what makes Guatemalan Spanish AMAZING (CHILERO!)

Cabal was LITERALLY a head-scratcher.. it's gotta be my favorite slang I took with me when I left Guatemala! I wasn't expecting so much to stand out from Guatemalan Spanish, but I was so surprised. How many of these regionalisms do you know already?
gracias Johan por salir en mi video 💕
-----
☕️ buy me a coffee (if you are so inclined!)
ko-fi.com/elyssespeaks
-----
💌 social media:
📷 instagram:
/ elyssedavega
🐥 twitter:
/ elyssedavega
🎵 spotify w/ english, german, spanish, and portuguese playlists
open.spotify.com/user/elysse....
-----
💌 about me
Hey! Hola! Hallo! Oi! Salut! Shalom! Merhaba! I'm Elysse, I’m a KZbinr and journalist from the USA. I make videos about languages, how to learn them, and how I navigate the places they're spoken. Come along for the ride 🚗💨
💌 FAQ
How old are you?:
22 years old
What languages do you speak/sign?:
English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, American Sign Language, Turkish, Hebrew (all at varying levels of course so pls don't come for my neck that I'm not fluent)
Where do you live?:
USA, baby but I'm a citizen of the WORLD
00:00 - 01:41 Chapín Spanish is underrated
01:42 - 05:14 Johan schools me on Guatemalan vocab
05:15 - 07:28 saying YES and answering the phone
07:29 - 08:49 VOSEO: in Guate, you are VOS
08:50 - 10:07 this Indigenous word means "bro"
10:08 - 10:33 everyone is an "amigo" in Guatemala
10:34 - 12:08 Chapín Spanish is super slow!
12:08 - 13:08 closing thoughts & a beautiful paisaje
#learnspanish #chapíndecorazón #guatemala

[@nataaalia]

I'm guatemalan and it makes me really happy that someone finally talked about guatemalan spanish. I guess guatemalan spanish is very neutral and we don't have a thick accent, like for example Argentinians do. But it is very unique and there are some cool expressions. Thanks for sharing this!

[@elyssespeaks]

Of course! i agree, and i’m glad you liked it :)

[@HanJisungsBabyMomma]

I have a friend from Guatemala, that doesnt know much english, so im trying to learn Guatemalan spanish for him. Im doing french in school so hopefully itll be easy!

[@ga3697]

My mom is from Guatemala. It's definitely the indigenous cadence playing affect in the Spanish! You're also right about us being friendly. A kiss on the cheek, twice, for older female family members here is required lol.

[@kittywhiskerz]

Your people are some of the most coldest, bitter individuals in the Spanish speaking world.

[@kittywhiskerz]

Wow, that’s such a heavy comment. I feel so enlightened lmao

[@julianarocha9370]

i can listen to you talk about literally anything

[@elyssespeaks]

😭 that’s a huge compliment, thank you 💕

[@franciscoroche183]

Guatemala is a cool country and people are unique. Very well educated and friendly with foreign people.

[@elyssespeaks]

The coolest! I always have such a positive experience when I visit

[@tej98]

This was so interesting as a Spanish-learner, and Jesus Christ what a beautiful backdrop!!

[@elyssespeaks]

glad you liked it!!

[@carlossalazar4608]

This was very helpful! As a Guatemalan American this really helps refresh the lingo that gets lost living in the US. I also believe that “cha” is short for “mucha” and you would use it to greet a group of friends, for example “Buenas, Que honda mucha” I’ve heard while visiting my cousins. My family is from a pueblo called Retalhuleu, hopefully one day you can visit!

[@avieboy]

After 4 years in Guatemala, my Spanish will forever be changed. I spent time all over, and a lot of expressions are regional. There are a lot of phrases I learned and use that you didn't touch on. I live in the highlands, in Xela more K'iche here. My favorite word is Utz ....cool.

[@elyssespeaks]

yeah, I spent a month there, of course it’s not gonna be an exhaustive video 😹 it’s more like first impressions

[@avieboy]

@@elyssespeaks I'm not saying it should be a dictionary or anything. That would take forever. A great book I love about guate slang is called "Que onda vos" lots of fun expression and very comprehensive. I still can't remember all the idioms and uses for huevo!

