I was trying to learn how to ask for my fries to be fried crispy and crunchy, and accidentally learned a slang word.
Citar (Che-ter): Crispy as in how I like my fries. Apparently also slang for a hot young thang. But for fries, I was told to ask for “citar citar olsun” and it worked.
I also learned that “mashallah” which is used joyfully as “god willing” is also slang for “fat.”
Having a non-Spanish speaking friend visit is the best language training. After all, it was up to me to figure out how to communicate. Here are a few of the Spanish phrases that I hear all the time.
effectivo = “cash”
tres quarto = how I like my steak cooked
muy amable = “so kind”
a la orden = what the shopkeepers cry out to get your attention, and so much more. It’s like “sure” or “okay” as well.
listo = okay or “ready.”
But, just when I think I’m getting less baffled, I go to Carulla or Jumbo, and I can’t understand what the cashier is saying when they ask me if I have a membership card? At least now I understand them, I just don’t actually know what they are saying…