If you decide to venture in any Andalusian province, you will notice that they use many local slang words. For this reason, even if your level of Spanish is native, it can be difficult to hold a conversation. Therefore, today we bring you some basic expressions to help you follow conversations with a little more ease.

1. Mi arma

“My soul” (love)

Arma, which means “weapon”, actually means alma (soul). The “L” is replaced by an “R” in this accent. Mi arma is an expression used in everyday conversation and is a term of affection. It is used mostly in the city of Seville.

Eg. “Gracias, mi arma.” (Thanks, love)

2. Pischa / Boquerón / Choquero

(Local ways of adressing people)

In Andalusia, almost all the important areas have a word to describe where you are from. In Cádiz, they use the word pischa / chocha, which literally mean “penis / vagina”. In Malaga they use the word boquerón / boquerona, which mean “anchovy”. In Huelva they use choquero / choquera, which mean “squid”. All the other inhabitants of the provinces use the name of their localities.

Eg. “¿Eres Pischa?” – “¿Pischa? Soy de Sevilla, tío. Pero mi padre es boquerón.”

(“Are you a Pischa?” – “Pischa? I’m from Sevilla, mate, but my father is a boquerón.”)

3. Canelita en rama (cinnamon bark)

“That’s perfect.”

This is typically used to convey an agreement with a suggestion. When something is a prime choice, you use this phrase.

Eg.”Estaba pensando que podríamos ir a Plaza El Salvador a tomar algo a las 10.”

“Canelita en rama. Te veré entonces.”

(“I was thinking we could go to Plaza El Salvador to have a drink at 10.”

“Canelita en rama, I’ll see you then.”

4. Ser muy salado / salada (To be very salty)

“To be charming, charismatic”

This is used to describe someone’s personality as vibrant and full of life. Pronounced: Salao

5. Si no sabes torear, para que te metes.

(If you don’t know how to bullfight, why do you get involved?)

“If you don’t know how to bullfight, they will charge you.”

It means that if you don’t know how to do something, keep in mind that you may fail.