[@nickgerr1991]

Utz is prolly indigenous

[@eliochang-olmedo5321]

This is really cool to see as my father is from Guatemala, Puerto Barrios specifically, and my mother is from El Salvador also. They have a lot of shared vocabulary, that neighboring Honduras and Nicaragua also have, but a lot of country specific ones too. I grew up going to both every year, and my favorite Guate specific vocabulary that i tell people is that, at least in the area my dad is from, 'agua' means soda instead of water. If i ask anybody down there for agua they'd reply with 'what flavor'. To ask for water, you say 'agua pura', literally 'pure water'. I always thought that was neat. Anyways big fan, and it's really cool to see Guate get it's recognition. Seeing as you're by lake Atitlán, if you've got the chance i recommend going to the town Panajachel, really pretty views of the lake

[@elyssespeaks]

Yeah, agua pura! I'm used to saying agua natural in Mexico :) and thanks for the rec, I actually spent almost all of my time in San Pedro La Laguna hahaha

[@eliochang-olmedo5321]

@@elyssespeaks looking at a map i see that's on the south side of the lake which i think you mentioned in the video. Panajachel is on the north side. If you go, awesome, if not, something to do next time you're back haha. I've also seen on TikTok apparently there's a hobbit village and some giant hand statues you can go on for pretty views of Atitlán too, not sure exactly where they are tho. Gonna find them next time I'm there. Other recommendations that I'm sure you've been told are Antigua, Guates old colonial capital that is really cute, and Tikal national park. Tikal is way north tho, borders Mexico i think, but it has a bunch of Mayan pyramids and there's the fun fact that Star Wars a New Hope filmed some parts there! I'm sure that's way out of the way and you've probably seen other Mayan ruins in Mexico but still really pretty and i highly recommend!

[@titodetrapio980]

lol my mother is guatemalan and her father would call my father (salvadorean) 'patojo'. In Gua, it means boy or young man, but in ES, it means like crippled or lame so my dad always was wary of my maternal grandfather insulting him lol they cleared it up but it is a funny situation.

[@trillestarchives]

@@titodetrapio980lol

[@AbramFontanilla]

Yess!! I'm so hyped for this video. I started learning Spanish because of a Guatemalan friend of mine. This makes me so happy!

[@elyssespeaks]

Awww that’s awesome!! you should show him this video to see if i did it justice 🥸

[@kittywhiskerz]

Please don’t bastardize such a beautiful language like the guateemalans did!! Learn from other countries!

[@cailie26]

I actually recently made a friend from Guatemala and I've noticed him saying some of these words. It's really interesting and fun to learn how different Spanish speakers talk. also loved the vid, I really want to go to Guatemala now:')

[@elyssespeaks]

You definitely should!! And hey, I forgot to mention “cerote”, you’ve probably heard that one from him :P

[@adolfosantiago73]

​@@elyssespeaks 😂😂 that one we say it 1000 times a day to friends. 😅😅

[@alwayslearningmindset]

Saying that vos is how people talk to their dogs made it so clear to me the kind of closeness that it connotes 😊

[@sabiasources]

Guatemaltecos go hard. Thank you for this exchange and perspective

[@elyssespeaks]

they do!! 😹 and hey, thank you for watching :)

[@meltlangs9162]

Interesting how for Soda they say "Gaseosa' , I speak Portugusese from Angola and for Soda we say 'Gasosa" very similar 😀

[@elyssespeaks]

So cool!!

[@carlosvega4704]

Portuguese it's old Spanish that never developed.

[@foreverlovesophie]

A lot of Guatemalans are mixed with Portugués. My grandmother’s family is originally from Portugal . I was born in Guatemala

[@dennisflynn1664]

I went to Guatemala for the first time in 1991 and immediately noticed that the way Guatemalans speak Spanish is like singing a song. It’s so beautiful. I spent a month in Antigua Guatemala and had the best time of my life. I love your video, thank you.

[@pedrotine9281]

Love their musicality it's basically how brazilian portuguese compares to european portuguese

[@elyssespeaks]

I hadn’t thought about that!

[@bga_29]

I live in the most densely populated Guatemalan town in America. And I learned Spanish from my Guatemalan friends on my high school soccer team. They speak a beautiful Spanish and are great people. They even call me chapín!

[@elyssespeaks]

Chapín de corazon! What city? 🇺🇸

[@foreverlovesophie]

What city ?

