Life Sentences

So when I started teaching English in the prison I got a crash course in Spanish. Unfortunately I didn't know very many words and the ones I heard I didn't recognize. That's mainly because they were either slang or curse words or both.

So I've tried to learn from them while I teach and also look up any words I hear that I may not recognize. I will attempt to keep them somewhat organized and post some regularly.

One great thing about Spanish is it's easy to pick up and sometimes gives you a false confidence. So when I first began using a few words I learned there were many times I made the class laugh.

As with any language, words don't always transliterate exactly and sometimes there's a disconnect.

Which brings me to introduce the first word I ever learned in Spanish (besides hola):

burro =

Meaning: donkey, dumb person, idiot

Examples: ¡Qué burro eres! (“You’re such a dummy!”)

I don't know how I picked it up but one day I said it and the class roared with laughter. Maybe because it was slang or because it was a slight insult but by now it is a term of familiarity.

When I'm teaching I hear it regularly now, "Como esta, burro maestro?" Of course I know by now it's not meant as an insult so I take no offense. Mainly because it goes both ways. "Bien Burro! Bien." Sometimes it's even the first thing I hear. "Buenos Dias Burros!" is how I greet the class. They just laugh and return the greeting.

I guess you could say I'm rather fortunate to be able to use such a word in such a place and not have people mad. In fact Spanish speaking people who aren't in my classes even greet me now in much the same way.

That doesn't mean I would use it if I took a trip to Mexico. :)

Labels: Slang, Spanish