Spanish words used in English

​Did you know that at least 80% of English vocabulary actually comes from other languages? This is because of the history of Britain. The main influences on English are Latin, French and Germanic languages, but today, I’m going to share with you some words which come from Spanish.

Please note that words are sometimes taken from another language and then the meaning gradually changes over time. In this post, I’m going to tell you how English people use these words in English. This might not always be exactly the same as how Spanish speakers use the words.

macho
behaving like a man, strong and showing no emotion, used as a humorous and slightly negative word. In Spanish, I don’t think it has the negative meaning that it does in English.
Example: He’s far too macho to cry at a sad film!

cargo
goods that are being transported by road, sea or air
Example: The train was a cargo train so it didn’t stop at the station.

tornado
a kind of windstorm where the wind goes round in circles in a moving column of air.
Example: Their house was destroyed by a tornado.

guerrilla (or guerilla)
a fighter who’s a member of a small unofficial military group, often fighting to change the government.
Example: The tourists were ambushed by a group of guerrillas and held at gunpoint.

patio
a courtyard or terrace
Example: We had a cup of tea on the patio.

mosquito
a small insect which bites you and sucks blood.
Example: Mosquitos are a big problem in many countries because they spread malaria.

cafeteria
a cafe or restaurant, especially at a place of work or place of education, where you choose your food and then carry it on a tray to your table.
Example: I usually have my lunch in the school cafeteria.

vigilante
a person who tries to punish criminals illegally, usually because they think the police are not doing a good job. This word is often used in a disapproving way.
Example: The vigilantes were arrested by the police.

vanilla (It’s “vainilla” in Spanish)
a substance which comes from the beans of a tropical plant and is used to flavour cakes, ice cream and other foods.
Example: Would you like vanilla or strawberry ice cream?

siesta
a nap or a short sleep after lunch
Example: I’m so sleepy! I wish I could have a siesta!

pronto
quickly or immediately
Example: I expect you to get home pronto or you won’t get any dinner.

incommunicado
If you are incommunicado, you are in a place or a situation where nobody can communicate with you
Example: He’s lost his mobile so he’s incommunicado at the moment.

bonanza
a situation where a lot of people are lucky or successful and get a lot of money
Example: It was a bonanza year for farmers.

aficionado
a person who is very interested in something and very knowledgeable about it
Example: My father is a bit of a wine aficionado.


Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, where they come from and how they change their meaning over time.

If you're interested to know where an English word comes from, you can just ask Google. For example, if I want to know where the word "ballet" comes from, I can type "ballet etymology" into Google and it will tell me.

There's also a website called Etymonline, which will give you even more detail.
​
"Ballet" came into English from the French language. The French got it from Italian, Italian got it from Latin and Latin got it from ancient Greek!

"Etymology" is a difficult word to remember and perhaps not an important word for a lot of people, depending on your interests, but it's useful for language teachers and linguists!

If you can't remember the word “etymology”, don't worry! In fact, if you type "ballet meaning" into Google, it will also tell you about the origins of the word.


I hope you enjoyed this lesson today! You might also like this post about French words which we’ve incorporated into English.


Would you like to learn how you can improve your vocabulary and stop forgetting the new words you've learnt? My Vocabulary Challenge e-book is for you. Get your copy here.