pocho
rotten
The term 'pocho' is a colloquial term in Spanish that is used to describe an individual who is Mexican or Mexican-American but is not fluent in Spanish or has trouble speaking it correctly. The term can be derogatory, suggesting that the person is neglecting or rejecting their cultural heritage. The English equivalent of 'pocho' does not have a straight-forward translation, but could be loosely translated as 'Americanized Mexican' or 'Mexican who can't speak Spanish well'. Please note the societal and cultural implications when using this term.
Example sentences using: pocho
Marta llama a Juan un pocho porque él tiene acento estadounidense cuando habla español.
Marta calls Juan a pocho because he has an American accent when speaking Spanish.
In this context, 'pocho' is a derogatory term used in Spanish to describe a person of Mexican descent who speaks Spanish with an American accent or has lost fluency in Spanish typically due to living in the United States.
Mi hermano es un pocho, siempre mezcla inglés con español en sus conversaciones.
My brother is a pocho, he always mixes English with Spanish in his conversations.
The term 'pocho' in this instance refers to someone who consistently code-switches between English and Spanish in their speech, often a characteristic of individuals living in bilingual environments, such as Hispanic-Americans.
El pocho no pudo entender todas las palabras en la telenovela.
The pocho couldn't understand all the words in the soap opera.
The term 'pocho' is utilized here to describe a person that has decreased Spanish language proficiency. In this situation, the individual is unable to comprehend all words in a Spanish-language soap opera.