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¡Qué chilero!

Since chile means hot pepper in English, you might imagine this a fiery word. In truth, it is the exact opposite.

¡Qué chilero! means How beautiful! in Guatemalan Spanish

Image by Lee Jamison

Beautiful, but not that hot

🌶️ GUATEMALANS are not as given to hot, spicy foods as their Mexican neighbors. It is no surprise, then, that in Guatemalan Spanish chilero usually has nothing to do with mouth-burning of any kind. Rather, here it takes on the meaning of nice, good, or beautiful, depending on the context.

⚽ ¡Qué chilera tu chumpa! Boy, that’s a really beautiful jacket! Vos, que chilera está tu playera ¿dónde la compraste?
🏈 Hey, what a beautiful T-shirt! Where did you buy it?

Use of chilero in the Xverse

Check out the use of chilero in the post below:

⚽ Feliz 17, amorcito mío, todo este tiempo juntos ha sido muy chilero. Muchas gracias por tanto amor.
🏈 Happy 17th, my love; all this time together has been awesome. Thanks so much for all your love.

Here’s one more example:

⚽ Dedicarse canciones a uno mismo también es chilero.
🏈 Dedicating songs to yourself is also pretty cool.

In fact, in Guatemala a popular children’s show is known also as ¡Qué chilero! So don’t get burned! Remember that this hot and spicy term in Guatemalan Spanish is actually quite cool!


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