LitBlog

LitFood

Tattoos on the Heart
by Gregory Boyle

back to Reading Guide




Spanish Glossary
The following glossary of Spanish-to-English words comes from one of our LitLovers Readers...Iwona from Cleveland, Ohio. Thanks, Iwona!

A
abrazos- hugs

abrazote – big hug

animo -enthusiasm

antemano – before hand

aquel tiempo – that time (long ago)

apodo - nickname

ayer - yesterday

Ay, Dios mío - Oh my God


B
bendición - blessing

bien hecho – good goin’, good job

bien preguntón- very inquisitive, asks a lot of questions

bola – gang

bueno para nada – good for nothing


C
cabrón – dude, asshole, son of a b. (depends on context!) literally, male goat

caldo de iguana –iguana broth or soup

calientando – warming up

cállete, cabrón - Shut up, dude

camaradas - comrades

campesino – peasant

canción – song cantón – restaurant, bar

cantón – house, slang like saying“the crib”

cara de cachado –caught-in-the-act, guilty face

cara santucha – face of a saint, pretending to look saintly

cariño – affection

carne asada – grilled meat

carpas – tents

chamuco - devil, mischievous person

chaparrito, a – short or little guy, girl

cheap codo- cheapskate (codo literally means “elbow”)

chicle –gum

chillones – cry-babies

chingón - extremely awesome, great, a real badass

chupetonazos - hickies

cholo – homeboy, kid from the streets

cinco sentidos – in right mind or lit. “five senses”

colonos – inmates, lit. “settlers”

Cómo que – how is it…or what do you mean…

confreres – colleague, fellow member

cumbias – type of dance, originated in Colombia

cuete – gun

cuñada – sister –in-law


D
delito - crime

desafortunadamente - unfortunately

desesperación - desperation

desvelado - sleepless

de uña y mugre –like the fingernail and the dirt under it

De veras - Really?

de volada – on the fly


E
échale - empty

enemigos - enemies

El padre ya viene – Father is coming

el rostro de Dios – the face of God

Es nuestro compromise – It’s what we’ve committed to
do


F
felicidades – congratulations

feria - money

firme – could not be one bit better, fine, badass, cool, awesome, good

Flaco – Skinny

flicka - picture

frajos - cigarettes


G
gabachos - White people. Similar to term Gringo

gato - cat

gritona – a woman who shouts a lot, talks loud

Gracias por haber venido – Thanks for coming


H
huaraches- sandals

Huele a patas - It smells like feet

Huele a rosas – It smells like roses


J
jaina - girl

jale- job

jefito - dad (literally “boss”)

jefita - mom (literally “boss”)


L
la neta – really seriously. truth.

lo mataron – they killed him

la misa - mass

la muerte ya no tiene dominio – Death no longer has dominion

limones - lemons


M
mal hablado – foul mouthed

más o menos – more or less

máscara – face , literally “mask”

menos mal – It’s just as well

mijo/mijito - my son (the “ito” or “ita” shows affection)

mija/ mijita - my daughter

mi vida – my life

mi reina – my queen

mi cielo- my heaven

mi todo – my everything

mojados - wetbacks

morrito – little kid

menso – dummy, someone who is stupid and/or annoying, a dumbass


N
No cabe – it doesn’t fit

No, chale = A term to show disagreement or disapproval of something or some idea. Means the same thing as "hell no" or "hell na." or “yeah right”

No me digas –no kidding


O
obra de arte – masterpiece

oye – hey, listen

oye,no cabe duda- hey, no doubt

oye,que onda?- hey, what’s up?

oye, que pasó,cabrón – hey dude, what happened?


P
Padrecito – Father, said with affection (priest)

pandilla mugrosa = little gang of kids

panickeada así – all panicky

paro – favor

paro cardiaco – heart attack (lit. cardiac arrest)

pecadores - sinners

pedo –trouble (lit. “fart”)

peleonera – woman who gets in a lot of fights

pelón – bald, hairless

pero mijito- but my son

Pero te digo una cosa, Dios no es así – But I’ll tell you one thing, God is not like that

pidió palabra – asked for her turn to speak

piedra – gravestone, lit. “ stone, or rock”

pinta = prison

placa – gang moniker

planchado – ironed

porque es lo que haría Jesús – because it is what Jesus would do

primo,a - cousin

premio – prize

profundo - deep

pulmones - lungs


Q
Qué estás haciendo aquí? – what are you doing here?

Qué gacho – how mean

quinceañera – celebration of 15 year old’s rite of passage into womanhood


R
ranfla - car

ruca- woman, girlfriend, true love


S
Sabes qué,mijo – you know what, my son

sala – living room

serio - seriously

‘spensa, G – Sorry,G (comes from ‘dispensa’- to pardon or forgive)


T
tabique - brick

Tatai – Father in quechua

tecato – junkie

Te digo una cosa – I am going to tell you something

Tenemos una llamada de… - we have a call from…

tía - aunt

tío – lit. uncle, also means “guy”

travieso - mischievous

tienda - store

tremendo,a – he/ she is something else

Tú eres basura - You are garbage

tú sabes – you know


U-V
unción de enfermos – anointing of the sick

vato - dude

ven,mija – come, my daughter

venta de comida – bake sale or food sale

vete a la casa – go home

viejita- little old lady


Y
yardas – yards

Y ese milagro- and this miracle

y sabes que – and you know what

y todo – and everything

* * * * *

Thanks to Iwona in Cleveland, Ohio.

top of page | back to Reading Guide