Living in Honduras for the past few months, we’ve picked up several Hondurenismos expressions used by the locals. Here are characteristics of how Hondurans speak and interact.
A la orden– you’re welcome.
Hondurans respond with a “la orden” as a way of saying “you’re welcome.” Literally it means “at your order.” The expression is respectful and other-focused, reflecting much of the generous character of Hondurans.
Buenas– shortened phrase for greeting each other from “buenas tardes” (good afternoon), “buenos dias” (good day), to “buenas noche” (good night). It is used more often than “hola” (hello).
Cheke (“che-kay”)- Okay
Greetings and farewells- Hondurans have a closer personal distance than Americans for greeting and saying goodbye to each other. The exchange is a left embrace with a kissing sound. It is used especially between women. Men embrace women similarly but use handshakes more commonly with other men.
Platicar– to enjoy talking a lot. Used between friends jokingly.
Vaya, pues!– ok, see you later.
Listo– meaning “your plate is ready” or “you’re welcome.” Frequently used by waiters when they serve bring your plate to the table.
Vos– an informal second person singular pronoun of “you” used among close friends and with people that share the same level, such as among siblings. It is like the “tú” form used in other Hispanic countries but the forms of “vos” are limited to the present tense and command form. And don’t worry– you will be understood if you use the “tú” form. Besides Honduras, voseo is used by its neighboring countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, as well as in Argentina. Note, vos is different from the vosotros used in Spain which is the informal second-person plural pronoun (“you all”) and has a much more complete conjugation. Instead, use “Ustedes” (“you all”)for plural second-person plural, as used in other Hispanic countries.
Body parts– Hondurans have additional words to parts of the body. Here are our favorites:
- pico (beak) for boca (mouth)
- pescuezo (rooster’s neck) for cuello (neck)
- chiclera (refers to a candy store where you can buy chicles or gum and candy) for estomago (stomach)
- patas (paws) for pies (feet)
Physical defects– There are also expressions for physical defects.
- cheto- A woman shaped like a pear is ‘cheto’
- llanta- a tire waist is ‘llanta’
- narizon– one with a big nose is ‘narizon.’
Tongue twisters– Tongue twisters are fun and a great way to get the mouth moving and used to forming new sounds. Trabalengua literally means ‘to work the tongue.’
Platicar– Hondurans like to use the word “platicar” meaning to chat, but it is sometimes used in a negative connotation (i.e., to gab). Here is a sign on a stairwell warning not to block traffic by sitting (“sentarse”) or chatting (“placticar”) on the stairs (“las gradas”).
These are just a few of the unique expressions used by Hondurans that make their language so colorful.