If there is a group of loanwords that could be defined as the most significant today for the Spanish language, that would be the anglicismos, or words borrowed from English.

Thanks to the global spread of the culture from English-speaking countries through the media, anglicismos are the extranjerismos most frequently used in modern Spanish, like in sports (córner, básquetbol, running), the fashion industry (look, anti-aging, lifting), the TV and film industries (espóiler, show, thriller, casting), business (lobby, staff, marketing), and many other fields.

It goes without saying that this Anglophone influence is most present on the Latin-American varieties of Spanish, as American English has a most consistent presence on its continental neighbors. In the case of the European varieties of Spanish, they prefer first to use any alternative that does not borrow directly from their British counterparts.

What follows is a general list of English loanwords adopted by Spanish speakers everywhere. On the left side, you will see the loanwords as they should be spelled according to the Spanish grammar or as they are most commonly written; for some of them, I show you in parenthesis the English word they come from to clarify their origins. On the right side after the colon, I give you the alternative words that could be used instead, if any.

 

Backup: Copia de seguridad

Banner: Pancarta (digital)

Barman: Camarero

Básquet (from basketball): Baloncesto

Best-seller: Superventas, récord de ventas

Blíster (from blister): Blíster, envase

Blog: Bitácora (digital o en línea)

Boicot (from boycott): Boicot

Boom: Auge, prosperidad

Brainstorming: Lluvia de ideas

Business: Negocio(s)

Cash: (Dinero en) efectivo

Cásting (from casting): Audición

CD: Disco compacto

Celebrity: Celebridad, famoso/a

CEO: Director general, presidente

Chat: Conversación en línea o por medios digitales

Check-in: Registro de entrada

Check-out: Registro de salida

Clip (as in a binder clip or a video clip): Clip

Clóset (from closet): Armario

Club (as in an association): Club

Coach: Entrenador, asesor personal

Community manager: Gestor de redes sociales

Copyright: Derechos de autor

Deadline: Fecha límite, plazo

Delivery: Entregar, reparto, (servicio) a domicilio

DJ (as in a disc jockey): Disc jockey, pinchadiscos (this noun is practically only used in Spain)

E-book: Libro electrónico

Email: Correo electrónico

Espónsor (from sponsor): Patrocinador

Estrés (from stress, as in the emotional or psychological pressure): Tensión, presión

Exprés (from express, as in a pot, a type of coffee or a mode of transportation): (Olla) exprés, (café) expreso or (tren) expreso

Don’t miss my next post for more anglicismos in Spanish! 🙂