Used by El Chavo when he is looking for forgiveness when someone is mad because of his misbehavior Used by La Chilindrina to give some credibility when she is making up a story Means “I really didn’t want it”Įxpression used by La Chilindrina when she takes something from another. Phrase used by El Chavo when he wants to eat or do something and no one else is willing to give it to him. In English equivalent could be “Damn!” and in Spanish ¡Me lleva el diablo! Used by Don Ramón as a threat and means “I will break everything called face”Įxpression used when everything goes wrong. Te voy a romper todo lo que se llama cara Phrase used by Quico in a desperate way to shut up somebody that is speaking a lot and is interrupting something he is trying to do.ħ. ¡Ya cállate, cállate, cállate que me desesperas! Used by Quico and means “I don’t like you”Ħ. Used by El Chavo and means “I did it on purpose, but I didn’t mean to” Used by El Chavo and means “You’re just not patient enough with me” It is also accompanied with a push to Don Ramon at the end. Phrase used by Quico generally to Don Ramon. Used by El Chavo when something slips out of his mouth that shouldn’t have. Mexican Spanish meaning used in El Chavo as…ġ6 famous and unforgettable phrases from El Chavo del 8Ĭharacters from El Chavo del 8 were responsible for making these phrases popular: There are some words from the list above that are used in Puerto Rico, but the common meaning is totally different. Same Mexican Spanish word, different Puerto Rican Spanish meaning **In Puerto Rico the term profesor is used at university level. *Puerto Rico Spanish uses the generic term matemática. This is how El Chavo del 8 would sound speaking Puerto Rican Spanish. Here is my list of 101 Mexican Spanish words and phrases I heard for the first time watching El Chavo del 8 paired with the equivalent Puerto Rican Spanish word commonly used in the island, when possible.
Mexican Spanish vs Puerto Rican Spanish: El Chavo speaks Puerto Rican None of those meanings exist in Puerto Rico.
I was able to identify at least three diverse meanings for this word in the show: glue, butt and a line (as in waiting in line). At the time we did not understand that a chavo in Mexico was simply a kid.Īnother good example that you will see on the list is the word cola. The fact that El Chavo was an orphan, malnourished, poor kid that spent most of his time inside a barrel led me and my sister to believe that his name came from a penny, which is almost worthless. Chavo in Mexico is a young boy, but in Puerto Rico is a penny. Just the name of the program and lead character, El Chavo, is the best example I can use to illustrate those language differences. The best Mexican Spanish slang example is the name of the program Photo: DVD Lo Mejor del Chavo del 8 Volumen 1 So, last week I was watching a couple of episodes again, but now with the motive of appreciating how much non-Puerto Rican Spanish vocabulary I learned as a kid without knowing it. This program is still so popular that reruns still appear 40 years after it was created. Those who were kids in the 70’s and 80’s received massive dosages of this show (and others by Chespirito such as El Chapulín Colorado) after school and on Saturday mornings. In Puerto Rico, El Chavo del 8 was also well recognized. All these characters were played by adult people and it was incredible how they created the illusion that some of them were 8-year old kids and others no. The adults of this comedy were Don Ramón, Doña Florinda, el Profesor Jirafales, el Señor Barriga, and la Bruja del 71, the solterona or old maid who’s “real” name was Doña Cleotilde. The proclaimed programa número uno de la televisión humorística (the number one comedy program in television) was staged in a Mexico City neighborhood or vecindad where kids get in trouble while adult neighbors deal with their daily issues.Įl Chavo, la Chilindrina and Quico were kids that always appeared in each episode sometimes Ñoño and la Popis joined the crowd. This Mexican sitcom was created by comedian Chespirito (real name Roberto Gómez Bolaños) on June 20th, 1971 for his own show (watch the very first episode here), and in 1973 became a separate program that continued until 1980.
In this case I am talking about Mexican Spanish.Įl Chavo del 8 was one of the most popular television family programs in Latin America. At the time I didn’t realize that watching El Chavo del 8 would expand my Spanish vocabulary and make me understand that there were regional or country differences within the same language. You wouldn’t think that a Spanish-speaking girl, watching a television program in Spanish would learn more Spanish.