Popular Spanish Words with No English Equivalents
The beauty of learning a second language is that you often learn words for emotions, sensations, and feelings where there weren’t previously words in your native language. Spanish has a plethora of these words, which we can describe in English, but are really sin traducción directa, or without a direct translation. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite words that are lacking an equivalent one-word English translation.
Trasnochar
Have you ever left writing a term paper for the night before it’s due? If so, you’re probably going to trasnochar, or stay up late into the night writing it. Trasnochar can be translated as to stay up late or to stay up all night in English, and it doesn’t have to be used only to describe staying up late to finish laborious school essays; you can use it even if you plan on staying up for fun!
| examples |
|---|
Madrugar
Not a night owl? This next one is for you early birds. Madrugardescribes the act of waking up in the early morning, usually before sunrise. Just as trasnochar has the word noche(or night) in it, madrugar, contains the word madrugada(meaning dawn or early morning) to give you a hint as to its meaning. Spanish speakers also use this word figuratively, to mean that something is arriving ahead of schedule.
| examples |
|---|
Friolento
If you find yourself reaching for a blanket or your jacket the minute you feel a draft, you would most likely describe yourself as friolento. In English, friolento is used to describe someone who is sensitive to the cold.
| examples |
|---|