Idiomatic expressions of youth slang.
Hello everybody! Today we are talking about the idiomatic expressions of youth slang. So, if you want to better understand Generation Z and not die in the attempt, this article suits perfectly!
Throughout history, language has changed as its speakers have also changed. Each generation has created its own slang that unites and identifies them as part of the same social group.
In Spain, the new generations are heavily influenced by English and by the Latin Spanish that is so present in today’s music. In spite of this, some Spanish expressions from Spain are still used. Let’s see what they are:
En plan
Undoubtedly one of the Spanish expressions that is mostly associated with young people is “en plan’”. It is an expression with many meanings:
It’s a way of explaining, clarifying something: Siempre ha sido una rutina; en plan, bajas al piso, sales, entras / It has always been a routine; that is, you go down, you go out, you come in.
This expression can be replaced by “o sea” or “es decir”.
It can also be used to give examples of something and, in this case, it is equivalent to “for example”, “like”: ¿Qué más me gusta? El cine, ver series, pero no en plan Netflix. / What else do I like? The cinema, watching series, but not like Netflix.
Another use is to quote someone else’s words or your own. In this case it replaces inverted commas in writing: Estás allí en plan hola, ¿qué tal? / You’re there like saying “hello, how are you”?.
It is also used to indicate a way of doing something: Hoy salimos en plan tranquis. / Today we’ll take it easy.
Me renta/No me renta
The expression “me renta” is a synonym of the expression “merecer o valer la pena”.
Actually, it is not very far from the real meaning of the verb “rentar” (to yield) but it has also acquired other meanings.
As we said, one of its uses is to get a benefit: Trabajar 8h al día por 800€ no me renta. / Working 8 hours a day for 800€ doesn’t pay me.
In this case, we can replace it with “merecer la pena’”: Trabajar 8h al día por 800€ no me merece la pena. / Working 8 hours a day for €800 is not worth it.
Another use is to indicate whether you like something or not or whether you feel like it or not:
– Comerme una sopa en verano no me renta nada. / I don’t feel like eating soup in summer.
– ¿Vamos al cine? – Me renta / Shall we go to the cinema? – I would like it.
– Pues a mí, un fin de semana en Valencia me renta mucho. / Well, I really feel like spending a weekend in Valencia.
The expression “me pinta’ / ‘no me pinta”, has also the same meaning:
– No me pinta nada tener que ir ahora a clase. / I don’t feel like going to class now.
– Me pinta muchísimo ir a comer pizza. / I’m very happy to go out for a pizza.
De locos
The expression “de locos” has undergone a change of meaning in recent years. If we think of the sentence “He tendo un día de locos” (I’ve had a crazy day), we would think that your day has been hectic, full of activities, busy, but, nowadays, its meaning is very different.
Young people use it as a synonym for great, perfect, amazing.
– Si queréis podemos ir al cenar el sábado. – De locos. / If you want, we can go to dinner on Saturday. – Great!
– Al final me han cambiado el turno de trabajo y puedo este fin de semana. – De locos. / I finally got my shift changed and I can make it this weekend. – Amazing!
Puto + verb – Puto/a + noun
Although it may seem negative, putting the word puto/a in front of a noun or verb serves to intensify it. In the case of nouns, it is a synonym for “mucho”.
– ¡Qué puto calor hace! / It’s so hot!
– Me putoencantan tus botas / I really, really like your boots.
Cagarse
This verb has several meanings. If we use it with the prepositional phrase “de miedo”, it means to be very afraid: Yo no soy de deportes extremos; me cago de miedo. / I’m not into extreme sports; I’m scared shitless.
In conclusion, language is made by its speakers and it changes over time…
If you liked this blog, you might be interested in our articles on Spanish expressions with the word “palo” and the one on Valencian expressions.
Finally, we would like to remind you that at our Spanish language school, El Rincón del Tándem, students also learn colloquial forms of Spanish so that they can master the language as if they were native speakers.
Come and start your learning journey and sign up for one of our Spanish courses!
See you soon!
