Rosetta Stone
Choose a language
Our Top Languages
Funny Spanish Words | Rosetta Stone®

Learn how to say funny words and other phrases in Spanish using Rosetta Stone.

Start 3-Day Free Trial

Funny Spanish Words and Phrases

It all depends on what you definition of funny is, but some classic silly words and phrases in Spanish include: lampiño (hairless: for someone with no body/facial hair), chapuza (really bad work, poorly done), empalagar (when something’s disgustingly sweet), friolento (someone who’s extremely sensitive to the cold), me pica el bagre (meaning: I’m super hungry; but literally: the catfish is biting me), and more. Like most other languages, Spanish has no shortage of silly words and phrases that have no idiomatic expressions.

If you already speak a language like English, French, or Italian, you’re already on your way to learning Spanish. When languages come from the same root, they often share words that are closely related to one another (cognates) or have obvious similarities because they are directly linked to the same language of origin. Note that, while English is a Germanic language, it’s been heavily influenced by Latin and related languages. That’s why you’ll find English words like “bank” that sound remarkably similar in French (banque), Italian (banca), and Spanish (banco). In addition to similar vocabulary and spelling, Spanish also has an excellently clear system of pronunciation. There are far fewer irregularities than you’ll find in English and many other European languages. The Spanish alphabet also has the same 26 letters you already know, with just 3 special extras: ch (chay), ll (elle), and ñ (eñe).

You’ll learn the language, not just the words, with Rosetta Stone’s immersive approach. What makes it effective is that we prepare you to use your new language in your real world. So it’s not just about the features, but what you’re able to do because of them. You’ll be ready to handle any situation with ease and confidence.

Learn Spanish Words and Phrases

People choose to learn Spanish for any number of different reasons. Some people decide to learn Spanish because they so often encounter the language in pop culture, popular music, and restaurant fare. Others choose to learn Spanish because they have plans to visit or work in one of the 20 countries worldwide for which Spanish is the official language. Whether it’s for employment purposes, leisure travel, or personal interest, you can get off to a fast start by first familiarizing yourself with some of the most commonly used Spanish words and short phrases. Learning these basic Spanish words and phrases first is important in helping you to understand how the Spanish language is spoken by 437 million speakers around the globe.

Focusing on proper Spanish pronunciation before working on extensive vocabulary acquisition is the key to learning to understand and speak Spanish with confidence. All too often, beginning Spanish learners get sidetracked trying to memorise long lists of words and phrases. Yet these beginning learners find themselves without the ability to understand or be understood in everyday Spanish conversations. That’s why it’s so important to first learn to understand and pronounce the most commonly used words and phrases in Spanish. This approach, putting everyday words and their pronunciation ahead of extensive list memorisation, will go a long way towards helping you feel confident engaging with locals in Spanish conversation.

It’s important to note that Spanish does have some unique pronunciation distinctions that can make it challenging for language learners. As one example, the letter r is pronounced differently and takes some practise for most new learners. This distinct sound is formed by tapping the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth, about a third of the way back in the mouth. Some Spanish language experts counsel new Spanish learners to practise making the “tt” sound, as it sounds in the English word butter.

Learning proper pronunciation requires that you receive immediate and accurate feedback on your pronunciation efforts. Immediate feedback will allow you to make any needed corrections to your pronunciation. Then you can practise with accuracy, until you can readily shape the sounds that make up the Spanish language.

Rosetta Stone embeds our proven and patented speech-recognition engine, TruAccent, into each and every language lesson. TruAccent provides immediate feedback to help you align your pronunciation and accent to the pronunciation and accent of fluent Spanish speakers. It was developed by carefully scanning and then analyzing the speech of native and non-native Spanish speakers. TruAccent can be an extremely useful tool in helping you learn to speak and understand the Spanish language.

Once you are able to understand and pronounce basic words and short phrases in Spanish, it will be a natural transition to move onto learning longer phrases that make up so much of everyday conversations. Rosetta Stone’s brief and bite-sized, 10-minute language lessons are designed to help you learn in just this way. They focus first on conversational basics and pronunciation and then move onto vocabulary acquisition, always in context with real-world situations. Rosetta Stone’s approach to language learning will help you to become a comfortable and confident speaker of the Spanish language.

Try Our Award-Winning App

Surround yourself with Spanish (Latin America) whenever, wherever with the Rosetta Stone app.

Download a unit and knock it out on the train or a flight. Select a 5-10 minute lesson and sneak it in while you wait in line or for your ride to show up. And explore dynamic features, like Seek and Speak, where you can point at an object in the real world and get a translation.

The best part? You don’t have to choose between app or desktop. Both come with your subscription and sync, so you can switch between devices seamlessly.

Spanish (Latin America)