August 19, 2019 by Majo Grajeda Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

Ahorita and Its Multiple Meanings

Do you remember the blog about ya where we introduced you to the first of many Spanish words that have multiple meanings? Today, we’ll continue exploring the phenomenon of words that are spelled the same but don’t mean the same thing! We can categorize these words as:

Polysemic words – words that have one single origin, but when used in different contexts have different meanings.

Homonyms – two or more words that are spelled the same but don’t have the same linguistic roots; they, therefore, have different meanings.

Helpful Vocabulary

The difference between these two is that a polysemic word is one single word with two or more meanings that depend on context, while homonyms are two or more words that are spelled the same but mean different things because they don’t have the same etymological background. This means that homonyms are words that are spelled the same by chance, not because they have evolved from the same word.

For all you grammar nerds, Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their evolution throughout history.

Ahorita

We’ll start with our first polysemic word; this one has caused the most trouble to all my English-speaking friends learning Spanish! In Mexico and Guatemala, we use the word ahorita. This is the diminutive form of ahora – we sure love our diminutives! Ahorita is a colloquial expression, which means that we use it in informal speech. There are two reasons why this word causes so much trouble:

As a part of informal speech, we use it all the time in conversations. So, it’s really easy to misinterpret it as we really use it so often!
The meanings of ahorita are very contradictory. It can either mean:
1. Right now, like right now, now. Right this second.
2. Just a little bit ago.
3. In a little bit, or anytime between 5 minutes and a couple of hours.
4. In an indeterminate amount of time.

In order to understand what the other person means with ahorita, I’ve often needed to ask something like, “Are you leaving the house ahorita as in right this second, or ahorita as in a couple of hours?” I’ve also had friends who live only a 5-minute drive from me tell me they’ll leave their house ahorita, only to come to my house 4 hours later! And once they arrived, I asked them, “Weren’t you leaving ahorita?” To which they would usually reply with something like, “Oh, yeah, I did. I was just finishing something.”

As you can see, the meaning of ahorita greatly varies depending on the context. This can cause a lot of frustration not only for people who are learning about a new language and culture but also to people who speak the language as a mother tongue. Don’t ever feel bad about these misinterpretations! Remember that a language is not always an exact science!

While most of these words are not as confusing as ahorita, it’s important to know them before you encounter them!

Spanish Polysemic Words

As we mentioned before, a polysemic word has one single etymological origin and multiple meanings that vary depending on the context in which we use the word. Let’s have a look at some of these words:

Word in Spanish: Planta
Meanings in Spanish:

Botanical organism
Factory or workshop for the manufacture of a particular product
The bottom of the feet: the sole

Word in Spanish: Falda
Meanings in Spanish:

Foothill
Piece of clothing, a skirt
the cut of a cow, brisket

Word in Spanish: Cuadro
Meanings in Spanish:

Framed artistic painting
A geometrical figure, a square
Part of a bicycle, bicycle frame

Word in Spanish: Carta
Meanings in Spanish:

The card of a deck
Form of communication, a letter
The menu of a restaurant

Word in Spanish: Café
Meanings in Spanish:

The color brown
The beverage coffee
The plant that produces coffee seeds

Word in Spanish: Bolsa
Meanings in Spanish:

A bag, purse or pouch
The stock exchange

Word in Spanish: Banco
Meanings in Spanish:

The financial institution bank
Piece of furniture to sit on, stool or bench

Word in Spanish: Bomba
Meanings in Spanish:

An explosive, a bomb
A device that moves fluids, a pump

Word in Spanish: Mango
Meanings in Spanish:

The fruit mango
The handle of a utensil or tool
Colloquially used as an adjective to say someone is attractive

Word in Spanish: Mono
Meanings in Spanish:

Species of animals, a monkey
As an adjective to describe someone or something as cute, lovely, or adorable
Piece of clothing, onesie or overalls

Word in Spanish: Sierra
Meanings in Spanish:

A saw to cut wood or other materials
Mountain range

Spanish Homonyms

As we mentioned above, homonyms are two or more words that are spelled the same but do not have the same etymological background, so they have various meanings. Let’s look at some of them:

Word in Spanish: Lengua
Meanings in Spanish:

An organ of the body, the tongue
Written and/or oral language

Word in Spanish: Vino
Meanings in Spanish:

The beverage wine
The verb venir (to come) conjugated in the third person singular, past tense: él vino (he came)

Word in Spanish: Llama
Meanings in Spanish:

The camelid animal, a llama
Flame (of fire)
The verb llamar (to call) conjugated in the third person singular, present tense: ella llama (she calls)

Word in Spanish: Cara
Meanings in Spanish:

The face of a person or the side of a thing
Feminine singular adjective meaning expensive: cara, caro, caras caros

Word in Spanish: Cola
Meanings in Spanish:

Glue
The tail of an animal
Line of people

Word in Spanish: Carpa
Meanings in Spanish:

A camping tent
A type of fish, a carp

Word in Spanish: Cobre
Meanings in Spanish:

The metal copper
The verb cobrar (to charge) conjugated in the first and third person singular subjunctive mood in present tense: yo cobre, él cobre (I should charge, he should charges)

Word in Spanish: Clave
Meanings in Spanish:

A code, a password

The verb clavar (to nail) conjugated in the first and third person singular subjunctive mood in present tense: yo clave, él clave (I should nail, he should nail)

Word in Spanish: Muñeca
Meanings in Spanish:

A doll
A part of the body, the wrist

Word in Spanish: Pila
Meanings in Spanish:

A stack or batch of things
A battery
Line of people

Takeaway

As you can see in all these examples, there are many Spanish words that we spell exactly the same way but that have more than one meaning! We understand what these words mean because of the context in which we’re saying them. If someone said puedes bajar la llama de la estufa, they could mean two different things:

You can turn the llama down on the stove, or
You can get the llama off the stove

What is certain is that the person is most likely referring to turning down the flame on the stove, and not telling you to get the fluffy animal off the stove!

Let’s have a look at some more examples! As you will see below, there are times when more than one sentence makes sense. This is why the context is so important! If you’re sitting at a restaurant, you’ll more likely ask for a menu than for a letter or a card. And while a baby is sure mono (cute, lovely, or adorable), he can’t wear a monkey (monkey also means mono in Spanish – the right word here would be onesies).

Me duele la muñeca

My doll hurts
My wrist hurts

Me puede traer la carta

Please, bring me the card
Please, bring me the letter
Please, bring me the menu

Me encanta comer falda

I love to eat foothills
I love to eat skirts
I love to eat brisket

Mis plantas están verdes

My plants are green
My factories are green
My soles are green

Las carpas son de agua dulce

Tents live in freshwater
Carps live in freshwater

El mono le queda muy bien al bebé

The monkey fits the baby well
The cute one fits the baby well
Onesies fit the baby well

If you have any questions regarding the use of any words, remember that you can always schedule a FREE class with us and we’ll help you solve any doubts!