The custom of combining the names of two languages to describe the adoption of borrowed words is something most of us 
are familiar with. Most of us have heard, for example, of Franglais – a combination of Français and Anglais – in which English words are adopted into French grammar, le weekend being an oft-quoted example.
Similar examples exist all around the world, and Spanglish is just one such example, where English words have found their way into the Spanish language and subsequently become subject to Spanish grammar rules.
Spanglish tends to be more prevalent in the Americas, where the influence of English is so much stronger than in mainland Spain. Here, the use of verbs such as chequear (to check) is common, whilst the ‘standard’ versions (comprobar or verificar) are used in Spain. The use of English words for modern technological terms is also widespread in many languages, and this has given rise to ‘new’ Spanish verbs such as textear, meaning ‘to text’ and other similar verbs like emailear and even twitterear.
Basic nouns also frequently pass between languages – so the appearance of words like mañana, amigo and tortilla in English could also be classed as Spanglish, and likewise in the other direction, words like el sándwich and el mouse have passed into everyday Spanish.
In today’s increasingly globalised world, it seems certain that this flow of words between languages is going to increase. If you would like to learn more about new and ‘true’ Spanish, then our native tutors can offer Private Spanish Lessons throughout the London area.