[@Ajhuertamiranda016]

Soy de Paraguay y aqui la mayoria de la gente contesta diciendo: Hola? PD: El español de Guatemala es bastante divertido, tiene algunas similitudes con el paraguayo en palabras como "gaseosa" jajaja

[@thewarriorofdubstep]

*What an amazing video I truly did enjoy your experience in my home country of Guatemala, yes indeed so, Guatemalan Spanish has various accents from east to North and west to South there's a bit of twist in every region Spanish and it's very beautiful but our slang is unique our special way of communication.* 🇬🇹

[@elyssespeaks]

You should be very proud! ❤️🇬🇹

[@CouchPolyglot]

qué interesante, me ha gustado mucho el formato de este vídeo 😄La verdad es que me encantaría visitar Guatemala. A disfrutar 😊

[@elyssespeaks]

que bueno que te gustó ❤️ deberías visitar cuando puedas!!!

[@francomejia6465]

Aquí te esperamos y no te vas arrepentir de tu decisión welcome

[@elenafari_]

i'm guatemalan and tbh the struggle when trying to explain the word cabal is real also ig cha is a regional thing, i've never heard it

[@kittywhiskerz]

Is it similar to scumbag?

[@lezui]

@@kittywhiskerz no, you use cabal when a friend tells you something that's correct, it roughly means "that's correct" or "you're right", but it can also be used when something is exact, like when you pay for something with an exact amount of money so you don't have to get change, it roughly translates to "exact"

[@renzgonzalez]

The landscapes omg

[@elyssespeaks]

right!!!

[@PolyglotProgress]

That background 😍😍 This was such a cool video! As someone who's far from an advanced speaker of Spanish I miss out on noticing a lot of those little differences between different varieties of Spanish. I love that your videos let me hear about the ways the same ideas are expressed in different Spanish speaking areas and start learning some of those regional words without getting to travel there myself!

[@elyssespeaks]

Yessss!! we have some representation of the biggest dialects in the US, but little countries like Guate often get overshadowed. i’m glad you liked the vid :)

[@danieltobar9447]

Yo soy guatemalteco (de la capital) y nunca había escuchado "chá" en mi vida. En cuanto a la palabra "casaquear", también se usa como sinónimo de ligar (flirt), se le dice "casaquero" a alguien que siempre anda ligando con todo el mundo. Lo del voseo es en toda guatemala, aunque hay gente que lo considera demasiado informal entonces en lugar de decir "vos decís" dice "tú decís", que es informal pero no tanto. En cuando a alargar las palabras y la cadencia, muy seguramente es el acento del idoma maya en el español, o algo regional. Porque en la capital casi no suena así, de hecho lamentablemente el tener acento de un idioma maya generalmente está mal visto, por el racismo y el clasismo que lleva existiendo 500 años en Guatemala. Gracias por hacer un video de nuestro español xd, me gustó mucho

[@elyssespeaks]

Que bueno que te gustó! gracias por verlo, y por la información :) si, es una lástima que se trate así a las personas que llevan más tiempo en lo que hoy es Guatemala. La película Ixcanul destaca muy bien este tema, es una película guatemalteca que se trata de una familia Kaqchikel. deberías de verla si no la has visto ya

[@ZidnieWimsky.]

Es cierto lo que decís respecto a los acentos de los idiomas mayas y el voseo. Cabe añadir que en cada región del país hay diferentes acentos y también palabras diferentes. Así que no se puede usar el acento de alguna región para definirlo como un acento generalizado de todo el país porque no es así, Guatemala a pesar de ser un país pequeño es muy diverso, social, étnica y culturalmente en cuanto a demografía se refiere.

[@eliv.o7105]

Dicen “tu sos”…….que super incorrecto…..

[@nickgerr1991]

Gracias por aclrar esto. Yo comente algo similar, que la gente que habla con cadencia tenga mas sangre maya que la gente que no habla asi. Y la gente piensa que todo el pais hable y se mire asi. Y las palabras que utilizan tengan rootas mayas, y no espanol. Nos hacen vernos mal.

[@nickgerr1991]

@@eliv.o7105 obviamente, porque no saben hablar

[@tinydancestar]

I'll be going to Lake Atitlan next week! Super excited.

[@elyssespeaks]

Hell yeah!! Hope you enjoy it.

[@emilioxec1014]

Cabal es afirmacion , completo, tender razon, estar deacuerdo con alquien. darle razon a aguien

[@williamzarate3402]

Amiga!! I like your video!! (I'm a sub to your channel) It's amazing that you catch pretty fast the guatemalan accent and the guatemalan slang. I'm guatemalan and I've been living in New York for over 30 years I'm originally from Momostecotenango (I speak Ki'che)on the highlands of Guatemala and I tell you that every region in Guatemala the poeple talk differentrly.. I hope you had a good staying in Guatemala and good luck to you .

