Therefore, when leaving work on Friday, it would be correct to say Avez un bon fin de la semaine! Slightly clumsier than Avez un bon week-end. In practice, this suggestion went over like a lead zeppelin (what's up German!). Le week-end was there to stay.

In English we permit just about everything. The auxiliar community here in Spain has been developing their own rules of the Spanglish language, a loose association of common, variable rules which may be compiled in the New Royal Academya Oxpañol Spanglish Dictionario. Entries under consideration:

1. Piso - to replace the cumbersome "apartment"
eg. You can come to my piso beforehand and then later we will go out.

2. Seño o profe - you may have thought that you were here to be a teacher, but you are a seño.
eg. Seño Javi no me dejaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!! Profe! Profe! Ven!!!!!!!!!

3. un toque- a practice related to mobile telephonic devices. You give the other person a call then after 1 or 2 rings, hang up. This practice prevents either party from being charged for said toque. This toque can indicate an affirmative response to a previous text, an "I'm outside your apartment" notification, a "call me back I'm out of credit," or other things.
eg. Give me a toque when you get here and I'll come down and meet you.

4. es que... - sets off an excusal phrase.
eg. I would have had this finished seño, pero es que I'm not good at English.

5. olvidared - this represents the common Spanglish -ed past tense ending. This pattern is constructed by taking the Spanish infinitive and adding the -ed ending.
This verb indicates the past tense of the action in Spanish, albeit with the English ending. Best said with a heavy American accent.
eg. I was going to tell him to bring the movie but I olvidared it.

6. estudiaring - like the Spanglish past tense, this present perfect verb is formed by taking the Spanish infinitive and adding the English -ing ending.
eg. I was estudiaring some verbs when he gave me a toque.

7. No pasa nada - No worries.
eg. I was going to get all my visa paperwork in on time and correctly filled out, but the guy at the foreigner's office took a half hour break, no pasa nada.

8. tipical eSpanish -  this English phrase, written phonetically, is used by Spaniards to describe when they do typical Spanish things such as making a delicious paella for a Sunday lunch, dancing sevillanas or flamenco, talking loudly on public transportation, or to demonstrate their extensive knowledge of English.
eg. El domingo vamos a la playa y luego a un chiringuito que conozco por alli en El Palo, es muy tipical eSpanish.

9. Ok - meaning Okay. The most global word.
eg. I'll be there in five minutes, ok?

10. Vale - meaning okay. Its use is required in a minimum of 80 percent of Spanglish phrases.
eg. Vale, vale vale, ok, vale, venga, I'll talk to you later.

11. I'm fine thank you, and you? - the best and/or only response to the question "How are you?"
eg. How are you class? (in unison) I'm fine thank you, and you? Well class, it's 12:30 on a Monday, you guys can't sit the ef down after recreo, and I haven't had anything to eat yet. I'm tired and hungry. But thank you for collectively asking.

12. mitin - this phonetical spelling of the word "meeting" is used to indicate a high-level reunion of government or business officials. Who says anglophones don't know how to take care of bizness, we invented the word!
eg. Ayer se celebró un mitin del PP.

13. caña - Spanglish for 20 cl. of domestic draft beer usually had among friends in local bars.
eg. Tomorrow we can go for cañas beforehand and then go to the movies.

14. clases particulares - not particular classes, but private classes. These are the ubiquitous hour-long conversation classes that auxiliars have to earn extra cash and keep teaching skills sharp.
eg. I can get there by 6, I have a clase particular at 4:30.

15. take a coffee - a literal translation of the Spanish "tomar un café" this phrase has seeped into the Spanish language by the "if you can´t beat em, join em" effect of clases particulares. After hearing it so many times, you begin to say it yourself, undermining your credibility as a native speaker.
eg. This weekend? Let´s see, I saw a movie, took a coffee with somes friends...

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a beginner's guide to the Spanglish language. It is recommendable to quitar these words from your vocabulary before returning to your country of origin, talking with your parents, taking LSATs or GREs, or interviewing for a job (Overheard in a certain someone's interview on Friday: "I hear at your English summer camp you have an granja on site. Can you tell me more?" Well, es que I don't know when I will be flying home, sometime in August. Vale, pues, I'll let you know when I have the exact dates".) In just a few short weeks of living in Spain, you too can make mistakes in both your second and native language!