Granada slang: words you only hear here

The Spanish you study and the Spanish spoken in Granada don't always match. Here are some words you'll hear from day one.

Essential words

• Lavín / la vin: a contraction of "¡ay, la Virgen!". Used for everything: surprise, shock, admiration.
• Papas: potatoes. Always.
• Chispa: a little, a pinch. "Ponme una chispa de azúcar" (a touch of sugar).
• Pavo: euro (slang). "Me ha costado veinte pavos" (it cost me twenty quid).
• Compae / compadre: friend, mate. A marker of closeness.

The queen of Granada words: malafollá

If you learn only one Granada word, make it this one. Malafollá is the city's (alleged) bad temper: a blend of dry wit, bluntness and detachment with which locals answer without frills. Careful: it is not rudeness, it is a style — and there is usually affection underneath. "The waiter answered me with tremendous malafollá… then bought me the coffee."

More street dictionary

• Chavea: kid, lad (from Caló). "Ese chavea juega en el Zaidín."
• Illo / illa: the universal way to call someone. "¡Illo, espérame!" (Hey, wait for me!)
• ¡Cuchi!: look!, check that out! "¡Cuchi qué bonico!"
• Una pechá (de): a huge amount. "Nos dimos una pechá de andar" (we walked forever).
• Una jartá (de): loads. "Había una jartá de gente en la Alhambra."
• Bulla: hurry. "Ve sin bulla" (take your time).
• Regomello: an inner unease or embarrassment about imposing. "Me da regomello molestar."
• Esaborío/a: dull, charmless (from "desaborido"). The worst thing they can call you.
• Lampando: craving something badly. "Estoy lampando por un pionono."
• Enguachisnao: soaked, watery. "El arroz quedó enguachisnao."
• Chuminá: a silly trifle. "No discutáis por una chuminá."
• Bonico/a: pretty — with the -ico diminutive that gives eastern Andalusia away.

Very local expressions

• "¡Qué arte tienes!": how charming/talented you are. In Andalusia, arte is a supreme virtue.
• "Estar apalancao": to be comfortably settled with no wish to move.
• "Ni fu ni fa": neither good nor bad, so-so.

The Granada accent

In Granada the final 's' is aspirated (las casas → "lah casâ") and the intervocalic 'd' softens a lot (cansado → "cansao"). This isn't "bad" Spanish: it's a feature of eastern Andalusian with centuries of history. Once your ear adjusts, you'll understand half of southern Spain.

A tip

Don't try to imitate the accent on day one: first understand it. Listen, ask when you miss a word ("¿qué significa eso?") and save the ones you like. At the Clinic every tricky word comes with its definition and you can save it to your Vademécum to review.

Want this street Spanish to be your everyday life? This is what studying Spanish in Granada with us looks like — and here is our guide to culture in Granada.