Colombian Slang Basics #4: Parche
Today’s slang word is “parche”; a term the dictionary would have you believe just means “patch”. In Colombia, it has an altogether more useful meaning too.
While no exact English translation exists for Colombians slang use of “parche”, it roughly means: “a group of friends getting together to do something”.
So, talking about a fun night you had the previous day, you could comment to a buddy:
¡Qué buen parche el de anoche!
Later, another Colombian friend asks you about the plans for the weekend by saying:
Entonces, ¿vamos para la playa este finde o qué?
You could then hit them back with the nicely Colombian response:
Hágale, a mí me encanta ese tipo de parche
Meaning: “let’s do it. I love that kind of thing”.
And the verb “Parchar”
By turning “parche” into “parchar” it becomes the verb “to hang out [with friends]”.
For example:
Nosotros siempre parchamos en el parque
Meaning: “We always hang out in the park”.
Dañaparche – a buzzkiller
A “dañaparche” is the name for someone who ruins (“daña”) the “parche”. It is the Colombian slang version of “aguafiestas”, or “spoilsport”, heard in international Spanish.
In conversation, the term might be used as follows:
Si ustedes van a esa discoteca, yo no voy a ir. Siempre hay mucha fila y me da pereza esperar
Ey, no seas dañaparche. ¡Venga pues!
That is: 1. “If you guys are gonna go to that club then I won’t come. There’s always a long queue and I can’t be bothered to wait” 2. “Hey, stop being such a buzz killer and just come along!”.
“Estar desparchado” – to have no social plans
At the other end of the spectrum, “estar desparchado” is the way to describe someone who hasn’t got much going on in their social life, and who is probably a bit down as a result.
Take this joke complaint, for example:
Lo típico: cuando estoy desparchado, hace sol; después me sale un buen plan y llueve
This would translate as: “Typical. When I’ve got nothing going on, it’s sunny outside. Later, something good comes up and it rains”.
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It’s a Jungle Out There: Animal Slang in Colombia
Listen in to a conversation between Colombians and you are likely to hear quite a few references to a variety of animals. Outside of the countryside, however, such terms are not often used literally. Rather, Colombians have incorporated a large number of animal names into colloquial expressions and slang, which have meanings quite different to how they initially appear.
Colombian Slang Basics #2: The Meaning of “Vaina”
When it comes to Colombian slang, oftentimes there is no one definitive translation of a given term that will fit all situations and all contexts. Confusingly enough, the meaning of many of these words shifts about a lot depending on the situation in which they’re used. This is true of “vaina”; a highly versatile and multipurpose Colombian slang word that is generally held up as the most widely used and most typical of all “colombianismos”.