[@elyssespeaks]

thanks so much for watching and subbing! i'm glad i did justice to the region, it's very beautiful and i cant wait to come back :)

[@helgramajo]

Yo soy del oeste de Guatemala, pero tambien vivi bastante tiempo en la ciudad capital de Guatemala. Sinceramente primera vez que escucho la expresion "CHA". Probablemente sea de la region de Solola que tu visitaste. "Cabal" puede ser traducido como Exacto o Exactamente. Referente a casacas, usualmente lo utilizamos para referir que alguien esta mientiendo o exagerando con la intensión de impresionar o convencer. Sinceramente, muy agradable tu video, me alegra que tuviste una buena experencia en mi pais.

[@Luboman411]

"Cha" is definitely a Lake Atitlan regional thing. It doesn't exist in other parts of Guatemala, even in parts where Kaq'chikel, Quiche and other dialects of Mayan are spoken. So, yes, it's definitely regional since I've never heard of it.

[@mlg3217]

Seus vídeos são inspiradores, é sempre divertido ver como vc ama aprender coisas novas sobre determinado idioma. E que paisagem lindíssima, fiquei maravilhada!!

[@elyssespeaks]

owwww obrigada por assisti-los :)

[@mariogonzales9622]

Hi, I'm new to your channel and it's amazing. I don't know where you're from. Your Spanish is very good. I'm from Guatemala and I speak a language at night.

[@elyssespeaks]

I'm from the US! thanks for watching ~

[@Audio_Titan]

What a rich video. Learned a lot. Thank you!

[@mnic86]

Another great video Elysse! Saludos desde Australia 🇦🇺👍

[@elyssespeaks]

Que bueno que te haya gustado, saludos 🥂 👋

[@RaulGonzalez-fp8st]

Interasante video muy ameno y relajado y con buen humor ! Permiteme correjir la frase No tenga pena se usa para decir No se preocupe , shame seria verguenza.

[@fernandoduartecastillo1347]

encantador programa felicidades , la expresión "CABAL" es un poco reciente en el argó guatemalteco que recuerde salió de una frase muy popular que era: " Cabál tu pisto - vos " similares a decir que todo está bien dicho o cuentas claras

[@georgethecatcabrera7505]

Your Guatemalan video is fascinating. I was born in Guatemala but moved when I was very young. So far, I haven't heard the word "Cha" it is a new word to me; I do not remember using it growing up over there. Another reason could be a word that younger people have created or maybe is related to the Solola region. On my next visit to Guatemala, I am going to investigate. The Guatemalan Spanish is very similar to the Mexican because Guatemala was part of Mexico not too long ago, 199 years to be exact.

[@homeboysudaka5629]

Im argentino and i live in Phoenix for many years so im very familiar with mexican spanish and the “ bien” and “ no tengas pena” is weird lol Gran video amiga

[@emaanfaiz874]

Hey Elysse! So I recently discovered your content the first being the video how I learn German and instantly fell in love with your humour and your approach to language learning! I was learning German since I was13 but always abandoned it cuz of my exams or just lack of motivation of not being able to do it but its my final year of high school and I really wanted to commit myself to learning German and your videos and recommended resources lead me to really enjoy my language learning process and im luckily about to reach level A2 of German! So thanksss alot for helping your new subscriber I wish u all the best after your graduation. Also can anyone suggest good and reliable sources for language partners or lessons on a budget since I now want to expand my comfort zone and actually talk to natives for practice and making friends. Here are some items on my language bucket list: Being an advanced German speaker Learning a lesser known language filled with unique culture like Czech(my friend is from Czech republic) Learning a language from my country's province like pashto or balochi Teach english (currently doing ryt now)❤🙌

[@bragoen]

I find the vos bit interesting as coming from Portuguese it would be the polite form and is close to the French "vous". Quite the contrast with "it's the pronoun you use to talk to your dog"

[@elyssespeaks]

HAHA exactly, i think it comes from vosotros but it’s been reduced in meaning through all the years

[@adrianstaystrong]

So interesting, thanks for the video!

[@elyssespeaks]

thanks for watching!:)

[@emilioxec1014]

la gerga Guatemalteca es muy extenso y el modismo .

[@thewarriorofdubstep]

Y único!!! Orgullo ser Guatemalteco!!!

