The Woman in the Line: Spanish study pack

Show 6 more expressions

bajonearto bring someone down emotionally, to sink into sadness or low spirits

colloquial

Both transitive (bajonear a alguien, to bring someone down) and reflexive (bajonearse, to feel down). Very common in everyday Rioplatense speech.

No te bajoneés por una sola mala nota; todavía tenés tiempo de recuperarte.Don't let yourself get down over one bad grade; you still have time to recover.

estar cagado de fríoto be freezing cold

vulgar

Intensified way of saying someone is extremely cold. The construction estar cagado/a de + noun is a common intensifier pattern for extreme states in Rioplatense speech.

Salió sin campera y llegó a casa cagado de frío.He went out without a jacket and arrived home absolutely freezing.

mandarse una cagadato screw something up, to make a serious blunder

vulgar

A fixed phrase for making a bad mistake that has real consequences. Stronger and more self-aware than just equivocarse.

Me mandé una cagada enorme cuando firmé el contrato sin leerlo.I made a huge blunder when I signed the contract without reading it.

ni en pedono way, absolutely not, not a chance

vulgar

A very strong negative, equivalent to no way in hell. Derives from pedo (fart/drunk) but functions as a fixed intensified refusal with no literal meaning in context.

¿Salir con esta lluvia? Ni en pedo.Go out in this rain? No way.

hacerse la vivato act clever or try to pull a fast one, to think you can get away with something

colloquial

Vivo/a in Rioplatense Spanish means a cunning or streetwise person. Hacerse el/la vivo/a is the idiomatic construction for pretending to be smarter than the rules.

No te hagas la viva con el cajero; revisó todo dos veces.Don't try to pull a fast one on the cashier; she checked everything twice.

a palosabsolutely not, no way (as in ni a palos)

colloquial

Used in the construction ni a palos, a strong emphatic refusal. Literally means not even with blows, meaning nothing could make it happen.

Ni a palos voy a ese lugar de nuevo; fue una experiencia horrible.There's no way I'm going back to that place; it was a horrible experience.

Key vocabulary

pabellón·wing or block inside a prison

noun (m)essential

Los presos del pabellón tres tienen permitido salir al patio dos horas por día.The inmates of block three are allowed into the yard for two hours a day.

fiscal·public prosecutor

noun (m/f)essential

El fiscal pidió que el acusado permaneciera detenido hasta el inicio del juicio.The prosecutor requested that the defendant remain in custody until the start of the trial.

alcaidía·holding area attached to a police station or courthouse where detainees are kept short-term

noun (f)essential

Después de la audiencia, lo trasladaron a la alcaidía hasta que el juez firmara la orden.After the hearing, they moved him to the holding area until the judge signed the order.

indagatoria·formal questioning of a suspect by a judge, a procedural step in Argentine criminal law

noun (f)essential

El abogado le explicó que la indagatoria no es lo mismo que una condena.The lawyer explained to him that the formal questioning is not the same as a conviction.

carátula·formal charge, the official legal label placed on a criminal case by a judge

noun (f)essential

Todo depende de la carátula que el juez elija para el expediente.Everything depends on the formal charge the judge chooses for the case file.

recluido·confined, isolated (within a prison, placed in a restricted area as a disciplinary measure)

adjective / past participleessential

Lo dejaron recluido en su celda durante varios días como medida disciplinaria.They kept him confined to his cell for several days as a disciplinary measure.

tarjeta de visita·visitor's permit, the authorisation card that allows a person onto an approved visiting list in prison

noun phrase (f)essential

Si te portás mal en la visita, te pueden sacar la tarjeta y no podés entrar más.If you misbehave during the visit, they can revoke your permit and you won't be able to enter again.

rueda de reconocimiento·police lineup, identity parade

noun phrase (f)essential

La testigo identificó al sospechoso durante la rueda de reconocimiento.The witness identified the suspect during the police lineup.

Show 9 more words

abogado·lawyer, attorney

noun (m)

Antes de firmar cualquier contrato, consultá con tu abogado.Before signing any contract, check with your lawyer.

quilombo·mess, chaos, commotion, trouble

noun (m)

Expressions to listen for

Key vocabulary