Bolivia situation guide
Hosting for the first time
For the first time, you're the one proposing the plan: a dish from your country, at your place, on Friday. Hosting friends is deliberately casual, no formal register, no elaborate etiquette; you'll save that for family, later. When a newcomer arrives at your table and Rodri introduces you as 'un amigo del grupo, hace rato', the circle from chapter 1 closes: you're not the refuerzo extranjero anymore.
Essential vocabulary
- Che, propongo algo:: Hey, I'm proposing something: The formula that opens your first proposal to the group, instead of just reacting to others' plans.
- ¿Se animan?: Are you all up for it? The soft, warm verb for inviting the group into your idea.
- Yo cocino, vos traés la bebida.: I cook, you bring the drinks. How a host assigns small roles instead of doing everything alone.
- ¿Alguna alergia o algo que no coman?: Any allergies or anything you all don't eat? The considerate host question before cooking for a group.
- Pasen, pasen.: Come in, come in. The warm host line that opens the door, you're saying it now, not hearing it.
- Sírvanse nomás.: Help yourselves, go ahead. The host line you learned as a guest, now yours to say at your own table.
- Un amigo del grupo, hace rato.: A friend of the group, for a while now. How Rodri introduces you to a newcomer, the mirror of your own first day in chapter 1.
Bolivian Spanish terms
- ¿Qué llevamos?: What should we bring? The guest chorus you'll hear at your own door, it's sincere, so assigning a small item is the right answer, not refusing all help.
- hace rato: for a while now A small badge of tenure in an introduction, it tells a newcomer you're not new anymore.
Useful phrases
- Che, propongo algo: el viernes en mi casa, yo cocino.: Hey, I'm proposing something: Friday at my place, I cook. Pitching your own plan to the group for the first time.
- ¿Alguna alergia o algo que no coman?: Any allergies or anything you don't eat? The considerate host check before cooking for the group.
- Pasen, pasen, sírvanse nomás.: Come in, come in, help yourselves. The host's door-round-to-table sequence, warm and casual.
- Ella es la prima de Vero, él es un amigo del grupo, hace rato.: This is Vero's cousin, this is a friend of the group, for a while now. Introducing two people to each other at your own table.
- Gracias por venir, banda.: Thanks for coming, everyone. The host's warm closing message, the morning after.
Learn this in the app
Join Your Partner's Circle in Bolivia, Spanish