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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Words and phrases you need to know to be a true Madrileño

If you're learning Spanish, one of most challenging things about learning a new language is the accents and street slang, which changes depending on which city you're in.

Published: 31 May 2019 16:57 CEST
Words and phrases you need to know to be a true Madrileño
Photo: Kasto/Depositphotos

The capital of Spain is no different! Madrid has lots of words and phrases that are just used there, as well as some that may be used elsewhere but are common to hear on the streets of Madrid. Knowing the meaning of this words and when to use them will make you sound just like a native, so here we give you some words and phrases to test out:

 

Chupa – leather jacket

 

  • Se ha comprado una chupa preciosa.

        He's bought a beautiful leather jacket.

 

Piba/pibe – girl or boy

 

  • Esta piba es muy rara.

        This girl is very strange.

 

Sobar – sleep

 

  • Me voy a sobar, estoy agotado.

        I'm going to sleep, I'm knackered.

 

Esfumarse – disappear or run away

 

  • Juan no hace más que esfumarse cada vez que le vemos.

       Juan keeps ghosting on us whenever we see him.

 

 

En zero coma – very fast

 

  • Salimos de viaje en 0 coma.

       We'll be en route in no time.

 

A pachas – go halves

 

  • Fuimos a cenar y pagamos la cuenta a pachas.

We went to have dinner and split the bill.

 

Mazo – a lot

 

Tengo mazo de tiempo libre últimamente.

I have had  a lot of free time lately.

 

Estar al loro – to be aware

 

Estoy al loro de todo lo que pasa en esta ciudad.

I'm aware of everything that happens in this city.

 

Keli – house

 

¿Quedamos todos en mi keli?

Shall we all meet in my house?

 

Pirado – crazy

 

Los que ponen su vida en peligro sin motivo están totalmente pirados.

Those that put their own life's in danger without reason are totally crazy.

 

Chachi – good or great

 

El Parque Warner es super chachi.

The Warner Park is really good.

 

Pipa – fool or silly person

 

Jorge es un pipa , nadie le toma en serio.

Jorge is a fool, no one takes him seriously.

 

Jeta – face

Tenía una jeta de asustado impresionante.

He had such a scared face.

 

Check out our other word of the day posts

This word of the day has been contributed by LAE Madrid, the leading Spanish academy in Madrid. Accredited by the Insitituto Cervantes, it offers Spanish courses for all levels and also has Spanish classes for kids and families.

OPINION: The Lonely Planet is wrong, Madrid isn't Europe's second best destination

 

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SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Spanish Words of the Day: Top Manta

If you've spent time in any major Spanish city or tourist spot, you'll have no doubt seen 'top manta' happening.

Published: 3 May 2024 11:12 CEST
Spanish Words of the Day: Top Manta

Top manta is a Spanish expression used to refer to the illegal sale of fake and counterfeit goods on bedsheets and blankets in the street.

Known as manteros in Spanish, these street hawkers are usually from sub-Saharan African countries, and they sell fake and copied products such as CDs, DVDs and phone cases, as well as imitation clothes (often football shirts), handbags, watches and shoes.

Selling in this way is illegal in Spain, and the idea behind using bedsheets is that they can quickly wrap up their stuff in a sack (there’s often a string attached) and disappear whenever the police pass through the area.

The phrase is pretty simple: manta means bedsheet, blanket, or throw. Top is the English adjective (as in best), used to refer to the supposed quality of the goods on sale.

Many manteros are undocumented migrants, so street selling is often the only form of income they can find in Spain.

However, that hasn’t stopped a group of migrants in Barcelona forming a clothing collective and launching their own clothing brand ‘Top Manta’ that sells its own brand of shoes with the slogan: ‘True clothes for a fake system.’

READ ALSO: In Spain, migrant-designed trainers kick against system

Top manta is illegal but still a common sight in Spanish city centres. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)

Though top manta sellers are a familiar sight on streets around Spain, manteros have gained traction in the Spanish media in recent years.

Amadou Diouf, a Senegalese mantero, told El Diario that “a person who dedicates himself to top manta does so because the law on foreigners forces him to do so”, despite the fact that one “arrives in Spain with a desire to work and integrate into society.”

READ ALSO: Spain to debate blanket legalisation of its 500,000 undocumented migrants

If the laws were changed, Diouf said, manteros “would dedicate themselves to their own trade”, and he stressed that he and many others were not street sellers in Senegal or their home countries, but started to do so in Spain because they had no other option.

Top Manta used in the Spanish press.

Some years ago a top manta seller who goes by Lory Money went viral on Spanish social media for his song in which he talks about ‘doing a Santa Claus’ (hago el santa claus) referring to the way street sellers quickly turn their manta into a sack, like Santa Claus, before running away.

Examples of top manta in speech

Aunque el top manta sea ilegal, los que lo dedican a ello lo hacen para sobrevivir (Even though street hawking is illegal, the guys who do it for a living need it to survive).

Creo que la policía ha pillado a algunos de los manteros, (I think they caught some of the street vendors).

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