Bad Words in Spanish, part 1

Hello everyone,

I received the following email and replied with a short list of exceptionally offensive Spanish words that I know of. My reply to the email is below it.

In the spirit of teachers being "in the know", is there any way non-Spanish speakers can get a list of common derogatory terms in Spanish so we know how harshly to respond to someone uttering something either to another student or to a teacher. There was an instance when ... a student [not in my class]... walked out [of my class] with his friend and said something in Spanish which I couldn't understand and the whole class laughed and looked at me to see what I would do. I had no clue what he had said so I figured the best thing to do would be to jump right back into the lesson, which was the appropriate response because the student was gone. If he had remained in the classroom and actually been one of my students, then I would have to respond differently. Are there common terms like "metiches" that we should know about?

The most common really bad words are probably the ones related to one or another forms of "chingar" (the "f" word in Spanish). That word should be treated roughly the same way as you would treat the "f" word.

Words related to "stupid" in English are generally more offensive in Spanish than in English: "pendejo" (remember that j's are pronounced like h's) is a favorite. "Estupido" is bad; "tonto" also. "Estupidez" and "tonteria" are the noun forms.

"Culo" is rectum. "Culiarte" is really bad.

I'm pretty fluent in Spanish, but I still don't know many slang terms and really bad words. When I'm in a situation like you describe (and it's happened), I try to do what you did--go on with the lesson since there's nothing else you can do. Later, pull a student that I trusted aside and ask him or her what I had missed. They'll usually tell you, though you might have to promise not to punish anyone in exchange for the translation. (That's how I learned the meanings of some of the words I've mentioned.)

There's a little trick you can practice. Learn to put a look on your face that says, "Look, everyone, I may or may not know what was just said, but it isn't as important as my lesson. Finish your laugh quickly, and let's get back to work because I may decide to punish it." It's roughly the same look an Englishman gives when he's been the brunt of a joke, and he doesn't want anyone to get more laughs than they deserve.

If any of you would like to add to the list, feel free.

Jeff Combe