Spanish Glossary for
Helena María Viramontes’ Under the Feet of Jesus
Compiled by Dr Cristóbal Sartori
Glossary is organized first on the basis of page number in which the Spanish word or phrase appears. Second in alphabetical order of the Spanish word or phrase.
By page number
Page / Spanish / English / Comment4 / aquí / here
5 / Gringo / American
6 / Gracias a Dios / Thank God
7 / Tripas / Tripe / Intestines
8 / Niño de tierra / Child of earth = scorpion
9 / huercos fregados / damn kids / Chicano
9 / corriendo sin zapatos / running without shoes
9 / Te van a comer los niños de la tierra / The scorpions are going to eat you.
9 / huerquitos / little huercos = little children
11 / mano / short for hermano = brother / slang for bro or brother
13 / huercos / kids / Chicano
20 / loca / crazy
20 / ¿Entiendes? / Do you understand.
22 / mano / short for hermano = brother / slang for bro or brother
23 / mi'ja / Short for mi hija = my daughter
25 / aquí pegarle aquí / Here, hit it here
26 / manitas / little hands
38 / mano pronto ! / Brother soon
39 / pronto 'mano / soon brother
39 / garrapatas, no garranalgas / garrapatas=ticks (insect, lice) / garranalgas= word play "agarrar" to grab, "nalgas" ass =ass grab
40 / garrapatas=ticks (insect, lice) / I have come to tell you goodbye, Y don't want to see you cry
40 / Estoy viendo tus ojitos que de agua se están llenando / I am looking at you little eyes that are filling with water.
40 / Tu espalda esta toda mojada / Your back is all wet
41 / Yo no quisiera separarme de tu lado / I would not want to be separated from your side
41 / Niño de tierra / scorpion
42 / Ojala Dios lo permita, Pa' estrecharte entre mis brazos, Pa' estrecharte en mis brazos / I hope God will permit it, to hug you in my arms, to hug you in my arms.
44 / Buenas, como 'stan? / Good day, how are you?
44 / y estoy muy lejos de donde nací. Como la canción Mixteca / and I am very far away from where I was born. Like the Mixtec Song / Mixtec is an indigenous group from the area a Oaxaca in Mexico.
45 / Llévalos a tu Mama / Take them to your mother
60 / ¿Qué diablos te’ ta pasando? / What the hell is happening to you?
60 / ¿Por qué corres? / Why do you run?
61 / ¿Qué dices? / What are you saying?
61 / Ya no hay ajo / There is no more garlic
62 / Yo ya no voy a correr. No puedo más / I am not going to run anymore. I can't do anymore.
62 / Ya cállate / Be quite already
63 / que tienes una madre aquí / That you have a mother here.
63 / ¿Y tu primo? / And your cousin?
64 / ¿Cómo? / What?
64 / A poco no sabes ai / Don't tell me you don't know "I take a leak" / ai = phonetic sound of English letter "I"
64 / ¿En serio? / Seriously?
64 / Regaron las plantas / They watered the plants
64 / ¿De dónde eres? / Where are you from?
64 / Del Valle del Río Grande / From the valley of the river Grand
64 / Texas ya es parte de los Estados Unidos / Texas is already a part of the United States
64 / Sí lo sé, said another. Muy bonito. Muchas chicharras. / Yes I know, said another. Very pretty. A lot of cicadas. / Cicada = bug
64 / ¡Como música de maracas! / Like the music from maracas / Maracas= musical Instrument
64 / Sí lo sé / Yes I know
68 / Dos pasajes or Me voy pa'l norte / Two tickets or I'm going to the north
69 / Sin labios / without lips
82 / ¿Qué traes? / Whats up?
83 / Las mañanitas / The early morning / A serenade that is sung to people for their birthday. The Mexican birthday song.
84 / Gigante Mueblería / Giant furniture store
84 / Hay un especial de sillones / There is a special on easy chairs
84 / ¿Cuál es el criterio que usa la migra pa’ reconocer mojados? / What is the criteria that the border guards use to recognize illegal immigrants / mojados= wetbacks or people who crossed the Rio Grand illegally to get into the USA
93 / daño / damage
93 / ¿Mande? / You asked?
95 / ¡Deja ai! / leave that there!
101 / La Virgen / The Virgin Mary
104 / Vámonos / Let's go
105 / huercos fregados / damn kids
106 / ¡AHORA MISMO! / Right now!
106 / Pronto / Quick
106 / chanclaso / Crushed, hit / Chancla is a foot ware that flies off after being hit very hard like by a car.
107 / ese perro loco / That crazy dog
108 / raspada / snow cone
109 / ¡Puta madre! / whore of a mother
109 / ¿Y qué gana hablando así? / What do you get speaking like that.
