What is Spanglish? Spanglish, or inglañol as it's often known to Spanish speakers, is a mix of Spanish and English. It's typically spoken by native Spanish speakers or children of native Spanish speakers and has many unique and popular words. Keep reading for 25 of the most popular words in Spanglish and what they mean.
25 Common Spanglish Words
Spanglish, a portmanteau of "Spanish" and "English," is considered a type of conversational slang. Its most common words apply Spanish grammar rules to English vocabulary, and common Spanglish phrases incorporate both English and Spanish words to create a unique meaning. The Spanglish language is a great example of how Hispanic and English-speaking cultures come together in a form of cultural diffusion.
| Spanglish Word/Phrase | English Meaning | Example Sentence |
| chilear | to chill out | Chilé! I'll be there in a second! |
| cojelo con take it easy/cojelo suave | don't worry | Cojelo con take it easy. You'll get the job. |
| conflei | cereal (from "Cornflakes," but refers to all cereal) | I'll just have some conflei for breakfast. |
| el parking | parking lot | Pull into el parking and I'll get out there. |
| el ticket (or another English noun) | the ticket (or another noun) | You remembered to bring el ticket, right? |
| es us show/hace un show | it's a show (that's crazy) | They broke up again? Es un show! |
| estoy | I am (adjective) | Estoy relieved that the test was rescheduled. |
| ¿Estás ready? | Are you ready? | We're gonna be late! ¿Estás ready? |
| Googlear | to search on Google | Googleamos where the restaurant is. |
| jamberger | hamburger | I'm ordering a jamberger; you want anything? |
| janguear (pronounced "hang-u-ar") | hang out | I'm bored. Wanna janguear? |
| lonche | lunch | Let's get lonche before we finish shopping. |
| marketa | market | Can you pick up some eggs at la marketa? |
| pari (also parree) | party | ¡Vamos! My friend's having a pari! |
| parquear | to park a vehicle | Where did you parques the car? |
| pero like | but like | I wanted to go out, pero like my parents said no. |
| ¿Puedes believe it? | Can you believe it? | They won the game, ¿puedes believe it? |
| rentar | to rent | Rentamos now, but we want to buy a house soon. |
| taipear | to type | I have to taipear my essay before tomorrow. |
| textear | to text | Manny texteamos about the good news. |
| te llamo para atrás | I'll call you back | My dad needs the phone; te llamo para atrás. |
| un tuit | a tweet | I saw un tuit about that movie. |
| Vaporu/bibaporú | use Vicks VapoRub on it | Are you still sick? Vaporu your chest again. |
| ver un show | watch a show | I'm too tired to go out. Gonna ver un show, then go to sleep. |
| watcha | watch out | ¡Watcha! There's a dog in the road! |
Notice how some Spanglish words take English words and add Spanish infinitive endings (for example, textear). Other words apply Spanish pronunciation to English words (for example, jamberger). There are hundreds of examples of these types of Spanglish words, so if you know the rules, you can generally figure out what they mean.
Other Language Hybrids
Spanglish isn't the only dialect that is a mix of two languages. Some of these dialects are known as pidgin or creole languages, which are simplified versions of languages that more people can speak. Some of these languages are actually the official languages of the countries in which they are commonly spoken.
Examples of other hybrid languages include:
- Alemañol (German and Spanish)
- Chinglish (Chinese and English)
- Chiñol (Chinese and Spanish)
- Hinglish (Hindu and English)
- Franglais (French and English)
- Manglish (Malay, English, and Tamil)
- Portuñol (Portuguese and Spanish)
- Runglish (Russian and English)
- Russenorsk (Russian and Norwegian)
- Haitian Creole (French, Caribbean languages and English)
- Singlish (Singaporean English)
While these dialects are fun to learn and understand, don't incorporate them into your everyday vocabulary just yet. Using culturally distinctive words if you don't belong to that culture can be a form of cultural appropriation. However, if you hear these words in conversation and want to know what they mean, now you know!
The Benefits of Learning Another Language
While Spanglish is best spoken and understood by native speakers, it's good to know what the most popular words mean. If you'd like to learn the language that influenced Spanglish, read these tips for learning Spanish. Then, explore some Mexican slang terms. Or you could learn some words from a similar language like Portuguese words. You can also check out the 15 valuable benefits of learning a second language at any point in your life.