Spanish profanity

Spanish profanity is the assortment of words considered blasphemous or sacrilegious in the Spanish language. These words are generally varied from nation to nation, and many have historical relevance. Several words in Spanish are the equivalent to the verb "fuck." For example, joder, chingar and ponchar, etc. are all equivalents or have the same, or in many cases, more significance than their English counterpart.

Chingar

Virginia Zurí as "La Malinche" in a 1933 Mexican motion picture, La Llorona. She would be the significant origin for the term "Chingada"

Chingada is a profane term in the Spanish language. It is the feminine form of the past participle of the verb chingar, roughly equivalent to the English word fuck or rape.

The word has its roots tied to the legend of La Malinche, a 16th century Native American, who helped translate for the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés during his 1519 invasion and conquest of the Aztec Empire; she later bore him at least one mixed race child, Martín Cortés, the first of Mexico's mestizos and the first hijo de la chingada.

Chíngate and related derivatives are equivalent to saying "go fuck yourself"; chinga a tu madre ("go fuck your mother") is arguably the most offensive thing you can say to a Mexican. Because La Malinche is considered by many a traitor to the Mexican race, this verb has been linked also to betrayal and seduction, along with sexual significance. It is for this reason that this verb is considered one of the most vulgar in the Spanish language.

Quotations on the verb "Chingar"

Imprecación, propósito, saludo, proyecto de vida, filiación, recuerdo, voz de los desesperados, liberación de los pobres, orden de los poderosos, invitación a la riña y al trabajo, epígrafe del amor, signo del nacimiento, amenaza y burla, verbo testigo, compañero de la fiesta y de la borrachera, espada del valor, trono de la fuerza, colmillo de la marrullería, blasón de la raza, salvavidas de los límites, resumen de la historia: santo y seña de México: tu palabra. — Carlos Fuentes (La muerte de Artemio Cruz)

("Curse, goal, greeting, plan for life, affiliation, memory, voice of the desperate, liberation of the poor, order of the powerful, invitation to fight and to work, love's epigraph, birth's mark, threat and gibe, watchword, companion in celebration and inebriation, sword of bravery, throne of strength, sharp fang of cajolery, badge of the race, lifeguard of the limits, summary of history: saint and symbol of Mexico: your word.")

Es una voz mágica. Basta un cambio de tono, una inflexión apenas para que su sentido varíe. Hay tantos matices como entonaciones: tantos significados como sentimientos. — Octavio Paz (El laberinto de la soledad)

("It is a magic word. A change of tone, a mere inflection is enough for its meaning to shift. It has as many nuances as intonations: as many meanings as feelings.")

Joder

Joder is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb equivalent to the English fuck. To say, jodéte, or jode a tu mama, for example means to literally say, "go fuck yourself" or “go fuck your mother.” This verb is equivalent to the Portuguese verb foder. The simple difference of “j” instead of an “f” presents a perfect example of lenition. The Spanish verb Chingar is arguably worse than joder, as it implies rape and the historical traitor “La Malinche.”

In Andaluz it becomes more an onomatopeaic for troublesomeness with minor hassle, whistled almost as "hoh-ay" where aye is just the same as 'a' . The use is not al all the sense of fuck , but the same sense in which fuck-that or -it is used . Castilians are shocked at the way anglos use fuck , but not at the way they use hoh-ay .

Related words

The word fuck generally has several equivalents in the Spanish language, and varies from country to country. For example, in Mexico "chingar," "joder," "verguear," (literally an implication of intrusion of the penis, i.e. "to dick" as "verga" is a slang term equivalent to "dick") and "ponchar." In Argentina, however, the verb coger is often used, which in other nations simply indicates to hurl or to throw. In Cuba, singar is often used - a derevitive of the Mexican "chingar." In Spain the verb follar is generally used.

Mierda

Mierda is the equivalent to shit. To say "vete a la mierda," however, would mean simply to "go to hell," etc. Caca, however, is a more acceptable term, equivalent to saying "boo boo"

Other terms

Several other profane Spanish terms exist. Cabron, for instance, is the equivalent to the English motherfucker. Puta, meaning "whore," implies the notion of "bitch" in English. Other words to describe sexual notions vary from region to region as well. Mariposa meaning butterfly, implies faggot in some regions, but marícon is used in others.

Commonly, pendejo is used as an insult equivalent to asshole, etc. Several words referring to the testicles are also used, such as albondigas (lit. meatballs), and huelvos (lit. eggs).

See also

• Spanish language
• La Malinche

External link

• La página de la chingada