Sleazy

[Travis]

How would the concept of a place or person being "sleazy" best translate into Spanish?

I gave this a go with my Spanish teacher, but he doesn't have great English, so I'm not sure I was communicating the idea in a meaningful way. In the context of our discussion, I had been describing an experience with a local government office that operates shamelessly, (almost) openly soliciting for bribes. Brazen. I used examples to describe other forms of sleaziness, like a low-end strip joint, a dirty bar, a bad character, an area of town filled with all that, etc. But again, I'm not sure I was clear.

We didn't spend much time on it. And I can't remember exactly, but after hitting the wall I think the best we came up with was sucio. As I write this, feo comes to mind, also, but both words are so multi-purpose.

Is there a good translation?

[cbviajero]

How would the concept of a place or person being "sleazy" best translate into Spanish?

I gave this a go with my Spanish teacher, but he doesn't have great English, so I'm not sure I was communicating the idea in a meaningful way. In the context of our discussion, I had been describing an experience with a local government office that operates shamelessly, (almost) openly soliciting for bribes. Brazen. I used examples to describe other forms of sleaziness, like a low-end strip joint, a dirty bar, a bad character, an area of town filled with all that, etc.

Is there a good translation?

Descarados and tranzas could describe the brazen bribe taking office workers and a sleazy bar might be called a lugar de mala muerte.

[Mrguero]

A sleazy person in Spanish(corrupt) could be called a "sinverguenza" or: esa persona no tiene verguenza, which is translated as a shameless person.

A very corrupt person is "muy corrupto", which means about the same as above.

However, I think the very best term in Spanish to describe a sleazy person, a sleazy bar, etc es asco or asqueroso.

It's a very strong word when used to describe a person or a place:

Ese bar es un asco(that bar is filthy and lowdown)

Esa óficina gubermental es muy asquerosa(that government office is very sleazy and brazen).

[adafromhavana]

I agree with "asqueroso". That's the closes word to Sleazy in my opinion.

[bmh]

In other word there is no good word for it, it just depends on the type of sleazy you want to describe.

Reminds me of the day I asked an indigenous on the street on how to say pot holder in her language, answer the little piece of cloth you use to hold a hot pot...wow that was a mouth full ...

Funny I thought about the word sleazy and we do not have a good translation for it in French either,,

[Travis]

Thanks for the replies. With my teacher, we definitely covered sin verguenza and descarado when talking about a shameless person, like a transito who blatanly/openly seeks a bribe. I've never heard of tranza before though....sounds slangy. I'm going to ask him about it.

And yes, we've talked about asqueroso for things that are disgusting and repulsive.

But yeah, it sounds like in English, we can put people, or a place, or the actions of a person under the "sleazy" umbrella, but in Spanish you need different words depending upon context.

As far as the corrupt government office goes, I asked him if it was okay to call it a "bad joke". He said, yes, but it would be better to say, "La oficina es una burla." I take that to mean that not only is it a bad joke, it's a mockery.

[cbviajero]

Thanks for the replies. With my teacher, we definitely covered sin verguenza and descarado when talking about a shameless person, like a transito who blatanly/openly seeks a bribe. I've never heard of tranza before though....sounds slangy. I'm going to ask him about it.

El que no tranza,no avanza.An unfortunate but well known Mexican saying.

[AlanMexicali]

Thanks for the replies. With my teacher, we definitely covered sin verguenza and descarado when talking about a shameless person, like a transito who blatanly/openly seeks a bribe. I've never heard of tranza before though....sounds slangy. I'm going to ask him about it.

And yes, we've talked about asqueroso for things that are disgusting and repulsive.

But yeah, it sounds like in English, we can put people, or a place, or the actions of a person under the "sleazy" umbrella, but in Spanish you need different words depending upon context.

As far as the corrupt government office goes, I asked him if it was okay to call it a "bad joke". He said, yes, but it would be better to say, "La oficina es una burla." I take that to mean that not only is it a bad joke, it's a mockery.

On the California - Mexican border in Mexico the word for sleazy is "corriente" but also needs to be in context. A person or place that is "corriente" is more like in English "very common" or below standard or very low class and if a person is a person of bad upbringing or rude or vulgar or bad habits or even low life also.

I can´t think of a better word for sleazy. I hear it used in Central Mexico on occasion.

2 levels: "corriente" {rude, low class, etc.} and "muy corriente" {vulgar, pig sty, etc.}

[More Liana]

Here's a little joke for you:

"Mi mamá tiene un gato eléctrico."

"Porqué dices eléctrico?"