[@Rachelsmith996]

Hola hola! I think i’ve been to that lake a long, long time ago, its breath taking, this video brought back some really good memories there. So, I’m from el salvador but raised here in the US, and I can confirm a couple of things: clavo is just another expression that affirms your on point. Also, for joven or niño we call them bicho/bicha, or sipote/sipota 😂. We use voz Everytime we can. Oh and for soda we say gasiosa. For the word drunk we use the word Bolo or borracho. For the most part of el salvador some regions speak faster then others. My family is from the capital y si alargamos las palabras. Lastly, I remember as a kid walking to school, my grandpa would greet everyone y es por respeto propio. The culture is very welcoming and warm so yes we say amiga/ or amigo when we great someone that were acquainted 😅 I can keep going but i’m not trying to write a novel here! I really enjoy your your channel! Thanks for putting this great content together!

[@JavierSuruy]

No we do not say Cha in the city, actually I didn't know about this word before, Greatings from Guate!

[@giancarlolambert9696]

We say Alo in Peru too:)

[@elyssespeaks]

Haha good to know! I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb with my "bueno" hahaha

[@soyakat]

@@elyssespeaks dw in Ecuador we say the both ways and it's totally common when answering the phone, I'd say both ways are very well known for all Spanish speakers not matter where you are

[@edgzta]

CHA I've never heard that word before. Probably a Lake Atitlán or Indigenous influence.

[@elyssespeaks]

totally! that’s what i’m finding out

[@melimellow95]

Really similar tu Honduran Spanish, we also say aló answering the phone

[@elyssespeaks]

i feel like it's a universal thing, even in Turkey and in Brazil they do the same :)

[@josemacz555]

More interesting your video, I loved ❤ ♥

[@elyssespeaks]

thanks, i’m glad!!

[@AnaAguilar-ks7bf]

Qué divertido ver cómo notas esas pequeñas diferencias en nuestro español jajaja. Yo soy de la capital y nosotros sí hablamos un poco lento a comparación de otros países latinoamericanos peeero, alargar las vocales en las palabras es más de las áreas rurales (de indígenas principalmente). Lo que tenemos los capitalinos es conjugar el "tú" con el "vos" (re loco) entonces decimos "tú sos" en vez de decir "tú eres" o "vos sos" i.e "tú sos preciosa" jaja. Y lo de "cha" jamás lo había escuchado 😭 nadie dice eso en la ciudad y si lo digo me harán chiste 😂😂.

[@elyssespeaks]

Tú sos!!! Que locura!! Pero que bueno que tengo ejemplos de cómo hablan todos los chapines, no solamente los capitalinos :)

[@francomejia6465]

Cada región tiene su forma de hablar a pesar de ser small country

[@mynorxilojperez8628]

@@elyssespeaks en mi pueblo, casi no se habla el español, para decir ven acá, decimos... Hey cabron vente para acá. Para decir, hola cómo estás... Decimos, que hondas como te va.

[@MrStig288]

I love how (for lack of better words) the Spanish that they speak in Guatemala is very very proper. I grew up around the Mexican dialect of Spanish which is heavy on slang terms. Two completely different languages. The word Joven always made me feel weird, especially when the young men were close to my age and my family (gualtematecos) Also, love your videos! Thank you

[@blueangel9746]

The magic or the success of GUATEMALAN SPANISH is that we pronounce all letters vocals and consonants also the slang is mostly to lower classes. Also we use the three formas in general Spanish from GUATEMALA is the best to learn , or the best for beginners, the worst wil be the Caribean Spanish from Cuba Dominjcan Puerto Rican And also the one from Venezuela or Bolivia. ARGENTINEAN is perfect but you also have the Strong Italian Influence.

[@elyssespeaks]

there is no best or worst in my opinion, all dialects are beautiful in their own way :)

[@blueangel9746]

@@elyssespeaks we are talking from Spanish language? Ahhh ok. Well yes there is bad Spanish for no Spanish speakers the accent and lot of slangs and wrong pronunciation makes that Spanish not good for beginners I was Spanish instructor and I know. Is not about. Everything's good.

[@eliv.o7105]

….the slang is not mostly lower class….every social class in Guatemala uses the slang…everybody uses it and everybody swears….

[@blueangel9746]

@@eliv.o7105 some slang is permitted but the examples here are not just not accurate but are also for people with no Manners and in general are consider Tasteless.

[@nickgerr1991]

@@eliv.o7105 stop coping, we all know who uses what slangs.

[@alex-chicago-80]

The word vos was derived from the original word vosotros. There a few YT vids about it which details exactly why it got shortened.

