Nashe, Insta, Brodi, Malardo: A Necessary "Spanish to Centennial" Dictionary

Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2010, have dazzled the world with their vocabulary. In this article we've gathered a list of new terms so you can make sense of what they're talking about.

If you were to pick out the generation responsible for setting the recent trends of the world, it would have to be the "Centennials," or as defined by some anthropologists and sociologists, those born between 1997 and 2010. Born into the internet boom, social media and the birth of the digital world, part of this group—also known as Generation Z—has entered the job market and began wowwing their colleagues and bosses with a trove of new vocabulary. From time to time, centennials even manage to confuse their parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

La Capital assembled something of a "Centennial to Spanish" dictionary, for those who need it, in order to help facilitate dialogue between generations.

The original article may be read in Spanish on La Capital.

1. Ahre

The new phrase combines the two expressions “Ah” and “Re”. The former denotes surprise, the latter is used to emphasize something. Together, they're placed at the end of an utterance. The phrase can have several meanings, from sarcasm to exaggeration, and sometimes is used with a double meaning to express something that you want to say but also embarrasses you a little.

Ejemplo: Como juega al fútbol este pibe, ahre. (sarcasmo: en realidad juega mal)
Example: This guy really knows how to play football, ahre. (sarcasm: he actually plays badly)
Ejemplo: Sos re lindo, ahre. (en este caso, admite que le da vergüenza)
Example: You look cute, “ahre.” (in this case, the speaker admits that they're a bit embarrassed to be saying so)

2. ATR

An older slang, but thanks to Pablito Lescano, one that's back in vogue. It is an abbreviation for “A todo ritmo,” which means something like “full throttle”. ATR is believed to come from the movie “Shake It Up,” and is used when people are about to party and everything is going well.

Ejemplo: Estamos todos ATR acá.
Example: We're all ATR here.

3. Bro / Brodi

Comes from the English word "brother," but in Argentina it doesn’t refer to a person’s real brother. The expression is mainly used to speak to friends, whether boy or girl. In Argentina, they sometimes add an “i” to the end of the word, but that doesn’t change the meaning at all—it continues being a way to refer to a friend.

Ejemplo: ¿Qué hacés hoy, bro?
Example: "What are you doing today, bro?
Ejemplo: No entiende qué me decís, brodi.
Example: He doesn't understand what you're talking about, brodi.

4. Buenardo or Malardo

Don’t be tricked! These two words are antonyms, but to define them we’ll explain them side-by-side. The meaning of the words are similar to “good or bad,” but an “ardo” is added at the end of the word for exaggeration. The usage is simple since they have identical meanings to the original words, but try not to overdo it.

Ejemplo: Está buenarda la pizza
Example: The pizza is buenarda (very good)
Ejemplo: Malardo el clima
Example: Malardo weather (very bad)

5. C pica

This term is used to express that something is good or has become better than it was before. It is similar to the Spanish word “picado,” which is similar to the English slang “lit.” The “c” replaces the pronoun “se,” because when written in WhatsApp "se" is changed to "c" to reduce character count. Some people also insert a “re” in the middle of the phrase, becoming “c re pico,” still with the same meaning.

Ejemplo: “Esta joda c picó” o “Dale que c re picó la tarde.”
Example: "This party' lit" or "Give him a "lit" afternoon."

(Note: In Spanish, the letter c is pronounced as se.)

6. Colta

Although it sounds Italian, that's not where this word comes from. As a matter of fact, in the Italian peninsula the word means “cult,” but among centennials this word is used to put an end to a conversation. It's meaning is similar to the popular Argentinian phrase "“cortá la bocha," which means something like "period!" or "that's that," indicating that there isn't any way around a statement or conclusion.

Ejemplo: “Anda y hace lo que dije, colta!”
Example: “Go do what I said, period!”

7. Cringe

The origin of this word is English, but young Argentines have already added this word to their vocabularies. The meaning of this word is “to feel ashamed/awkward of something or someone.” However, some people have given the word more of an extreme meaning, and for them it has come to refer to a feeling of hatred towards another person. The word is sometimes pronounced as it would be in English, but otherwise it will be Argentinized (pronounced as if it were a Spanish word from Argentina).

Ejemplo: “Esa persona me da cringe por sus actitudes”
Example: “This person’s attitude made me cringe.”

8. De ruta

“De ruta,” literally “On the road,” means that something is “pretty good.”

Ejemplo: “De ruta esa remera.”
Example: “That shirt is pretty good.”

9. Dou

Even though this sounds similar to Homer Simpson's favorite onomatopoeia, it actually means the opposite. This term was created by the Twitch streamer Coscu and is used to celebrate something good.

Ejemplo: "Gané la partida del juego, dou”
Example: “I won the game, dou.”

10. Insta

The first thing that comes to mind is the social media “Instagram,” but no—its meaning encompasses everything. According to the word's creator, Coscu, Argentina's most famous YouTuber and steamer, "you can give it whatever meaning you want," or simply, "it's everything."

Ejemplo: “Cuando veo unas buenas zapatillas, me las compro insta.”
Example: “When I see some nice looking shoes, I buy them insta.”

11. Nashe

Used to say that something is very good. To really use it well, you have to stretch out the “e” sound at the end of the word a bit. It's used at the end of utterances.

Ejemplo: “Mirá esa remera nasheee”
Example: “Look at that nasheee shirt.”

12. Ndeah

This expression is considered to be an evolution of the word “ahre.”

Se cae y se levanta @JuanPabloMarron @Sportia #Ndeah
pic.twitter.com/n0Wk4uL24S

— Juan Cortese (@juancortese) June 27, 2020

13. Picado

It doesn't have anything to do with a football game. This is actually a way of saying that something is awesome or cool (in particular, because it's daring or bold). It is frequently used by streamers on Twitch, but it’s also gaining ground in other places; the centennials have begun using it, too.

Ejemplo: “No, amigo, mira esa moto, picado”
Example: “No mate, look at that bike, it’s awesome/dope.”

14. Same

Translated from English, its meaning is “equal” or “the same.” The Argentine centennials use it in more or less the same way as Americans do. Many pronounce it the way it is in English, while others pronounce it as if they were pronouncing any other Spanish word.

Ejemplo: "Amigo, me gusta esa remera", respuesta: "Same."
Example: “Buddy, I like that shirt,” reply: “Same.”