It is a verifiable reality that the Canarian speech is different from that of other Spanish speakers. Starting from a common base, Spanish has a multitude of variants, many more than countries or regions that speak it. Without going very far In the Canary Islands we have different words to designate the same thing depending on which island we are on. Thus, many times when we travel between islands, we would need a special dictionary to understand each other. Here we present you a basic dictionary chicharrero-canariónto facilitate communication between Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
This basic dictionary contains 15 concepts that have two different words, one in common use in Tenerife and the other in Gran Canaria. Here go the 30 words.
Bubango – zucchini
If you ask for bubangos in the market in Gran Canaria, the shopkeeper will correct you by saying: “he means zucchini”. However, the Canarian Language Academy ensures that the bubango is something else. Cylindrical zucchini with green skin and white flesh, similar to zucchini, but more appreciated than zucchini. Bubango is distinguished from zucchini by shape and size.
popcorn – threads
The Popcorns are from Tenerife and the bagels are from Gran Canaria. Even Canarias Radio uses this double designation on popcorn as the name of one of its programs. ‘Roscas and popcorn’.
Dog chorizo - Teror chorizo
There are those who maintain that it is not the same thing, but it is difficult to find the seven differences.
sponge cake
If we talk about pastries, whether homemade or industrial, in Tenerife we will ask for sponge cake and cake in Gran Canaria. In the Peninsula they would say sponge cake, but since in Gran Canaria the sponge cake is something else, they preferred to use the Anglicism Cake.
Biscuit bread – biscuit
The biscuit bread is more from Tenerife and the biscuit from Gran Canaria. What in the Peninsula they would call toasted bread.
Tinned bread – sliced bread
On both islands it is clear that it is about bread and a shaped bread, either from a square tin or a square mold.
pico fig – prickly pear
The fruit of the prickly pear or prickly pear is for the people of Tenerife the pico fig and for the people of Gran Canaria the prickly pear.
Guachinche – bochinche
Everyone knows that in Tenerife you can eat fantastically and for little money in the guachinches, accompanying the food with wine from the own winery or water. In Gran Canaria, the bochinches also offer food for little money. We don’t talk about quality. What is not found is their own wine, even if they offer you house wine.
Treasury – pisco
A little bit is called a treasury in Tenerife and is a pisco in Gran Canaria. And with this word we close the chapter on food, although the treasury or pisco are not necessarily linked to what enters our mouths.
balloon – blower
In this case it does not enter through the mouth, but results from the air that comes out through it. According to the basic Canary Islands dictionary, the Gran Canaria sopladera is a round, oval or spindle-shaped bag made of a flexible and impermeable material, which fills with air and serves as a toy. Come on, what amounts to a balloon in Tenerife and in the rest of Spain.
Sweater – pullover
The influence and borrowing of another language comes in this case from the same side, but in Tenerife they kept the sweater and in Gran Canaria they preferred the pullover to refer to what on the Peninsula they would call a pullover.
Tennis – T-shirts
The sports shoes are tennis in Tenerife and beach shoes in Gran Canaria.
Drawer – drawer
If we want to store our sweater or our tennis shoes well, we will do it in a drawer in Tenerife and in a drawer in Gran Canaria.
Wardrobe
Of course, the drawer can only be from our closet in Tenerife, while in Gran Canaria the drawer is from the closet.
Luggage compartment – rack
And we come to the end of this journey. If you keep your luggage in the trunk of the car in Tenerife and get on the Armas or the Fred. Olsen to go to Gran Canaria, you will take it out of the rack when you arrive at your destination.
