Also read: Filipino and Spanish Words: Spelling the Difference

1. Dia de peligro
In Filipino, dia de peligro refers to the last stretch of days before payday. It is described as the tough days when cash is running low. While it’s obviously a loaned phrase from Spanish, dia de peligro doesn’t really mean something in Spanish other than its literal translation “day of danger.”

During dia de peligro, Filipinos try as much not to spend: instead of eating out, they bring baon (packed food) at work, instead of riding a taxi, they commute, and instead of going out on weekends, they stay at home.

Photo credit to the owner

Admittedly, some Filipinos tend to be “one-day millionaires.” They spend a lot when money is on hand and hardly keep a spare change for the next days. Worse, they even borrow money from another person with the line: “Pwede bang humiram sa ‘yo? Dia de peligro na kasi” (May I borrow money from you? It’s dia de peligro).

2. Kwatro kantos
The phrase was derived from two Spanish words cuatro (which means “four”) and cantos (which means “edges/sides”). Surprisingly, it refers to a local alcoholic beverage. It ended up with such unique name because of the shape of the bottle:

Photo credit to the owner

Had it not been for the image, who would ever think that kwatro kantos is a gin?

Ginebra San Miguel's kwatro kantos is a popular alcoholic drink in the province. In fact, its smaller ml size has a moniker based on its shape too, which is called bilog (circle). This gin is usually drank as a group where the shot glass is shared by everyone, a practice that’s uniquely Filipino.

Photo credit to the owner

Drinking gin is usually accompanied by a pitcher of water, chaser (any powdered drink from iced tea to mango), and if within the budget, pulutan (Filipino version of tapas).

Tagay! (“Shot!”)

3. Pan de regla
Pan de regla is a soft local bread distinct for its red filling. It is usually eaten as snacks by Filipinos. You can get “pan de regla” at almost every local bakeshop and even at sidewalks.

Photo credit to the owner

This bread is truly delicious but the name is somehow gross. “Pan de regla” is the Spanish phrase for “menstrual bread.” As to how it ended up with such sensitive name, pepper.ph told: “...because it looks like the cross section of a used sanitary napkin.” (source)

The word regla also exists in the Philippine dictionary, so Filipinos pretty much know that it means “menstruation.” For less vulgar naming, others call it kalihim (co-secret keeper) or ligaya (happiness).

Also read: Why Learning a Language is Your Ticket to Your Next Flight

4. Maglamyerda
In Filipino, lamyerda means to be a truant. It may refer to the a student who skips class to go somewhere else than school or to a worker who slacks off to roam and avoid the workload.

In Spanish, lamyerda may sound like la mierda, which is a not-so-good term either. “Mierda!” is a cursing word that means shit, crap, fuck, and other vulgar words you can probably think of. Don’t get surprised with Spanish because they really have an array of curses.

In fact, “mierda!” is one of the most common expressions in Spain:
So the next time you decide “na maglamyerda” (to be truant), think again. It’s not a good thing, even in other languages.

5. Buena mano
Literally means “good hand” in Spanish, buena mano is an idiomatic expression that refers to “lucky hands.”  I don’t literally mean lucky hands to win big in the casino here. Buena mano means something else.

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Store owners think that the buena mano will bring luck in the business throughout the day since they give the first income of the day. This belief is influenced by the Chinese, which the Filipinos have adopted. The Hispanics also believe the same way, and so the idea of buena mano is also known in Spanish-speaking countries.

Buena mano should not to be mistaken with segunda mano though, which means "secondhand" in Spanish. Whether in Spanish or Filipino, they both mean “a used item” or something that’s “not brand new.”

Also read: Filipino and Spanish Words: Lost in Translation

6. Etsa puwera
It sucks to be rejected and to be taken for granted. You don’t want the millennials to tell you that “you can’t sit with us,” because deym, it just hurts. These are the ways to put etsa puwera into context to explain what this phrase means for the Filipinos.

Actually, the phrase etsa puwera came from Spanish’ echar fuera. Dissecting it further, echar is a verb that means “to throw” and fuera is an adverb that means “out, away, or outside” in Spanish. Depending on the context, it may mean “to be pushed away.”

It’s human nature to feel bad about being ignored, especially by someone or something you value much. While Christina Aguilera says “nobody wants to be lonely,” I’d say nobody also wants na ma-etsa puwera (to be pushed away).

7. Puto seko
Puto refers to a male prostitute in Spanish. In some countries, it refers to a “gay / faggot.” Whichever way to put it, the term is an extremely offensive insult to someone. Meanwhile, seco is an adjective that means "dry" in Spanish. When the two words are combined, puto seco may be a connotation of a “horny male prostitute / gay.”

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On the other hand, puto seko in Filipino is neither offensive nor vulgar. It’s nothing but a sweet delicacy made up of sugar, cornstarch, flour, egg, and butter. It’s a popular pasalubong (something one brings home) among Filipinos.

Photo credit to the owner

Puto seko should not be mistaken with puto though. Also a local delicacy, puto is soft and steamed with rice flour, milk, and egg as its main ingredients. It’s one of the many rice cakes served as snack in the Philippines.

Do you know other Filipino phrases similar to these? Comment below and let’s start the conversation!

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Shelly C. Dimaculangan is a Spanish translator in the Philippines. She finished AB Journalism at University of Santo Tomas in Manila where she took her first Spanish classes. After college, she continued learning Spanish at Instituto Cervantes de Manila.