Over the last five centuries hundreds of Spanish words have entered the English language. Here is Part Three of my selection of the more common ones.

Part Three: From llama to paella

Spanish has provided English with a number of words for animals. In this section of the alphabet we have llama (from the native Indian Quechua word llama via Peruvian Spanish) and mosquito from mosquito, literally "little fly".

Adjectives include loco ("mad" or "crazy"), macho (meaning "aggressively male/masculine" or "virile") and the nowadays taboo word negro (meaning "black", and formerly used to refer to a black person).

Words for people are matador (lit. "killer", for the star bullfighter) and mestizo (a person of mixed race).

Random words beginning with ‘m’ are machete (a broad heavy knife), mañana ("tomorrow" - although used in English to refer to a tendency among Spanish-speaking people to procrastinate), mantilla ("a lace head scarf or veil") mascara (from the Spanish máscara meaning "mask") and marijuana (a compound of the girls’ names María and Juana, but referring to the dried flowers of the cannabis plant which are smoked as an intoxicant).

In the world of food and drink English has borrowed manzanilla (a dry, slightly bitter sherry, but also the Spanish for "camomile"), oloroso (a full-bodied dark sherry), oregano (a herb) and paella (a rice dish with fish, meat and/or vegetables, typical of the Valencia region).

Look out for Part Four: From palomino to rumba.

Hasta luego.

Don Pablo

© Don Pablo

Don Pablo is Paul Whitelock, a graduate in Spanish and German, a retired Ofsted school inspector and former UK languages teacher. He now lives with his German wife near Ronda and is a freelance journalist, translator and interpreter. Paul can be contacted by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone on (+34) 952 87 40 38 or (+34) 636 52 75 16. www.a1-solutions-spain.com  

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Don Pablo: A-Z of Spanish into English - Part 3
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Over the last five centuries hundreds of Spanish words have entered the English language. Here is Part Three of my selection of the more common...

© 2012 - Secret Andalucia - Guadiaro Valley, near Ronda

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