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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Eric: Expressions to Describe a Negative Person
Eric: Hi everyone, and welcome back to SpanishPod101.com. I'm Eric.
Anna: And I'm Anna!
Eric: This is Must-Know Spanish Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 23. In this lesson you'll learn Expressions to Describe a Negative Person.
Eric: Be sure not to use these in front of the person you are describing!
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
Eric: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are:
Anna: corto
Anna: cabezota
Anna: fantasma
Anna: petardo
Eric: Anna, what's our first expression?
Anna: corto
Eric: literally meaning "short." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "dumb."
Anna: [SLOW] corto [NORMAL] corto
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Anna: corto
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when referring to someone who is not that smart, or also when somebody takes too much time getting things done. Be careful when using this word since it’s considered an insult, so you’d better just use it with people you're comfortable with.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Anna: [NORMAL] Eres tan corto que cualquiera diría que se te dan bien las matemáticas. [SLOW] Eres tan corto que cualquiera diría que se te dan bien las matemáticas.
Eric: "You're so stupid, that nobody would ever say that you're good at math."
Anna: [NORMAL] Eres tan corto que cualquiera diría que se te dan bien las matemáticas.
Eric: Okay, what's the next expression?
Anna: cabezota
Eric: literally meaning "big head." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "stubborn."
Anna: [SLOW] cabezota [NORMAL] cabezota
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Anna: cabezota
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when somebody doesn't change their mind even when they know they're wrong. This word can be understood as the slang expression for "close-mindedness." Be careful when using this word, as it can be a light insult as well, so just use it with family and close friends.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Anna: [NORMAL] No seas cabezota y relájate. [SLOW] No seas cabezota y relájate.
Eric: "Don't be stubborn and relax."
Anna: [NORMAL] No seas cabezota y relájate.
Eric: Okay, what's our next expression?
Anna: fantasma
Eric: literally meaning "ghost." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "snooty, boastful, presumptuous, smug."
Anna: [SLOW] fantasma [NORMAL] fantasma
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Anna: fantasma
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when a friend says something unbelievable. In this case, the expression is used in a friendly way. If you're talking about another person who is not participating in the conversation and you use
Anna: fantasma
Eric: to describe that person, the meaning is a bit negative. If you use the expression to refer to someone you don't know that well, it might sound almost like an attack. In most cases,
Anna: fantasma
Eric: refers to someone who overexaggerates.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Anna: [NORMAL] Pedro es un fantasma, no creas nada de lo que dice. [SLOW] Pedro es un fantasma, no creas nada de lo que dice.
Eric: "Pedro exaggerates, don't believe anything he says."
Anna: [NORMAL] Pedro es un fantasma, no creas nada de lo que dice.
Eric: Okay, what's the last expression?
Anna: petardo
Eric: literally meaning "firecracker." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "boring, fastidious or bad at doing something."
Anna: [SLOW] petardo [NORMAL] petardo
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Anna: petardo
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when talking about something that you do not like. Usually when talking about things, it means that the thing, or fact, is boring. Be careful when you use this word to describe a person because it has an offensive meaning. So if you say somebody is a
Anna: petardo
Eric: it could mean that he is not very nice or that he is bad at something.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Anna: [NORMAL] Como reportero es un petardo. [SLOW] Como reportero es un petardo.
Eric: "As a reporter, he is useless."
Anna: [NORMAL] Como reportero es un petardo.
QUIZ
Eric: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four kinds of people, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
Eric: Someone who sticks to what they believe even if it's wrong.
Anna: cabezota
Eric: "stubborn"
Eric: Someone who has difficulties understanding basic facts.
Anna: corto
Eric: "dumb"
Eric: A person who cannot even do his work correctly.
Anna: petardo
Eric: "boring, fastidious or bad at doing something"
Eric: The person who tells lies to feel important, so you don’t like his attitude.
Anna: fantasma
Eric: "snooty, boastful, presumptuous, smug"

Outro

Eric: There you have it; you have mastered four Iberian Spanish Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at SpanishPod101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time!
Anna: ¡Hasta la próxima!

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