[@JuanMoreno-wo5yb]

The vos from places like Argentina is something completely different from the vosotros in places like Spain. They are no where near the same thing. Vosotros is used in place of Usted in Spain and vos in Costa Rica and Argentina and other places is used in place of tu and has its own verb conjugations. In Mexico they use Usted (singular) and Ustedes (plural) and do not used vosotros. Mexicans do not use vos, they use tu. I hope that is clear.

[@kathymohsin5867]

Que lindo paisaje

[@LuisRodriguez-ju3nk]

I am from the Capital and the word ¨cha¨is only used in the lake area, to answer the phone "alo" es the most common way to answer in Latin america "bueno" is more like a Mexican thing

[@carlosquiroa3590]

Hermoso país! Guatemala Rocks!

[@elyssespeaks]

sure does!!

[@kittywhiskerz]

It sux!’

[@DavidCano-tc3kh]

Vos tu video me llego! Si esta chilero!

[@kc006]

Thank you for your video I enjoyed it very much¡ Three things, when we say in Guatemala alo on the phone that actually comes from the English language and its Hello we actually are ruining the English language by our pronunciation of the word hello Lol and no tenga pena doesn't have anything with being ashamed, is no te preocupes. And when somebody ask someone if he/she is going to work and they say bien its just wrong is the second time I hear this and I'm sure is and indigenous thing they don't speak Spanish sometimes very well.

[@PavelAMarin]

I like using VOS. It’s like the exact middle of being respectful with Usted and not-so-respectful with Tu. It’s a neutral kind of word to refer to someone when talking to them. It’s most Guatemalan used as far as Central America.

[@my.language.adventure]

In Colombia the most common way to respond when on the phone is Alo? 😊 By the way, great videos Elysse! I am enjoying watching your language content

[@elyssespeaks]

Cool to know! I would love to visit Colombia some day soon. glad you enjoy my vids :)

[@JuanMoreno-wo5yb]

@@elyssespeaks I don’t recall but somewhere they say: “diga o dígame” when they answer the phone. In Guatemala the say Waynos dias instead of buenos dias… and everyone says it to everyone on the streets in Quetzatenengo (oops). I want to go back if the Spanish classes are still much cheaper there. 🤗. Nice video

[@Xyz594]

You are beautiful! I hope you enjoyed Guatemala hermosa

[@morell5589]

No toda Guatemala, cada lugar tiene su propia forma de hablar. We day Mucha

[@oliverfalco7060]

I'm from Cuba and I live in Spain. To me what is most common answering the phone is: alo/hola, sí?, diga/dígame buenas is more when you met with someone in person, like a short version for "buenos días" but I guess it could be also used answering the phone

[@elyssespeaks]

Ahhh yes the famous “Diga”!

[@rudolphparedes9856]

También dicen::: buenooo??

[@quetzalmacho7853]

Me gusto tu video , mas el final asta mañana nos vamos en maya 🥰🥰😍

[@luisbarahona9467]

Hola soy de Guatemala y es la primera vez que escucho CHA, no tenía idea, creo que es algo local de Solola.

[@emmaopaline]

In Spain, people say Alo like in French Allo. Maybe it's because of the proximity between two countries. Always interesting to compare different spanish dialects.

[@Luboman411]

"Refresco" is used in a weird register-y way: "refresco" is much more often used among middle and upper-class Guatemalans in the cities while "gaseosa" is used among the poorer classes in the rural regions. It's weird that you're making me realize that there's a difference I never thought of before. LOL.

[@blueangel9746]

Cabal means ASI ES or EXACTO but also means in other context. COMPLETO. ( EL DINETO ESTA COMPLETO , EL CAMBIO DE QUETZALES A DOLARES ESTA CABAL.

[@mygiboxatgmail]

We use different Grammatical conjugation in Guatemala, I'm old school and the way I was taught was that you call "Usted" to someone older or someone you respect like your parents or grandparents, "vos" is mostly use with friends or someone you feel comfortable with, "tu" we use it more with close family members, in primary school they teach you "vosotros" so we can use the correct conjugation too (at least back in the days they did, don't know if they still teach it at school).

[@orchardspanish5713]

En español de España "ligar" means "to flirt", y utilizamos también "pedo" para describir que estamos borrachos. Y personalmente, cuando contesto el teléfono digo "¿Sí?" o "¿Dígame?". ¡Muy interesante!

[@nelsonfigueroa1628]

Son casaqueros vos que chilero es mi país!! Saludos desde Utah que lo pasen bien!👊👊

[@cristianmelendez8190]

One thing I noticed while speaking with my family in Guatemala, they say Mano a lot. Referring to Bro

[@zefilho6330]

Boa noite Elysse. I'm learning a lot with your videos.

