The Red-Hot Book of Spanish Slang: 5,000 Expressions to Spice Up Your Spainsh

by Mary McVey Gill, Brenda Wegmann, Mary McVey-Gill

Book Overview

Don't sound like una momia--add a little sizzle to your Spanish

If someone called you tragaldabas would you be insulted or flattered? If you shouted Mota in the street, would you expected to get a cab or get arrested? Thanks to The Red-Hot Book of Spanish Slang and Idioms, you'll always know your tejemaneje (scheme) from your merequetengue (mess) no matter where you find yourself in the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071433015
• ISBN13: 9780071433013
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An excellent reference for tailoring your Spanish to your audience

Spanish is an exceptionally rich and diverse language! It is the daily tongue of about two dozen countries across North America, Central America, South America, Europe, and Africa, and frequently spoken in many other lands... including by some 40 million people in the USA. While a decent knowledge of the "textbook" core language will allow you to function in each of these places, knowing the "local flavor" is essential if you really want to communicate effectively (and avoid potentially embarrassing slips of the tongue). With both Spanish-English and English-Spanish sections, this book is an excellent reference that will help endear you to audiences that will appreciate your taking the effort to better understand them, as well as keep you out of trouble with those who might take offense at a phrase that is perfectly acceptable in a neighboring region. If you're looking to tweak your Spanish remarks with just the right added zing, you can be secure in knowing that the authors have done a thorough country-by-country review of the appropriateness (or lack thereof) of these expressions.

Me gusta tus besos... Dios mio!

I was planning a two week long trip to Spain, and in my search for translation books I came across this gem. One of the best aspects of this book is that it denotes which country the phrase is from, thus, preventing you from uttering certain phrases which may be innaprioriate for the country which you are visiting. :-) This book alone has created some of the funniest memories from my trip in Spain... On an 11 hour train ride across the country, I met many other friendly travelers in the dining car. Having met some locals, and talking with them to the best of my ability in Spanish (and met those limits rather quicky, lol) I decided to go back to my seat and grab this book. I as well as the other Spaniards in the dining car browsed through this book and when we came across funny phrases, we acted them out like pictionary, and used body language to convey our thoughts. The whole thing was hilarious, and it made the 11 hour train ride go by very pleasantly. I also learned what the word "besos" meant, which was promptly demonstrated to me via a sneak attack by a very cute Spaniard. :-)

Red Hot Spanish is Great Fun!

Your book arrived safely and in excellent condition. I'm really enjoying it and have recommended it to my college friends. Two of them have already bought their own copies and are having as much fun as I am with Red Hot Spanish Slang.

A must have resource-

This new release of Spanish idioms and slang is without a doubt an invaluable resource for anyone who speaks Spanish or is learning the language. A difficult aspect of language learning is mastering idioms and slang as well as knowing how to use them correctly. Since Spanish has a vast diversity of lexicon and idiomatic expressions a book like this is a must have and it also makes for interesting reading. Compiled by native speakers of all the Spanish-speaking countries you can enjoy exploring a very important aspect of the Spanish language via a well-compiled and organized resource.

The hottest, comprehensive book on Spanish slang ever!

Of all the books I have read on Spanish slang and idioms, this is by far the best I have ever seen. It's quite comprehensive and well documented by country and region, easily accessible by Spanish to English, English to Spanish entries. One of the great pluses of this edition is that native readers from several Spanish-speaking countries contributed in developing the final manuscript. Thus, regional variations are clearly delineated, which makes this book so highly valuable. You can easily dispense with the authors's previously published book, especially the popular Street Spanish series, and make this your "bible" on Spanish slang. First rate! Indispensable!