Blog | Ecela Spanish

Cultural Tidbit: Lunfardo

Often called the language of tango, Lunfardo is actually not a language or a dialect, but rather a slang vocabulary particular to the streets of Buenos Aires. Lunfardo developed among the same people who created tango, and it too is a fusion of Spanish, African, and European influences. According to expert José Gobello, Lunfardo is […]

Lunfardo Modismo del Día: Papirusa

Today’s Modismo is a lunfardo word, papirusa, meaning beautiful woman. Because many beautiful young Polish immigrants were smokers, locals began using the Polish word for cigarette, “papiros”, to describe them. Over time papiros became papirusa!

Cultural Tidbit: Peru's Street Children

Although Peru is an amazing country with many things to recommend it, it is also plagued by poverty. Lima, Cusco, and other cities are home to thousands of street children, who have nowhere else to go. Many of these children were abandoned because their parents could no longer afford to feed them, while others ran […]

Cultural Tidbit: Peru’s Street Children

Vista de Viernes: Coatis

Testimonial: Erika Ribeiro

My experience in ECELA Viña del Mar was the best. The city is exactly what I sought, more quiet, with many different things to do. For those who enjoy relaxing and not racing through life, the place is here. The school surprised me because I found not only teachers, but great friends. In addition, I […]

Cultural Tidbit: Porteño Part 2–Characteristics

So what are the prominent differences between the porteño dialect and traditional Spanish? One main contrast is that the word “vos” is used for informal second person singular – not “tú.” Porteño speakers also use a different inflection when pronouncing the tú verb forms. Instead of saying “tú hablas”, they say “vos hablás”, borrowing the […]

Porteño Modismo del Día: Amigovio

Porteño Idiom: Amigovio, -a English Equivalent: Semi-serious boyfriend/girlfriend English speakers are often frustrated by the fact that Spanish doesn’t seem to have a good translation for boyfriend/girlfriend. You can use novio/novia, but this has a pretty strong connotation and describes a relationship that is very serious. Fortunately, Porteno, the Spanish dialect spoken in Buenos Aires, […]

Cultural Tidbit: Porteño Part 1–Origins

Wherever you learn Spanish, you will find that the locals speak with their own particular accent and local vocabulary. If you learn Spanish in Argentina–especially Buenos Aires–you will hear plenty of people speaking porteño, which is the local Spanish dialect. This dialect came about due to the influence of Italian and other European immigrants. The […]