[@elyssespeaks]

Boa noite, that’s awesome ❤️ glad I can help out!

[@sabi8381]

Awesome video! Btw, "No Tenga Pena" is like "Don't worry"

[@elyssespeaks]

I know! haha it's just the way I literally translated it

[@lipe26714]

Hola. soy chapin y tienes razon con la cadencia que te refieres, se escucha principalmente en gente indigena. "cha" es definitivamente regional, yo nunca lo he escuchado en la ciudad. Acento y palabras aca pueden variar segun region, edad, grupo etnico o estrato social. El slang puede ser bien extenso, en el caso de "patojo" o "guiro", tambien puedes echuchar usar "chiriz", "ishto" o "chavito" por ejemplo. Cabal hoy estube conversando con unos amigos sobre el chapinismo "cabal" 😅, y luego de casualidad me encontre con tu video. me dio gusto ver que lo mencionaras. Saludos!

[@elyssespeaks]

Que bien que los explicamos bien!! Jajaja gracias por ver el video

[@trevoranderson7291]

"Cabal" is such a useful word. After living in Guatemala it was so hard to live without "cabal"

[@jibo91]

5:40 I'm brazilian, so I don't speak spanish, but in Brazil we say "alô" as well. We also say "sim" "olá" and "pois não".

[@elyssespeaks]

Pois não to answer the phone?!

[@jibo91]

@@elyssespeaks yep, but alô is the most common

[@0505121968]

@@elyssespeaks pues no...xD

[@marcohernandez9587]

Beautiful 😍😍

[@CristinaAllegra]

For me (I am from Spain), replying a phone call with "alo" sounds very weirds and foreign. "Hola" I would guess is a normal option but the one that comes naturally to me is "si? ". I loved the video and in general just stopping to think how different some very usual things are said by different people (different places or languages). Like for example, I live in Germany and here I would never reply a phone call with something like "hallo" unless it is a close friend, it feels too informal to me. I would say "Guten Tag". Here people are way more polite and constantly wishing a good day/evening/weekend/week even and it feels wrong not to (in Spain if I said it this often I feel like people would be rahter surprised)

[@carlosvega4704]

Spanish has a lot from French.. halo French, coche, French, charlatan. ( chat)

[@nickgerr1991]

alo is like "hello?"......same in russian english, alo, to answer phones

[@antoniorojas1254]

Me encznta tus videos. Exitos. Saludss

[@elyssespeaks]

Gracias! 🙏

[@heyyyyouuu493]

My dad was born & raised in Guatemala before he came to America & he’s the oldest out of 4 & everyone in my household knows Spanish except for me My dad never taught me My abuela & abuelo tried to teach me but gave up lol I can kinda understand them but they speak more Spanish than English & i wanna speak their language.

[@elizabethlamboy-wilson7335]

Very interesting. I learned alot with you. Your spanish is absolutely beautiful. Its interesting to see a red head, white skin spean as professionally as you. I notice that Guatemalans sing when the speak just like the mexicans do. I have never heard of some of the words they use for drunk, no worries, or the use of the word "BIEN" for o.k. or yes. Very very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@julietasued9023]

here in argentina we mainly say "¿hola?" when answering the phone!

[@Llywi01]

The word Güiro is for kids, but I think we use it for kids from 5 to 12 years old. And Patojo is for kids from 13 - 18. Also Young people use patojo over the age 18. Remember, In Guatemala we speak over 24 languages. Before 2000 the second most useful language was Kiche and Kaqchiqel. Nowadays the second most spoken language is Q'eqchi' from the last Censo 2018. I live in the North of Guatemala, and Yeap, we have our own slang from Q'eqchi'. If you have the chance to visit Cobán, let me know to help with the vocabulary. Nice video, Greetings from 🇬🇹🇬🇹🇬🇹!

[@TealFlower0409]

my in laws are guatemalan and they refer to all the kids (from infants to teens) as patojos

[@eliasalvarez.8342]

Maltiox..graias.por.visitar.mi.linda.Guatemala .saduditos.desde...California .thank.you.so.much.be good..Wonderful.

[@imitadorherbertnavarro7524]

Eres hermosa !!!! Welcome!

