from Cusco itself’, Tiene el puro sabor de cenizas‘It has the very taste
of ashes’.
(c) as an adverb meaning ‘very’: Su hija es puro traviesa‘Their daughter is
very naughty’.
Hasta
With an evident possibility for causing misunderstanding, in Mexico,
Central America and Colombia, hasta is found in speech and writing with
the meaning of ‘not until’, rather than the Peninsular ‘until’: Hasta las dos
almuerzo‘I do not have lunch until two o’clock’, Hasta ayer vino‘He did
not come until yesterday’, Se puede matricular hasta mañana‘You cannot
register until tomorrow’.
Coger
This is best avoided unless one is consciously using it with its widespread
meaning in Latin America of ‘to screw’, to ‘fuck’. Acceptable alternatives
are tomarand agarrar.
Demasiado
This is often found in Latin America with the meaning of ‘very’ (compa-
rable with muyor mucho) rather than the norm in the Peninsula of ‘too
much’: Carmen es demasiado inteligente‘Carmen is very intelligent’, Lo
siento demasiado‘I am very sorry’, Tengo demasiada hambre ‘I am very
hungry’.
De repente
In the Peninsula this can only mean ‘suddenly’. In the Andes and in the
River Plate area the meaning is ‘perhaps’: De repente se durmió‘Perhaps
he fell asleep’.
Despacio
In place of the Peninsular usage of ‘slowly’, there is a Latin American mean-
ing ‘quietly’, ‘in a low voice’: Trató de toser despacio‘He tried to cough qui-
etly’, ¡Hablen ustedes despacio!‘Speak in a low voice’. Despaciosamente
‘slowly’ is used in Latin America to avoid possible confusion.
30.6.3.7
30.6.3.6
30.6.3.5
30.6.3.4
30.6.3.3
1111
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1011
1
12111
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
20111
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
30111
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
40
41111
Vocabulary
315
