Lexical Gaps or Lacuna between English and Mexican Spanish

Many of us have experienced difficulty translating the exact word we want between English and Spanish, and vice versa. While this can often be easily resolved with the use of a dictionary, or more likely these days, a translation app, sometimes the word we are looking for really doesn’t exist at all. This linguistic phenomenon, known as a lexical gap or lacuna, occurs when one language develops a single word for an object or concept which another language would need two or more words to describe.  

Lexical gaps can prove challenging for language learners, especially beginners or intermediate students who may mentally construct sentences in their first language before translating into the target language. In some cases, using only a couple of words to fill in the place of the lacuna is relatively simple, however in others it may be necessary to use a more complex construction or even a whole sentence.  Learning the common lacunae present between English and Spanish can help to make your Spanish sound more natural and boost your understanding of written and spoken Spanish.

This non-exhaustive list covers some of the more interesting examples. It is worth noting that regional variations in Spanish, and indeed English, mean that some of the lexical gaps we talk about here may not be universal, and that we have focused primarily on the Mexican Spanish spoken in Quintana Roo and American English (with a couple of exceptions).

Present in Spanish but not in English

Anteayer – The day before yesterday.  Spanish also uses the phrase Pasado Mañana to refer to the day after tomorrow, which English has an archaic and no longer used word for – ‘Overmorrow’.

¿Leiste el mensaje que te envié anteayer?

Did you read the message that I sent you the day before yesterday?

Madrugar – To get up early, or with the dawn. Madrugadores can be used to refer to early risers or those who have early morning jobs. Madrugada means early morning. 

Voy a acostarme pronto porque necesito madrugar mañana.

I am going to go to bed soon because I need to get up early tomorrow.

Those whose work shift, or turno, starts early in the morning are known as Madrugadores

Trasnochar – To stay up late. This usually refers to staying up later than you normally would. It can also be used to refer to staying up all night without sleep or with very little sleep. Similarly Spanish also has a reflexive verb meaning to stay awake – Desvelarse

No puedo desvelarme hoy. Anoche traté de trasnochar, pero estaba demasiado cansado.

I cannot stay awake today. Last night I tried to stay up late but I was too tired.

Estrenar – To use or show for the first time. This versatile word is often used to describe wearing an item of clothing for the first time or using anything for the first time when it is brand new. English has some words with similar meanings, such as premiere or debut, however none of these are an exact cognate.

Me gustan mucho tus zapatos, ¿los estás estrenando?

I love your shoes, is this your first time wearing them?

Sobremesa – Time spent at the table together after finishing a meal. Meals in Mexico can be long affairs, particularly at lunchtime, it is not uncommon for conversation to extend beyond the end of the meal.

Mi parte favorita de almuerzo con mi familia es la sobremesa. Mi hermanito siempre comparte sus cuentos chistosos con nosotros

My favorite part of lunch with my family is the time we spend at the table after the meal. My brother always shares his funny stories with us.

Tocayo/Tocaya – A person who shares your name. This can also be used for people who share names with the same root but different gendered endings, such as Manuel and Manuela.

Por supuesto, conozco a Felipe, él es mi único tocayo en la escuela.

Of course, I know Felipe, he is the only person at school that shares my name.

Friolento/a – A person who is very sensitive to the cold. A similar word, friolero/a, is used in some Spanish speaking countries, with the same meaning. While English no longer has a word for such people, there is an obsolete archaic term, ´Coldrife’, which was used in the same way and supposedly originated in Scotland.

Nunca podría vivir en el polo norte. ¡Siempre hay mucha nieve allí y soy friolenta!

I could never live at the North Pole. It always snows a lot there and I am very sensitive to the cold.

As being friolento/a is an intrinsic characteristic it uses the verb ser rather than estar.

Tutear – To speak to someone using the second person personal pronoun tú rather than the more formal usted. This term also covers using the associated verb conjugations. As we do not have the same grammatical distinction in English, it is unsurprising we do not have a term to describe its use. Much has been written about when it is appropriate to tutear in Spanish, and the answer will depend on any number of factors including age, location and your relation to whom you are speaking.