[@poladrize7786]

In Spain, we say "hola" or "diga/dígame"! I tend to say "holo" when it's a friend (which isn't a word but it makes "hola" sound less formal even though it's not really formal lol)

[@poladrize7786]

I've also always thought that "vos" was the Latin American (mostly Argentinian) way of saying "usted", so adding formality instead of informality? Am I totally wrong about that?

[@54kardsthegamer97]

cabal is like exacto. i know lots of slang

[@lxf9914]

One thing you didn't mention directly (although you did mention musicality) is how they go up in pitch alot 11:12 ish. My family is Mexican and my sister married a Guatemalan. The inlaws have this EXACT cadence where they lift the tones alot 11:12. It's like they hold the tone and raise the pitch to emphasize something. Very Guatemalan. Otherwise they can speak blisteringly fast to the point they are slurring. in-laws

[@nickgerr1991]

Yeah, id say mainly people with large indigenous background talk like that. Its very annoying.

[@cristianvicente2041]

ur spanish is very good esta chilero!!!

[@elyssespeaks]

Thenkyuuu!!

[@cristianvicente2041]

@@elyssespeaks ofcccc hope u are making a new video from there

[@quetzal6708]

Elysse sos bien pilas.

[@sandoval1977]

1-CABAL (AFIRMACIÓN O AFIRMANDO ALGO) = EXACTO 2-CABAL (CANTIDAD) =EXACTO 3- PERSONA CABAL = PERSONA HONESTA Y CON RECTITUD

[@user-oi6el8ii5g]

Tu español es muy bueno ! Realmente no lo esperaba. I thought you would have that American lazy accent that they tend to have no matter what language they’re talking but wow

[@carlosquiroa3590]

Vos es corto para decir vosotros, hay muchas palabras bonitas y diferentes jajaja

[@nicoleyoshihara4011]

❤

[@jmrodas9]

Another Guatemalan mannerism is saying the hour with substraction. Instead of saying "un cuarto para las siete" we say "las siete menos cuarto". I said that in Mexico and the other man said: '¿Cómo dijiste?

[@nickgerr1991]

simple math, really, lmao

[@SuperChapin]

guatemala es el pais que abla el mejor idioma castellano

[@emanuellopez7925]

Very clever, That Is correct just like you said their lenguage musicallity gets into the spanish way of speaking, but we speak very neutral I think.

[@emanuellopez7925]

Answering tour question, no we do not say cha, in fact never Heard of it, it must be a lake thing next Time I go, I am going to ask. Great video! Loved the camera angel change very subtle but got my attention.

[@carlosquiroa3590]

Los nativos alargan la palabra porque hablan dialecto! Personas que no ponen mucha enfasis en la ese al final! Si tienes muchos estudio tendrás mejor Español y lo hablaras más perfecto 👌

[@victorsimeone9323]

O sol não tava quente não Elysse?? Kkkk

[@elyssespeaks]

Tava sim 😭 mas para o vídeo vou fazer qualquer coisa

[@P_gonzalez]

He encontrado el amor de mi vida 🙄😍💛💛💛💛

[@joelengel2432]

Ana Aguilar has said something true. In the city we tend to speak slower and accent the vocals and the consonants. I don't mix "el voceo con el tuteo" but most do. We kept the "vos" unlike México because the Spaniards were to be called by that pronoun which was in used during those times in Guatemala. You were supposed to call the nobles by vos as out of respect and hierarchy. In time the commoners adopted it and made it its own. Vos equals closeness, trust or could be somewhat sometimes sounds aggressive to the ear. LOL. In indigenous areas the accent changes since they also have their own mother tongue. And yes, we use cabal depending on the context. It could mean Exactly, it fits, and sometimes your change from money. Vos si ganaste el exámen- ¡Cabal, si lo gané! El pantalón me quedó cabal, ni flojo ni apretado. ¿Cuánto te dieron de cabal de los diez quetzales que te di? No tenga pena is like saying don't worry or it's no big deal. It's a rather polite slang expression. Some natives say "Cha" while most of us say muchá (muchachos o muchachas) which is an apocope of the word boys or girls when they are all in a group. ¡Mucha, let's all go to the disco! Chapín, again es a word that comes from Spain. The noble women used to wear thick soul shoes and during those times the central political power of Central America was in Guatemala. The rest of the countries from the Isthmus started to call them chapines because of the shoes and in time not only the Criollos adopted the name but the rest of Guatemalans. It's funny that you brought up how slower we tend to speak. That's how my aunt is, she alwas tells me: Hooola miiijo, ¿cóóómo estás? I found your video very enjoyable. ¡Saludos Elysee! ;)