where's chango???

[bleitzow]

I practice speaking Spanish with a Mexican friend. I was eavesdropping on her conversation to her daughter (and taking notes) when she said "Okay Changa". I asked her what that was when she was done. She said "monkey". I looked it up in the Tomísimo dictionary and it didn't recognize it (with the "a" ending). I just found it with the link you guys provided. I was beginning to think she was using yet another slang word ~ a word I shouldn't be using.

Also, you guys mentioned cute. I am having a really hard time with what word to use. For instance:

My cat is very cute.
Look at those shoes. They are so cute!

Would "mono" apply in these instances or is there a better word?

¡Gracias!

[poli]

Graciosa (o) is the most international spanish adjective for cute. Mono (a) works too, and as you know chango works in Mexico but not Spain or the Antilles.

[Elaina]

Well, there are many ways to say "cute" in Spanish. I guess it would have to depend on what you are talking about. For example:

What a cute cat......Yo no diria.......Qué gato tan mono...ni tampoco....Que gato tan gracioso....unless he is performing a trick or doing something "cute".

What cute shoes.....Tampoco diria.....Qué zapatos tan monos..... just doesn't sound right....quizá diria....Que zapatos tan lindos......(popular Mexican)..Que zapatos tan chidos.

The English language has so many adjectives and adverbs and what I call useless words that it is hard to find equivalents in Spanish. The Spanish language doesn't fall behind either. We can't say that a word is wrong only because it is only used in this or that country.

Chango(a) is not only monkey but it can also be a term of endearment. I've heard mothers call their children changuitos.....and she doesn't literally mean monkeys.

As far as calling a baby "mono" as Sosia mentions.........I would NEVER EVER say .... Qué bebé tan mono. To a mexican person, of course. A situation can be mono but a person is never mono.

Elaina

[Elaina]

Oh, one other thing about mono......it is only mono not mona when speaking of a female monkey. Because then you open another can of worms with the word MONA.

Qué mona, no?

Elaina

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by bleitzow

My cat is very cute.
Look at those shoes. They are so cute!

I would say:

Mi gato es muy bonito, ¡Qué lindo gatito!
Mira esos zapatos- ¡Qué bonitos son!

Also, chango/a does not mean cute, it means monkey (in Mexico)

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by Elaina

Oh, one other thing about mono......it is only mono not mona when speaking of a female monkey. Because then you open another can of worms with the word MONA.

Qué mona, no?

Elaina

Hablas de la Mona Lisa seguramente

[sosia]

!Qué niña más mona! heard in Spain every two minutes
!Que casita más mona!
Elaina es muy mona..... de verdad

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by sosia

!Qué niña más mona! heard in Spain every two minutes
!Que casita más mona!
Elaina es muy mona..... de verdad

Creo que ella no va a estar de acuerdo

[Elaina]

Sabes Sosia? Yo sabía que había una razón por la cual me encantan los plátanos!!

Elaina

[sosia]

Originally Posted by Elaina

Sabes Sosia? Yo sabía que había una razón por la cual me encantan los plátanos!!

Elaina

good one
A mi me gustan porque son "la pesadilla del ateo"
http://lamediahostia.blogspot.com/20...-del-ateo.html
saludos