Spanish Words Without a One-Word English Equivalent

Spanish Words Without a One-Word English Equivalent Here are some Spanish words for which there is no good one-word English equivalent: Amigovio/amigovia This word is fairly new and has various meanings dependent on context, but it often refers to a live-in girlfriend or boyfriend, or a friend with benefits. Katrina era mi amigovia, pero desde que estoy con Belà ©n no la vi ms. (Katrina was my friend with benefits, but since Ive been with Belà ©n I dont see her any more.) Anteayer The day before yesterday, formed by combining ante (before) and ayer (yesterday). Ese es el restaurante al que fuimos anteayer. (That is the restaurant we went to the day before yesterday.) Aprovechar Although this verb can often be translated simply as to use, it often carries a strong connotation of getting the most out of something. No pude aprovechar de la piscina del hotel porque prefiero la playa. (I couldnt take advantage of the hotels swimming pool because I prefer the beach.) Bimestre As a noun, a bimestre is a period of two months. El ahorro en un bimestre fue de 2,500 euros. (There was a savings of 2,500 euros in two months.) As an adjective, bimestre means bimonthly (every two months). Cacerolazo A type of protest in which participants bang on pots and pans. Los cacerolazos comenzaron ayer temprano en Buenos Aires. (The pots-and-pans protest began early yesterday in Buenos Aires.) Centenar A group of 100. The word is often used as an approximation for a large group. Un centenar de inmigrantes de origen subsahariano han intentado saltar la valla de Melilla. (About 100 sub-Saharan immigrants have tried to jump the fence at Melilla.) Concuado/concuada Someone married to a sibling of your spouse is a concuà ±ado or concuà ±ada. La esposa del hermano de mi esposa is mi concuà ±ada. My wifes brothers wife is my concuà ±ada. Consuegro/consuegra If you have a child, his or her spouses parents are your consuegros. For example, your sons wifes mother would be your consuegra. No sà © si mi consuegra es mi amiga or mi enemiga. (I dont know if my childs spouses mother is friend or foe.) Decena Just as a docena is a dozen or group of 12, a decena is a group of 10. Puedes comprar flores por decena. (You can buy flowers 10 at a time.) Desvelarse This reflexive verb refers to not getting sufficient sleep. Cuando nos desvelamos, el cuerpo obtiene energà ­a de una fuente ms accesible: la comida. (When we dont get enough sleep, the body gets energy from the most accessible source: food.) Someone who is sleep-deprived is desvelado. Empalagar To be excessively sweet, either literally (as of some candy) or figuratively (as with personality). Te voy a enseà ±ar mi receta particular, por causa de que la original me empalaga. (Im going to send you my own recipe, because the original is too sweet for me.) Entrecejo The area above the nose, below the forehead and between the eyebrows. Quiero quitarme sin dolor los pelos del entrecejo. (I want to painlessly remove the hairs between my eyebrows.) Estrenar To wear, use, perform or display something for the first time. Estrenà © las zapatillas que mi marido me habà ­a regalado. (For the first time, I put on the slippers that my husband had given me.) A noun form, estreno, can refer to a movie or play premiere or similar events. Friolento Sensitive to cold. Era friolento y se cubrà ­a los hombros con un suà ©ter. (She was sensitive to the cold and covered her shoulders with a sweater.) Friolero has the same meaning. Estadounidense From or of the United States. American is a common equivalent but is sometimes ambiguous as it can also refer to someone or something from the Americas. La cultura estadounidense est construida por la clase media. (U.S. culture was built by the middle class.) Internauta Internet user. Internauta is not capitalized and can be masculine or feminine. El acceso a Internet para la poblacià ³n mexicana representa al menos 55.3 millones de internautas. (Internet access for the Mexican population is available to at least 55.3 million Internet users.) Manco Having one arm, either from birth or as an amputee. Un dà ­a conocà ­ una muchacha manca. (One day I met a one-armed girl.) Quincena This is a period of 15 days or two weeks. British English has fortnight, which is seldom used in American English. Esta quincena es la ms tranquila del aà ±o en Pamplona. (This two-week period is the quietest of the year in Pamplona.) The word can also refer to the 15th of the month, when many workers in some countries get paid. Sobremesa After-meal conversation, from sobre (over) and mesa (table). Con poco tiempo para la sobremesa volvemos a la carretera. (With little time to chat after eating, we went back to the highway.) Trasnochar To stay up all night or put in an all-nighter. Nos trasnochbamos jugando juegos como Islander y Super Mario. (We would stay up all night playing games such as Islander and Super Mario.) Tuerto Having only one eye, or seeing with only one eye. Se llama Pirata por ser tuerto. (He was called Pirate because he had one eye.) Tutear To speak to someone using tà º, the familiar form of you. A cultural equivalent might be to speak with someone on a first-name basis. Nunca habà ­a llegado al punto de tutear a alguien. (I never have reached the point of using tà º with someone.)