There is strong influence of Italian and its dialects, particularly Genovese,[4] because of the presence of large Italian communities in the country (for example in Montevideo and Paysandú). The Uruguayan accent differs from the accents of Spain and other Spanish American countries, except for Argentina, due to Italian influence. There are many Italian words incorporated in the language (nona, cucha, fainá ("farinata, chickpea flour crêpe"), chapar, parlar, festichola ("house party"), etc.), as well as words of Italian derivation (for example: mina derived from femmina, or pibe ("child") from pivello). Italian has also altered the meaning of many preexisting Spanish words. For instance, pronto means "soon" in most Spanish dialects, including Argentine Spanish. However in Uruguayan Spanish, pronto instead means "ready", the same meaning as pronto in Italian.[5]
Uruguayan Spanish was also influenced by several native languages. For instance the Uruguayan word pororó meaning "popcorn" originating from the Tupian languageGuaraní. Another examples is the word gurí/gurises meaning "kid(s)" which originates from the Guaraní word ngiri, also meaning child.
In the southern region of the country including Montevideo, the voseo form of address is used. The second-person pronoun vos is used instead of tú, along with its associated verbal conjugations. In other areas of the country, tuteo is more commonly used than voseo, such as Rocha and in some parts of Maldonado.[7] In some places, tú is used as the subjective pronoun with the verb conjugated in accordance to voseo; tú tenés instead of tú tienes (tuteo) or vos tenés (voseo). Use of the tuteo or voseo form of the prepositional pronoun—ti and vos respectively—also varies.[8] Spanish exhibits a fused tuteo prepositional pronoun ti with the prepositioncon into a single compound wordcontigo. In contrast to Argentina where contigo is rarely used, Uruguay exhibits more variance between contigo and con vos, with con vos still the more frequent of the two. Though there is much variation, Uruguayan Spanish generally prefers ti as the second-person prepositional pronoun over vos with the exception of con vos.
As with most dialects of Spanish, the formal pronoun usted is used in very formal contexts, such as when speaking to government authorities.
Había vs habían
In Spanish, hay means "there are/is." Though unintuitive, it is technically the third-person impersonal indicative conjugation of haber meaning "to have". Its usage indicating existence originates from Old Spanish'sha ý (“it has there”), ha being the third-person singular present form of aver (“to have”) + ý, a locative pronoun. Since hay is both the plural and singular impersonal present indicative conjugation, the subject's number is irrelevant. However in the imperfect, the impersonal indicative haber splits between the plural and the singular: había ("there was") and habían ("there are"). In prescriptive grammar, había is considered the proper conjugation in both cases. However in Uruguayan Spanish, habían is occasionally used as the plural impersonal imperfect indicative conjugation while in other dialects of Spanish (including Argentinian Spanish) it is essentially never used at all.[9] For example, había flores (literally "there was flowers") is considered proper while habían flores ("there were flowers") is considered improper.
Vocabulary
Much of Uruguayan vocabulary overlaps with Argentina under the banner of Rioplatense. However, there are a few deviations in meaning of words and commonly used parlance that distinguishes Uruguayan Spanish from Argentine Spanish. For instance,
Pronto, despite meaning "soon" in Argentine Spanish, means "ready" in Uruguayan Spanish.[5]
In Uruguay, kids are referred to as gurises while in Argentina they are referred to as pibes.[5][10] While gurises is not used in Argentina, pibes is still used in Uruguay, however less commonly. Both words are also used to refer to friends affectionately, while pibe has expanded to mean young man.[10]Botija is also used to refer to children.
Ta in Uruguayan Spanish means "OK", with a similar ability to communicate a variety of emotions as "OK" has in English.[10] For instance, repetition of the word communicates exasperated comprehension ("Ta, ta" communicating the same emotion as "Ok, ok!"). Emphasis of the word communicates anger ("¡TA!" tantamount to "OK!"; "Enough!"). Sometimes expressed as da.[11]
Because of the final /s/ before consonants is often aspirated in Rioplatense Spanish, vos (you) is often shortened in Uruguay to just bo/vo.[11] This is reserved for more casual speech.
Brisco, a derogatory term for gay people, isn't commonly used in Argentina however is in Uruguay, along with much of the rest of South America.
The phrase a las órdenes is also commonly used in Uruguay. Although literally meaning "at your orders", its meaning is closer to the English phrase "let me know if you need anything" and communicates that the speaker is there for the subject.[10]
In Uruguay, the phrase gusto tuyo is used to communicate romantic interest in someone, literally translating to "I like yours". This is in comparison to the more direct me gustas used in much of the rest of the Spanish speaking world or gusto de vos, literally translating to "pleasure of you".[10]
¡Vamo’ Arriba! is a commonly-used expression in Uruguay, the equivalent to the phrase "Let's Go!" in English.[5]
¡Que rica! is another Uruguayan expression. It's an expression of success or, often sexual, pleasure.
Pila, literally meaning "battery", is a term used to express a large, excessive, or overwhelming quantity, similar to "a ton" in English. For example, caminé pila ("I walked a ton").[10]
Merecidas, meaning "deserved", is used in Uruguay as a response to gracias ("thank you"). It expresses that whatever was given that elicited the thanking was deserved by the thanker.[10] A variation of the expression is used by the elder generations in Argentina.
Garra Charrua is an expression that translates to "Claw of the Charrúa", an ethnic group indigenous to Uruguay who fought the Spanish conquistadors in present-day Uruguay. It is a nationalistic term used to refer to the tenacity and courage of the Uruguayan people. It is commonly used in regards to football.[11]
Salado, while meaning "expensive" in Argentina, has a meaning closer to "incredible" or "grand".[11]
Todo bien, directly translates to "all good" in English and is used in the same manner.[12]
¡Divino día! literally meaning "divine day" is the equivalent of "good day!" in Uruguay.[12]
Trancar meaning "to lock" is a loanword from Portuguese that's commonly used in Uruguay.
Below are vocabulary differences between Uruguay and other Spanish-speaking countries: Argentina, Paraguay, Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, and Puerto Rico. It shows how Spanish is different in three continents where there are Spanish-speaking countries (Europe, North America, and South America) and in different regions of those continents (Central America, Caribbean, and Southern Cone). Italian and Brazilian Portuguese have also been influential in Uruguayan Spanish and are also included. While people in Uruguay and most of Argentina speak the dialect Rioplatense, there are some notable differences in vocabulary between the two countries, which are bolded.
^Refers to the type of sandwich made with sandwich bread, not a sandwich made with a roll or baguette known as a sub sandwich which has a distinct word in Italian and many Spanish dialects.
^Although the official word for bus deviates between Argentina and Uruguay, in both countries the word bondi is used more frequently in colloquial speech.
^Meo Zilio, Giovanni (1963–64). "Genovesismos en el español rioplatense". Nueva Revista de Filología Hispánica. T. 17, No. 3/4 (1963/1964) (3/4): 245–263. JSTOR40297676.
