If you come about revealing for them that you actually did understand that they were talking about you, they will most likely be very surprised – and possibly a bit ashamed as well. So, they might be saying unpleasant things about you using yuma to refer to you. However, most Cubans are not used to foreigners knowing this slang. For Cubans, yuma is another and more common way of saying yankee – or white foreigner. If you are just half as white as me, you will most likely hear the phrase yuma used about you.
The explanation is that at baseball matches when the ball is flying through the air, the crowd should apparently shout: que voolaa (“how it flies” from the Spanish verb volar).Īs most Hispanics don’t have a pronounceable difference between how v and b, you might as well see it spelled like qué bola Thus, several times I heard the explanation that it is a baseball term which somehow got transferred into colloquial Cuban language. Nobody is completely sure where it comes from. When walking the streets of any Cuban city, you can be certain to hear this phrase many times. It is though very informal, and mostly used among friends. If you want to improve your Spanish, learn Spanish on italki! #1 ¿Qué vola? is a bit like “What’s up?” or “how is it going?”Īn extremely popular and common greeting in Cuba is to say ¿Qué vola?.
So, just a word on caution to be a little careful before you jump out in using the expressions yourself. As foreigners, we might not get the right emphasis on the word or use them in an incorrect context. Sometimes the expression mentioned here can become a lot stronger when a foreigner uses them than when a Cuban does. There is a delicate balance between when it is and isn’t appropriate to use most of the phrases. However, take this only as guidelines to help you understand. This helps to pay the bills and the maintenance of the site. This means that at no additional cost to you, Becci Abroad will earn a commission if you make a purchase via one of those links. It’s a perfect way to learn even more about Cuba while exploring the country from within.ĭisclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. Remember that if you want to dig even further into Cuban Slang, Spanish, and Cuban culture, the University of Havana offers Spanish courses for foreigners. Are you planning a visit Cuba, and don’t you want to feel like a completely lost foreigner? Wouldn’t it be nice to understand a little bit more of what is going on around you?Įven if you understand some basic Spanish, it can be very hard to make sense of Cuban Spanish. Then, these 10 phrases of Cuban slang might be very useful for you and help you interact with the Cubans.
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