Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hola, ¿qué tal estás? Soy Pablo de Coffee Break Spanish and up next we're going to explore one of my favorite topics about languages, slang.
Chapter 2: What slang words do Spanish speakers use to talk about work?
But in particular, we're going to focus on slang words to talk about work in Spanish. Prepárate porque empezamos. Let's start with one of the first slang words for work you'll hear in Spain. Curro. It sounds cool, right? This one is super common and it means work. Entonces, por ejemplo, si alguien te pregunta ¿Qué tal el curro? Now you know that they're asking how's work or how's work going.
So, curro is a noun, but you can also use the verb currar, which means to work. So, you can say things like mañana no curro, I'm not working tomorrow, lucky you if that's the case. Or you can also ask someone ¿De qué curras? to ask them what they do for a living. There are other derived words from curro, such as currante, which essentially means worker.
However, currante sometimes also has the connotation of a hardworking person, someone who is very committed to what they do. So, if you hear someone say es muy currante, that means that that person is very hardworking. Muy bien, so far we've seen curro, currar and currante, but we actually use many other slang words for work in Spain.
Por ejemplo, a personal favorite of mine is faena, and I honestly use this one a lot. I think it's maybe more common in the region of Valencia, where I'm from, and essentially faena means work, but it can also mean task. So if you hear someone say something like Tengo mucha faena hoy. It basically means I have a lot of work today or I have so many things to do today.
También tenemos la palabra tajo, which, apart from being one of Spain's most important rivers, el tajo, is also a slang word for work. This one, I would say, is a bit more colloquial than the other, so if someone say estoy en el tajo, this probably doesn't mean that they're swimming in the river Tajo, but that they're simply at work.
Vale, so we've seen some slang words related to work used in Spain, but what about the rest of the Spanish-speaking world? You may be wondering. Well, let's see a couple of examples from other countries. Por ejemplo, en México you'll hear the word chamba a lot, which also means work. And similarly, you can also use the verb chambear.
You can say things like Prefiere chambear desde casa, which means he or she prefers to work from home.
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Chapter 3: What does 'curro' mean and how is it used in Spain?
O si estás en Argentina, oirás la palabra laburo. Exactly, in Argentina you'll hear the slang word laburo, which again means work, but also the verb laburar, which means to work. As you can see, there are plenty of options for you to choose from, but don't worry, no matter which slang word you prefer to use, you'll be understood across the Spanish-speaking world.
Ahora, vamos a una pequeña diferencia cultural que me gustaría compartir con ustedes. Soy español y en España la gente no suele preguntar, ¿qué haces para vivir tan pronto como encuentras a alguien? Así que vivo en Escotland ahora y en mi experiencia, cada vez que encuentro a alguien nuevo aquí, la pregunta, ¿qué haces para trabajar?,
Tiene que ser una de las primeras cosas que me preguntan, y debo decir que siempre es un poco de sorpresa para mí. No es que en España no preguntemos lo que alguien hace para vivir cuando nos conocimos, pero usualmente viene un poco más tarde, una vez que has construido algún relato con la persona.
Pero no te preocupes, es totalmente bien preguntarle a alguien qué trabajas, qué haces para vivir o para trabajar, al principio, si quieres, eso es totalmente bien. And finally, I couldn't finish this video without mentioning Curro. So, Curro, apart from meaning work, was also the name of the mascot for the 1992 World Expo that took place in Sevilla.
I used to have a stuffed toy of Curro when I was little and I absolutely loved him. Muy bien, estupendo. Entonces, antes de acabar, hagamos un pequeño resumen, a short summary. So, now you know that curro is a slang word for work used in Spain, but it's also the 1992 Expo mascot.
You've also learned derived words such as the verb «currar», which means «to work», and «currante», «worker» or «hard worker», depending on the context. You know that in México people use «chamba» for «work» or the verb «chanbear» to say «to work». And in Argentina you'll hear laburo, work, or the verb laburar, to work.
And finally, you've picked up a cultural difference about asking people what they do for a living when you meet them. Pues eso es todo por mi parte. ¿A qué estás esperando? Bueno, pues muchas gracias por haberme escuchado y hasta la próxima. Adiós y happy coffee breaking.
You have been listening to a Coffee Break Languages production for the Radio Lingua Network. Copyright 2026, Radio Lingua Ltd. Recording copyright 2026, Radio Lingua Ltd. All rights reserved.
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