Spanish Words of Romani Origin

Quick Answer

In this article, we’ll discuss Spanish words of Romani origin, such as chaval(kid), currar(to work), and molar(to be cool).

Questions This Article Answers

Does Spanish use any Romani words?

What is caló?

Examples of Spanish words of Romani origin?

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The Influence of Romani, or Caló, on Spanish

Calóis a variety of romaní(Romani) spoken by calés( Romani people) living mainly in España(Spain) and parts of France and Portugal. In Spain, the linguistic influence of caló is especially notable in Andalucía(Andalusia).

Caló vs. Calé

• The term caló can be used as a noun or as an adjective to refer to the Romani language.

• The term caléan be used as a noun or as an adjective to refer to the Romani people living in the Península Ibérica(Iberian Peninsula).

Adaptations, Calques, and Loanwords

A linguistic adaptación(adaptation) is a word or phrase taken from another language but adapted to the target language for phonologic, lexical, or syntactic reasons. For example, breeze is an adaptation of the Spanish word brisa.

A calco(calque) is a word or phrase translated literally into another language. For example, roadrunner is a calque of the Spanish word correcaminos (correr: to run + caminos: roads).

A préstamo lingüístico(loanword) is a word or phrase taken from another language and used in its original form. For example, patio is a loanword taken from Spanish.

Spanish Words of Caló Origin

The following are words of Caló origin that have made their way into Spanish.

Caló	Spanish	English
ćaći	chachi, chanchi	cool
caló	calé	Romani
chavalé	chaval(Spain)	kid
chavó	chavo(Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua)	kid
chorar	chorar(Spain), chorear(River Plate)	to steal
chamullar	chamuyar(River Plate)	to sweet-talk
diñar	dar	to deliver
jacharar	acharar	to embarass
jilí	gilí(Spain), gil(River Plate)	dumb
manú	manús	guy
moliate	mollate	cheap wine, plonk
paruipén	paripé	show
pinré	pinrel	foot

examples
Ese chaval es inquieto. That kid is restless.
¡Qué monopatín tan chachi! Me gusta. That's a cool skateboard! I like it.
¿Cuánto pagaste por este mollate? How much did you pay for this cheap wine?

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Caló Loanwords in Spanish

The following list shows Caló préstamos lingüísticos(loanwords) used in Spanish.

Spanish	English
bato	father
caló	Romani
camelar	to sweet-talk
canguelo	jitters
cañí	Romani
cate	punch
chalar	to drive crazy
chamullar(Spain)	to talk
chorar	to steal
choro	thief
chungo	sketchy
currar	to work
endiñar	to punch
fetén	great
jai	chick
jamar	to stuff oneself
jindama	fear
junar(River Plate)	to watch
lacha	shame
luca(River Plate)	thousand pesos
menda	yours truly
mengue	devil
molar	to be cool
pañí	water
parné	dough