¡No puedo tutear con Marco, él es mi profesor!

I can’t speak in such a familiar manner with Marco, he is my professor!

Puente – This word literally means bridge; however, it also has a secondary meaning referring to a long weekend. While in Mexico the term is widely used to describe any occasion where a holiday would give you a long weekend, the origins of the word lie in the common practice in Spain of booking a ‘bridge’ vacation day on the Monday before a national holiday on Tuesday, or on the Friday between a Thursday holiday and the weekend. 

Tenemos un puente el fin de semana que viene, podremos mirar muchas películas.

We have a long weekend this coming weekend, we will be able to watch a lot of movies.

Consuegro/a – The father or mother of your son or daughter in law. Family is an important part of life in Mexico and often extends across multiple generations, which is reflected in the presence of specific terms for relations that are not present in English. Another such term is Concuño/a which refers to the spouse of your spouse´s siblings.

No conocía a mi consuegra antes de la boda de mi hijo.

I did not meet the mother of my daughter-in-law before my son’s wedding.

(Te) quiero – I want you.  This word is difficult to translate into English as the meaning in Spanish is more akin to the English word love, but without the romantic connotations. It is mostly used to signify a feeling of closeness or platonic love with someone that English does not have an exact word to describe. To read more about how to use te quiero and te amo to describe feelings, check out our dedicated blog on the subject.

Present in English but not in Spanish

Fingers/Toes – Spanish does not have separate words to use for fingers and toes, using dedos to refer to either. To clearly differentiate you can say dedos de la mano (of the hand) or dedos de la pie (of the foot).

Commuter – This word has no Spanish equivalent at all. The easiest way to translate it would be Viajero diario al trabajo – daily to work traveller, quite the mouthful!

Busk – This is another word where you would need to describe the activity rather than translate the word directly. Tocar en la calle (play on the street) or música callejera (street music) are among the possible ways to convey this idea.

To stare – To differentiate between looking at something/someone and staring in Spanish requires the application of an adjective to the action of looking rather than having one single term. The closest is mirar fijamente, which translates as ´to look fixedly’.

Homesick – Curiously, despite many people in Mexico feeling a strong link to home, Spanish has no separate word for homesickness. It is possible to say extraño mi hoga, ‘I miss my home’, although this does not quite convey the same depth of meaning as homesickness.

Crush (in the romantic sense) – Spanish has no word to describe having a crush on someone or describing someone as your crush. Using the verb gustar when describing someone can however act in a similar way. For example, while él me gusta, literally translates as ‘I like him’, it would only be used to describe a romantic or emotional liking for someone. If you simply wish to say that you like someone in a completely non-romantic sense you would instead say él me cae bien. Or if you wish to make clear that your romantic liking for someone is a secret you could use mi enamorado secreto. The word crush itself is accepted by some Spanish dictionaries as an extranjerismo - a word from a foreign language that has been adopted into Spanish.

To wave – As Spanish has no word for this gesture, it can be difficult to describe. Most translations simply describe the intention of the action, for example, la multitud los saludaba al pasar, ´the crowds greeted them as they passed’.

To be mean – There is no exact word in Spanish for being mean to someone. You can use cruel (cruel) or mal (bad/evil), however these have slightly different meanings.

Spoiler – As Spanish does not have its own word for this concept it has become increasingly common for the English word to be used in Spanish speech. In the same fashion as with crush, some linguistic authorities have accepted spoiler into Spanish as an extranjerismo.

Fortnight - While not used in American English, fortnight is a useful word used in other English speaking countries to describe a period of two weeks. Quincena has almost exactly the same meaning, but this refers to a period of 15 rather than 14 days, and is often used when talking about salaries, which are paid twice a month in Mexico, on the 15th and final day.

Is there another Spanish language topic that you are struggling with or would like to read an article about? Let us know at communications@naatikmexico.org. You can find our other Spanish language blogs here. If you would like to take the next step in your language journey with online classes or an immersion experience here in Mexico, visit our Spanish or Maya program pages or contact our team at say@naatikmexico.org