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| The Chile Information Project |
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Basic Spanish Words and Phrases: 
Making an effort to learn Spanish is essential if you are going to live in Chile. English is not as widely spoken as in European countries, for example. Most Chileans you meet, however, are patient and eager to help you learn. Here are some helpful words and phrases: Yes sí No no And y with con without sin before antes after después soon luego now ahora, al tiro here aquí, acá there allí, allá Greetings Hello hola Good Morning buenos días Good Afternoon buenos tardes Good evenin/night buenas noches Goodbye chau Please por favor Thank you gracías Youre welcome de nada Asking Questions I dont understand no entiendo I dont speak Spanish No hablo castellano Where is/are __? ΏDónde está/están __? Is there/are there ___? When cuándo How cómo How much does __ cost? ΏCuánto cuesta __? Chilean Slang: Overview If you already know some Spanish, you might be surprised by the Chilean version. A history of isolation from the rest of Latin America created an accent that makes Chilean Spanish difficult even for some native Spanish speakers. Chileans do not pronounce some letters. The s, b, and d sounds are left out of some words. For example, some Chileans say "Estao Unio" instead of "Estados Unidos." Chilean professionals only do this subtly, so do not worry too much. Chileans do not use the "tú" verb-form the same way that most Spanish speakers do. Most verbs use the verb-ending to the "vosotros" form, without pronouncing the final "s." For example, Chileans say "hablaí" instead of "hablas" and "tení" instead of "tienes." This, however, is not a rule. You can safely use the traditional verb-form. Chileans use many words that are not used in other Latin American countries. The following are some examples of Chilean slang (modismos). Al tiro immediately, now Bacán awesome, cool Ώcachaí? Do you understand?, you know Caleta a lot Carrete party Choro cool, fun Copete alcohol Condoro mistake Cuico yuppy, upper class (derogatory) Curado drunk Ene a lot Filo forget about it Fome boring Gallo/galla guy/gal Guagua baby Huevón jerk (when used as insult), man or buddy (when used in friendly manner) Lata boring Micro city bus Mino/mina dude, chick Pega job Piola relaxed Pituto person who is a connection Pucha expression of dissatisfaction Books to Learn Spanish: Overview There are many good books that help you improve your Spanish while you are in Chile. The following is a list of these books and some of the bookstores where you can purchase them. Addresses
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