Want to spice up your Spanish with some uniquely Equatoguinean flair? Here’s your guide to the colorful world of Equatoguinean expressions, where Spanish dances with local languages to create unforgettable phrases.
Everyday Expressions
You’ll hear these gems in daily conversation:
- Estar cuadrado (To be squared)
- What you think it means: To be rigid or inflexible
- What it actually means: To be muscular or fit
- Example: “¡Mira como está cuadrado después del gimnasio!” (Look how buff he is after the gym!)
- Pinchar (To prick)
- What you think it means: To pierce something
- What it actually means: To dance OR to work
- Example: “Vamos a pinchar esta noche” (Let’s dance tonight!)
- No seas sáfiki (Don’t be sáfiki)
- Origin: Combines Spanish with ‘sáfiki’ from Fang language
- Meaning: Don’t be lazy
- Example: “¡No seas sáfiki y ayúdame!” (Don’t be lazy and help me!)
Food-Related Fun
- Meter el dedo en la boca (To put your finger in the mouth)
- Meaning: To eat something delicious
- Example: “Esta sopa me hace meter el dedo en la boca” (This soup is finger-licking good!)
- Estar picante (To be spicy)
- Beyond food: Used to describe a tense or difficult situation
- Example: “La reunión está picante” (The meeting is getting heated)
Social Situations
- Tener cuero (To have leather)
- Meaning: To be resilient or tough
- Example: “Tiene cuero para aguantar tanto trabajo” (They’re tough to handle so much work)
- Dar calabazas (To give pumpkins)
- Meaning: To reject someone romantically
- Example: “Me dio calabazas cuando le pedí una cita” (They turned me down when I asked for a date)
Weather and Time
- Hacer bochorno (To make stuffiness)
- Meaning: It’s humid and uncomfortable
- Example: “¡Qué bochorno hace hoy!” (It’s so sticky today!)
- A la caída del sol (At the fall of the sun)
- Meaning: Around sunset
- Example: “Nos vemos a la caída del sol” (See you at sunset)
Mixed Language Magic
- Estar en la bambucha (To be in the bambucha)
- Origin: Combines Spanish with local slang
- Meaning: To be in a mess or difficult situation
- Example: “Estoy en la bambucha con este proyecto” (I’m in a pickle with this project)
Modern Twists
- Tener pawer (To have power – from English)
- Meaning: To have influence or authority
- Example: “Ese tiene mucho pawer en la oficina” (That person has a lot of pull in the office)
These phrases showcase Equatoguinean culture’s unique blend of Spanish, local languages, and modern influence. Use them wisely – what’s common in Malabo might surprise Spanish speakers elsewhere!