Spanish advice

[Requiax]

So I’m looking for Spanish-language insults / slang, in particular as might be used by one woman toward another.

A bit of context - I have two female characters. Both young women in the US. One is white, the other mixed white/Latina but raised by a Latina mother so is bilingual.

In the scene I need this for they are not friends, but there is no enmity between them either. White girl approaches the other girl, wanting to start a conversation, but the other girl, who prefers her own company, wants to rebuff her and be left alone. So her opening line is somewhat hostile, along the lines of “what do you want, (mild insult in Spanish)?”

I’m aware of the word “puta” but it seems harsher than my character would employ at that moment. She’s not a stereotype (although at that moment she is playing up to a stereotype because it has in the past been successful in getting people to leave her alone). In fact, she is quite shy, and so would not be deliberately outright rude to the other girl; at the same time she is throwing a bit of mean shade in her direction to make her uncomfortable in order to discourage her from pursuing the interaction any further.

Is there a good mean-but-not-too-mean insult the character can use?

 

[oggbashan]

A few to start with...

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-art-of-swearing-in-spanish/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/cool/swearing.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_profanity

 

[Hypoxia]

I keep MEXICAN SLANG - A GUIDE by LH Robinson at my workstation. 'Puta' is what a guy yells when he hammers his thumb. A mildly shading F-F address might be 'Torta' (slightly sexist sandwich) so a response of "¿Sí, torta?" is "Yeah, chick?" -- somewhat dismissive. "¿Que onda, torta?" is a more neutral "What's up, chick?" phrase. 'Blanca' or 'Gringa' (white girl) are a bit more racial and less sexual than 'Torta'. In any of these, vocal tone flavors the shading.

 

[Alice_Rosaleen]

She could call the other girl 'gringa', to hint a separation of cultures.

 

[Requiax]

‘Gringa’ works, it’s dismissive without being rude (in a “I don’t know you but I don’t want to know you” manner). Thanks all!

I had tried Wikipedia et al but while they could offer me words and colourful expressions a cultural context was what I was looking for, which was why I said specifically I was looking for a term a woman might use to another woman (many of the insults I found seemed, culturally, to be words men would use toward women).

 

[NotWise]

In the scene I need this for they are not friends, but there is no enmity between them either. White girl approaches the other girl, wanting to start a conversation, but the other girl, who prefers her own company, wants to rebuff her and be left alone. So her opening line is somewhat hostile, along the lines of “what do you want, (mild insult in Spanish)?”

As AR suggested, "gringa" could be a good choice. There would be a lot of other, similar terms that could be used just to create separation. Around here it would be sufficient to call her "tejana" which just means "Texan."

Spanish and Spanish slang varies a lot from place to place. This site gives some curse words by location. A little effort on google will find you more.

Folks don't take kindly to being insulted by people they don't know, and I think that may be more true in Latin America than it is in North America. But, if you want to use it, the Mexican term for "asshole" is "pendejo" for a man or "pendeja" for a woman.

 

[Requiax]

Folks don't take kindly to being insulted by people they don't know, and I think that may be more true in Latin America than it is in North America. But, if you want to use it, the Mexican term for "asshole" is "pendejo" for a man or "pendeja" for a woman.

Thanks again. You have it right, I’m seeking to avoid any Spanish equivalent of asshole, bitch, whore etc. The character is putting up walls, not looking to start a fight.

‘Gringa’ suits because she’s immediately othering the other character without actually verbally abusing her. I’ll be using that if I do the dialogue in this way (scene is still in my head at the moment).

 

[AfterDusk]

Not going to lie, I first read the title of this thread as Squash Advice. Wasn’t sure if it was about the game or the food, so I clicked to find out more.

I don’t have anything more pertinent to add that others haven’t, besides some squash recipes.

 

[Professor_Chaos]

Be aware that slang differs in the Spanish language depending on the country of origin. A Dominican may curse you out much differently than a Mexican would.

 

[Hypoxia]

Be aware that slang differs in the Spanish language depending on the country of origin. A Dominican may curse you out much differently than a Mexican would.

Regional Mexican dialects and slangs abound. You'll be insulted differently in Tijuana, Laredo, Oaxaca, Xalapa, Guanajuato, Mazatlan, Tulúm, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, et al. And worldwide Spanish is as diverse as Anglish and nearly as widespread.

OP posits an encounter somewhere in USA but doesn't specify the semi-Latina's family class or locale origin. Staying fairly generic, I'll again suggest, in order from mild to disdainful: Gringa (yankee), Blanca (whitey), or Torta (chick).

 

[Professor_Chaos]

Regional Mexican dialects and slangs abound. You'll be insulted differently in Tijuana, Laredo, Oaxaca, Xalapa, Guanajuato, Mazatlan, Tulúm, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, et al. And worldwide Spanish is as diverse as Anglish and nearly as widespread.

Beautiful isn't it?