Can You Understand These Andalusian Accents?
Explore Spanish Accents: Test your understanding from easy to challenging levels, uncovering Andalusian charm and comedic flair. Learn and laugh with us!
Introduction
Can you understand these Andalusian accents? Difficulty is subjective, but unfamiliar pronunciation, speed, and local vocabulary can make these examples challenging for learners. Today I bring you a game. I will play some audios at different levels of difficulty, going from easy to hard. 5 levels. Let’s see how much you understand. I will translate all the sentences that we hear, so stay with me till the end for an entertaining Spanish lesson.
Let’s start with level 1!
[Audio]
Vamos a ver, que quede claro, que nosotros grabamos el vídeo un par de veces o tres a la semana. Y nuestro día a día: fit, sano y haciendo deporte.
(Let’s see, to make this clear, we film the video two or three times a week. And our day-to-day life: fit, healthy, and exercising.)
This is the Andalusian accent that you hear in some towns. In some Andalusian varieties, speakers use ceceo, pronouncing s and z/c-before-e-or-i with a sound like the Castilian z. In others, seseo uses an s sound for both. And it is not wrong, it’s just an accent. In Andalucía we are very proud of our accent and our culture. Let’s translate this sentence to English and learn new vocabulary.
- Vamos a ver = let’s see
- que quede claro = let that be clear / to be clear
- que nosotros grabamos el vídeo = that we film the video
- un par de veces o tres a la semana = two or three times a week
- Y nuestro día a día = and our day to day
- fit = fit
- sano = healthy
- y haciendo deporte = and exercising
Level 2
In this level, I will play a performance by a chirigota, a carnival group that sings humorous, satirical songs in Cádiz. Let’s hear it.
[Audio]
La crisis, eh, la crisis, está completamente controlada. Lo que pasa es que la gente se ahoga en un papel de fumar.(The crisis, eh, the crisis, is completely controlled. The thing is that people choke on a cigarette paper.)
Did you understand? Let’s translate it.
- La crisis = the crisis
- Está completamente controlada = is completely controlled
- Lo que pasa = the thing (that happens)
- es que la gente = is that people
- se ahoga en un papel de fumar = choke on a cigarette paper (figuratively, get overwhelmed over something small)
“To choke on a cigarette paper” is referring to the fact that people exaggerate and give much more importance to things than they really have and make a lot of drama out of nothing. It is more common to hear “la gente se ahoga en un vaso de agua,” people drown in a glass of water (literally), meaning the same.
By the way~ On My Daily Spanish we have a free study guide that offers a step-by-step process to help you learn Spanish faster. You can download it for free using the link above.
Let’s go with level 3!
This is an Andalusian guy talking about the Andalusian accent.
[Audio]
Si va uno en un ascensor con otro y le pregunta “¿tú para dónde vas?” y si es andaluz dice “pabajo”. Fíjate tú, es verdad que nos comemos palabras, pero, ¿y lo bien que suena? “Pabajo”. “Pabajo” lo puedes dejar ahí, pero y si le pregunta “¿Pabajo para dónde?” dice “Pabajo del tó”. Es que más pabajo, más pabajo ya es imposible.
(If one [person] is in an elevator with another person and he asks “where are you going?” and if he is Andalusian he says “down.” Look, it is true that we eat words, but, oh, doesn’t it sound good? “Down.” “Down,” you can leave it there, but if he asks him “Down where?” he says “Down all the way.” Going any farther down than that is impossible.)
These informal Andalusian examples, with their distinct pronunciation and quick delivery, can be a real puzzle for learners. Let’s translate everything to English.
- Si va uno = if one (person) goes
- en un ascensor = in an elevator
- con otro = with another man
- y le pregunta = and he asks
- ¿Tú para dónde vas? = where are you going?
- y si es andaluz, dice = and if he is Andalusian, he says
- pabajo (para abajo) = down
- Fíjate tú = Look
- es verdad = it’s true
- que nos comemos palabras = that we eat words
- pero, ¿y lo bien que suena? = but, doesn’t it sound good?
Hey~ If you like the article, please don’t forget to share it. Level 5 is especially challenging; understanding it shows strong familiarity with fast, informal speech.
Level 4
Let’s go with level 4. This is El Comandante Lara, and he is a very famous comedian in Andalusia.
[Audio]
Y vamos a dejarnos de tonterías, y todas esas tonterías no vienen al caso ahora. Este curso es bueno, bueno, bueno, bueno de verdad.
(And let’s cut the nonsense, and all that nonsense is beside the point now. This course is good, good, good, really good.)
We can say that about our courses too! Ok, he uses more advanced vocabulary here.
“No venir al caso” means that it has nothing to do with what we’re talking about, that it is a different topic. Literally: “not come to the case.”
And the last level, this is really hard to understand if you are not used to this accent. Take this as the final challenge.
Level 5
[Audio]
- +¿Qué dices?
- -Que aquí tienes a tu padre mientras tú estás ahí en la Red
- +¿Qué estás hablando? Porque illo yo… Vamos a ver…
- -¿Tú dónde estás?
- +¿Tú te crees que yo estoy vestido ya, y que voy a ir ahora a coger borregas, hombre?
- -¿Tú dónde estás?
- +Yo en casa.
- -Me c*go en la Virgen…
- (+What are you saying?
- -Your father is here while you are there at La Red.
- + What are you saying? Because man, I… Let’s see…
- – Where are you?
- +Do you think that now that I am dressed I am going to go get the young sheep now, man?
- -Where are you?
- +I am home.
- – I sh*t on the Virgin…)
This is way more difficult also because it is a phone call and it sounds a bit distorted.
Conclusion
Now I have another challenge for you. Here I tell silly Spanish jokes in a test to check if you are fluent in Spanish. I think you will LOVE this fun video. Understanding those jokes is another useful listening challenge, although no single activity determines your overall level. So check it out! Hasta pronto. 🙂
