Many of you have learned that nationalities like Argentinean translate to Argentina or Argentino en español. But, what many Spanish textbooks don’t teach you is that sometimes nationalities have different ways to refer to them, especially during sporting events.
For example:
(None of the names below have a negative connotation, by the way.)
- Sometimes Argentinians refer to each other as Che. Che is an expression that many Argentinians use when speaking to their friends. For example: ¿Che, cómo te va? Che means something like brother or dude.
- Colombian translates to Colombiano or Colombiana en español. Sometimes people in Latin America refer to them as Cafeteros which means Coffee growers. As you may know, Colombia is recognize worldwide for its coffee.
- Costa Rican in Spanish is Costaricense; sometimes people refer to them as Ticos. A Costa Rican friend told me that one of the reasons they are called Ticos is because Costa Ricans use a lot of diminutives, for example: Little John means Juancito, Little/small car means Carrito.
- Peruvian translates to Peruano or Peruana in Spanish, sometimes people refer to them as Incas. The Incas were the main tribe that lived in Peru when the Spaniards arrive in the sixteenth century.
- Venezuelan in Spanish is Venezolanos or Venezolanas; sometimes people refer to them as patriotas, which means patriots. During colonial times, Simon Bolivar, a general from Venezuela who was the head of several freedom movements from Spain, hence El patriota numero uno.
- Paraguayan translates to Paraguayo or Paraguaya, sometimes people refer to them as Guaraníes. Guaraníes are tribes that have lived in and around Paraguay for hundreds of years.
