Peru is a unique place to know. From their millenary history, great biodiversity, and its fabulous gastronomy to the people… with their very particular way of speaking. Apart from the more than 60 languages, and dialects that are spoken in Peru (Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara are the official languages), there are the so-called ‘Peruanismos’, very popular in daily use.
Many people consider ‘Peruanismos’ as slangs of vulgar use. However, the continuous use has determined that these idioms seize all social strata and are of interest not only to Peruvians but also to foreign travelers.
So if you are with the ‘pilas (batteries)’ (excited) to receive a class of ‘jeringas (syringes)’ (slang), we ‘ponemos primera’ (start) and ‘dateamos (we inform you)’ (teach) the ‘floro’ (lexicon) most used by the ‘tegen’ (people) in Peru. It doesn’t matter if you are ‘chancón’ (smart) or half ‘lenteja (lentil)’ (slow); if you are ‘misión imposible (mission impossible)’ (you lack money) or you have plenty of ‘fichas (tokens)’ (coins); if you are ‘chapado’ (muscular) or ‘cofla’ (thin). Because the only intention is that you pass it ‘bacán’ (cool) while ‘manyas’ (you know) a little more about these words adopted by the Peruvian population. Is your answer ‘sicatriz (scar)’ (yes)? So, let’s start with ‘yodo (iodine)’ (everything).
The word ‘Camote (Sweet Potato)’ is used in the expression “Te agarré Camote”, which means “I love you”.
A buffet of ‘peruanismos’
Peruvian food has also been included within the ‘peruanismos’ used in everyday speech. Furthermore, some of them are polysemic (they have more than one meaning). Here are some of the most representative words:
Yuca (cassava): it is a tuber with a large number of benefits and nutrients, which is regularly parboiled or fried to accompany various dishes. In Peru, the expression “¡Qué yuca!” or “¡Está muy yuca!”, is used to expose that a situation is difficult or complicated. In addition, cassava is also used to refer to the legs.
Camote (Sweet Potato): This tuber is part of the expression “¡Te agarré camote!”, Which means that someone became attached to you.
Lenteja (lentil): it’s used to refer to something slow. It can be used to refer to a situation or a person.
Zanahoria (Carrot): refers to a person who is very naive or innocent. The expression used regularly is “¡Qué zanahoria eres!”
Pollo (Chicken): the expression “¡Qué pollo eres!” It is used for people who do not have much resistance to alcoholic beverages and get dizzy fast.
Lechero (Milkman): used for those who are lucky.
Fruit dictionary
Piña (Pineapple): means that someone is unlucky.
Fresa (Strawberry): This small, sweet, and red fruit is part of the expression ‘De Fresa’, which is used to indicate the location of someplace. “Head-on” would be its translation.
Papaya: it is used in the expressions “Qué papayita” or “Qué papaya”, which means when something is simple or easy to do.
Palta (Avocado): Also known as guacamole, this fruit used for salads and dishes has the meaning of “shame”.
Cocos (Coconuts): used to refer to a marked abdomen or dollars (for more monetary terms, see the end of the note).
Other linguistic foods
Causa: it is a plate of food based on yellow potatoes. In Peru, ‘causa’ also means friend.
‘¿Cuál es tu cau cau?’: Cau cau is a popular dish of tripe and potato stew. The phrase ‘¿Cuál es tu cau cau?’ means ‘what is your problem?’
Turrón (Nougat): this national dessert, regularly consumed in October (in honor of the Señor de Los Milagros) is used to refer to when someone has bad breath or a strong liquor smell.
Inedible Idioms
In addition to the long list of ‘peruanismos’ related to vegetables, tubers, fruits, and food dishes, we also have the following expressions:
Chamba: one of the most used words in Peru. Chamba means work. Also, it can refer to a working person (or group of people): “The staff we have is very chamba.”
Jato: refers to the house and also to the action of falling asleep. In Peru, you will hear expressions like “¡Estoy en mi jato!” (I’m in my house) o “Me quedé jato” (i fell asleep).
Also the coins
The official currency of Peru is El Sol. There are smaller denomination coins (1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents, in addition to El Sol) and bills (10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 soles). In Peru, to refer to money, we say:
– 50 cents: a china (a Chinese).
– One Sol: a luca.
– Soles: solanos (word game inspired by the footballer Nolberto Solano).
– Dollars: coconuts.
– Soles bills: a check (2 checks would be 20 soles) or Villegas (frequent last name in Peru).
– 200 soles: Santa Rosita (the patron saint appears on the 200 soles bills).
Source: peru.travel / PromPerú