Gran Canaria versus Tenerife. The two islands are engaged in a war of words through a video that two users of the social network TikTok have created about the terms that are said differently in both places.
If there’s something characteristic about the Canarian lexicon is its diversity. The dialect has multiple peculiarities and its own meanings. In fact, there are words that only a Canarian would understand, as outside the archipelago certain terms that come from the islands are unknown. Here you can read more about Canary expressions.
What words are said differently in Tenerife and Gran Canaria?
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From donuts and popcorn to sweater or jumper. Both users of TikTok have taken a look at the Canarian lexicon. The first reference was to popcorn, in Gran Canaria they say donuts. In Tenerife, it’s popcorn. “If you search on Google for popcorn, donuts appear. Roscas doesn’t show up, what you find on the Internet are sweets,” the video claims.
Other words mentioned were folder, milk and milk and sweater (Gran Canaria) or briefcase, barraquito and jumper (Tenerife). “It’s huge”, they said about sneakers, the way they call trainers in Gran Canaria, as tennis shoes, as they are called in Tenerife, “makes more sense”.
More words
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There was time and space in the video to talk about the trunk of the cars. Portabultos for the locals of Gran Canaria. Also, there are the colouring pencils or crayons for those from Tenerife. “I hate that word, are the people from Tenerife English?”.
Events for Canary Islands Day in Santa Lucía de Tirajana / La Provincia
However, despite the differences between the two users, they agreed on one thing: the word fleje “doesn’t sound serious”. In Gran Canaria, it’s used as a synonym for a lot. “Imagine if someone breaks your heart and tells you I’m suffering a lot, well, it doesn’t sound serious”.
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Despite the differences between some words, the two islands share many others. Potato, corn (maize), chill (cold) or kid (baby goat). These are some of the words that make the Canarian dialect special.