112 / Gracias, muy amable / thank you, you are very nice
114 / Vámonos / Let's go
122 / ¿Y tú, tú qué quieres? / And you, what do you want?
122 / ¿Yo? Mama. No más comida. Es todo. / I? Momma. No more food. That’s all/
123 / Así comienza todo / That’s the way everything begins
127 / Puta madre / whore of a mother
128 / ¿Y qué ganas hablando así? / What do you get speaking like that.
128 / Uno dos tres / One two three
134 / ¿Amá? / Mother? / Slang shortened form of Mamá
138 / ¿Qué dice? / What is he saying?
138 / Claro / Of course
142 / ¿Qué dice del corazón? / What is she saying about the heart?
142 / Corazón / Heart
142 / ¿Está loca la enfermera? / Is that nurse crazy?
142 / Es la verdad. Su primo Gumecindo lo puede llevar al hospital. Vámonos, Perfecto. / It's true. His cousin Gumecindo can take him to the hospital. Lets go.
142 / Piénsalo, hija / Thank about it, daughter
143 / Nalgazo / Spanking
143 / Puta madre. ¿Dónde está Corazón? / Mother fucker. Where is Heart?
144 / ¡Diez dólares! ¿Y por qué diez? No más para decir que está enfermo el joven. Por gratis yo le digo la misma cosa. ¡Que racketa! / Ten dollars! And why ten? Just to say the young man is sick. For free I would have told you the same thing. What a racket! / racketa = Not a Spanish word just adding the a to the English word.
163 / cabeza de burro chingado / fucked burro head / burro = Animal like a horse but smaller and with longer ears.
166 / Certificado de Bautismos / Baptism certificates
Name / Perfecto / Perfect
Name / Alejo / From 'alejar' to move away
Name / Gumecindo
Name / Plato / Plate
Name / Estrella / Star
Name / Petra
Name / Jesucristo / Jesus Christ
Name / La Virgen Maria / Virgin Mary
Name / José / Joseph
Name / Perla / Pearl
Name / La llorona / The crying woman / Mexican Folklore ghost story
Name / Jerez / City in Mexico
Name / Zacatecas / State in Mexico
Name / Ensenada / City in Mexico, state of Baja California Norte
Name / Méndez
Name / García
Name / Flores / Flowers
Name / Cantinflas / Cantinflas = famous Mexican comedian of the 40 to early 80. As iconic for the Mexicans as Charlie Chaplin is for the USA.
Name / Cuca / Possibly Francisca = Frances
Name / Migra La / Border patrol officers
By alphabetical order of word or phrase.
Spanish / Page / English / CommentA poco no sabes ai / 64 / Don't tell me you don't know "I take a leak" / ai = phonetic sound of English letter "I"
AHORA MISMO! / 106 / Right now!
Alejo / Name / From 'alejar' to move away
Amá? / 134 / Mother? / Slang shortened form of Mamá
aquí / 4 / here
aquí pegarle aquí / 25 / Here, hit it here
Así comienza todo / 123 / That’s the way everything begins
Buenas, como 'stan? / 44 / Good day, how are you?
cabeza de burro chingado / 163 / fucked burro head / burro = Animal like a horse but smaller and with longer ears.
Cantinflas / Name / Cantinflas = famous Mexican comedian of the 40 to early 80. As iconic for the Mexicans as Charlie Chaplin is for the USA.
Certificado de Bautismos / 166 / Baptism certificates
chanclaso / 106 / Crushed, hit / Chancla = is a foot ware that flies off after being hit very hard like by a car.
Claro / 138 / Of course
Como música de maracas! / 64 / Like the music from maracas / Maracas= musical Instrument
Cómo? / 64 / What?
Corazón / 142 / Heart
corriendo sin zapatos / 9 / running without shoes
Cuál es el criterio que usa la migra pa’ reconocer mojados? / 84 / What is the criteria that the border guards use to recognize illegal immigrants / mojados= wetbacks or people who crossed the Rio Grand illegally to get into the USA
Cuca / Name / Possibly Francisca = frances
daño / 93 / damage
De dónde eres? / 64 / Where are you from?
Deja ai! / 95 / leave that there!
Del Valle del Río Grande / 64 / From the valley of the river Grand
Diez dólares! ¿Y por qué diez? No más para decir que está enfermo el joven. Por gratis yo le digo la misma cosa. ¡Que racketa! / 144 / Ten dollars! And why ten? Just to say the young man is sick. For free I would have told you the same thing. What a racket! / racketa = Not a Spanish word just adding the a to the English word.
Dos pasajes or Me voy pa'l norte / 68 / Two tickets or I'm going to the north
En serio? / 64 / Seriously?
Ensenada / Name / City in Mexico, state of Baja California Norte
Entiendes? / 20 / Do you understand.
Es la verdad. Su primo Gumecindo lo puede llevar al hospital. Vámonos, Perfecto. / 142 / It's true. His cousin Gumecindo can take him to the hospital. Lets go.
ese perro loco / 107 / That crazy dog
Está loca la enfermera? / 142 / Is that nurse crazy?
Estoy viendo tus ojitos que de agua se están llenando / 40 / I am looking at you little eyes that are filling with water.
Estrella / Name / Star
Flores / Name / Flowers
García / Name / Very common last name. Like Smith or Brown in English
garrapatas, no garranalgas / 39 / garrapatas=ticks (insect, lice) / garranalgas= word play "agarrar" to grab, "nalgas" ass =ass grab
garrapatas=ticks (insect, lice) / 40 / I have come to tell you goodbye, Y don't want to see you cry
Gigante Mueblería / 84 / Giant furniture store
Gracias a Dios / 6 / Thank God
Gracias, muy amable / 112 / thank you, you are very nice
Gringo / 5 / American
Gumecindo / Name / No translation
Hay un especial de sillones / 84 / There is a special on easy chairs
huercos / 13 / kids / Chicano slang
huercos fregados / 9,105 / damn kids / Chicano slang
huerquitos / 9 / little huercos = little children
Jerez / Name / City in Mexico
Jesucristo / Name / Jesus Christ
José / Name / Joseph
La llorona / Name / The crying woman / Mexican Folklore ghost story
La Migra / Name / Border patrol officers
La Virgen / 101 / The Virgin Mary
La Virgen Maria / Name / Virgin Mary
Las mañanitas / 83 / The early morning / A serenade that is sung to people for their birthday. The Mexican birthday song.
Llévalos a tu Mama / 45 / Take them to your mother
loca / 20 / crazy
Mande? / 93 / You asked?
manitas / 26 / little hands
mano / 11, 22 / short for hermano = brother / slang for bro or brother
mano pronto ! / 38 / Brother soon
Méndez / Name
mi'ja / 23 / Short for mi hija = my daughter
Nalgazo / 143 / Spanking
Niño de tierra / 8, 41 / Child of earth = scorpion
Ojala Dios lo permita, Pa' estrecharte entre mis brazos, Pa' estrecharte en mis brazos / 42 / I hope God will permit it, to hug you in my arms, to hug you in my arms.
Perfecto / Name / Perfect
Perla / Name / Pearl
Petra / Name
Piénsalo, hija / 142 / Thank about it, daughter
Plato / Name / Plate
Por qué corres? / 60 / Why do you run?
Pronto / 106 / Quick
pronto 'mano / 39 / soon brother
Puta madre / 109,127 / whore of a mother, mother fucker
Puta madre. ¿Dónde está Corazón? / 143 / Mother fucker. Where is Heart?
Qué diablos te’ ta pasando? / 60 / What the hell is happening to you?
Qué dice del corazón? / 142 / What is she saying about the heart?
Qué dice? / 138 / What is he saying?
Qué dices? / 61 / What are you saying?
que tienes una madre aquí / 63 / That you have a mother here.
Qué traes? / 82 / What’s up?
raspada / 108 / snow cone
Regaron las plantas / 64 / They watered the plants
Sí lo sé / 64 / Yes I know
Sí lo sé, said another. Muy bonito. Muchas chicharras. / 64 / Yes I know, said another. Very pretty. A lot of cicadas. / Cicada = bug
Sin labios / 69 / without lips
Te van a comer los niños de la tierra / 9 / The scorpions are going to eat you.
Texas ya es parte de los Estados Unidos / 64 / Texas is already a part of the United States
Tripas / 7 / Tripe / Intestines
Tu espalda esta toda mojada / 40 / Your back is all wet
Uno dos tres / 128 / One two three
Vámonos / 104,114 / Let's go
y estoy muy lejos de donde nací. Como la canción Mixteca / 44 / and I am very far away from where I was born. Like the Mixtec Song / Mixtec is an indigenous group from the area a Oaxaca in Mexico.
Y qué gana hablando así? / 109 / What do you get speaking like that.
Y qué ganas hablando así? / 128 / What do you get speaking like that.
Y tu primo? / 63 / And your cousin?
Y tú, tú qué quieres? / 122 / And you, what do you want?
Ya callate / 62 / Be quite already
Ya no hay ajo / 61 / There is no more garlic
Yo no quisiera separarme de tu lado / 41 / I would not want to be separated from your side
Yo ya no voy a correr. No puedo más / 62 / I am not going to run anymore. I can't do anymore.
Yo? Mama. No más comida. Es todo. / 122 / I? Momma. No more food. That’s all/
Zacatecas / Name / State in Mexico