"Por ser corriente."

Where I come from, 'corriente' has the connotation 'ordinary, common'.

A pig sty is 'una cochinada'. You might say to someone, "La cocina de esa señora siempre es una cochinada."

Someone with a dirty mouth (in speech habits) might be called 'cochino(a)'.

[cbviajero]

Soy un hombre comun y corriente.I'm a common man.I don't think of it as perjorative term.

For someone who swears a lot I would go with pelado,grosero,vulgar etc.

[AlanMexicali]

Soy un hombre comun y corriente.I'm a common man.I don't think of it as perjorative term.

For someone who swears a lot I would go with pelado,grosero,vulgar etc.

It can have a perjorative implication especially when gossiping about someone who is less than common or ordinary as far as I have been told. It is not a dictionary thing, but a context thing and derogatory slang for more than a few people I know.

Again it could be a Mexicali thing; they have their own way of gossiping and denigrating people.

However this webpage seems to agree it can and is derogatory in context so maybe it is not a Mexicali thing. I had to check it out as your statement had me wondering.

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2113205&langid=24

[cbviajero]

Like you said Alan,it depends on the context.

[More Liana]

Takes me back to my long-ago youth, where in my town one of the worst things you could say about a girl was that she was common. The connotation was definitely 'sleazy'.

[More Liana]

For sleazy, how about escoria? Here's Paquita La Del Barrio singing one of my favorite songs. Listen for it, it shows up fast.

[modeeper]

I agree with "asqueroso". That's the closes word to Sleazy in my opinion.

That means sickening. Golfo is my choice.

[modeeper]

Soy un hombre comun y corriente.I'm a common man.I don't think of it as perjorative term.

For someone who swears a lot I would go with pelado,grosero,vulgar etc.

Yes grosero is super common. Pelado means someone who has nothing, not just class but material things as well. Vulgar is something a woman would say more often than a man. Again, golfo is the word y'all are looking for. People from the Golf are noted for being sleazy. It's a cool word and easy to remember.

[cbviajero]

Yes grosero is super common. Pelado means someone who has nothing, not just class but material things as well. Vulgar is something a woman would say more often than a man. Again, golfo is the word y'all are looking for. People from the Golf are noted for being sleazy. It's a cool word and easy to remember.

A golfa is a prostitute.

I disagree with your definition of pelado,there are plenty of pelados with money and material things.

[modeeper]

I doubt it could be a golfa, it's an adjective. Ella es golfa. Pelado, meaning peeled, is kinda self explanatory, innit?

[cbviajero]

I doubt it could be a golfa, it's an adjective. Ella es golfa. Pelado, meaning peeled, is kinda self explanatory, innit?

Ella es una golfa-she is a prostitute.

I suggest that you ask a Mexican if being poor is a requirement for being a pelado.

[modeeper]

That's a good one, ask a Mexican ..

Would I get the same answer from a pool of let's say .. a hundred of them?

Pelado is a class of Mexicans, at least that's how I learned it at a Mexican university. They have their own general way about them, their jokes, slang, dress. They are often imitated on comedic TV shows. .. did you ever watch the TV show La Cosa with Hector Suarez? I'd say it's probably what would be trailer trash to an American .. But then, what the Hell do I know.

[Travis]

A golfa is a prostitute.

I was taught that meaning years ago when I first moved here and quickly filed it away as a word to be very careful with.

[cooper]

Corriente is a very common word used to denote sleazy. It is heard all the time to refer to someone or something of low quality.

A man coughs up and spits on the sidewalk might elicit the comment "que viejo tan corriente". Or a woman that, ( in the eye of the beholder), dresses very sleazy can be considered "una vieja corriente."

An object of poor quality can also be described as corriente. "Este maíz es muy corriente, no sirve para nixtamal."

And it can also mean a mixed breed animal. "De que raza es tu perro? No es de raza pura, es corriente pero muy noble."

[modeeper]

^ Yes, all that is true.

Interesting how a language is a window into the culture. Corriente isn't necessarily negative, it just means everyday ordinary (there's another word for corriente, ordinario). So by the cultural window model if it's everyday ordinary it's missing something. We must be more than ordinary. Which is no doubt a subjective idealistic day dream. I'd think a nice cut of beefsteak to a national is what is roundsteak to a Gringo. Now isn't that ordinary?

[cbviajero]

Corriente is a very common word used to denote sleazy. It is heard all the time to refer to someone or something of low quality.

Like in any language words have different meanings depending on how they're used,if a man refers to himself as (un hombre comun y corriente) I don't think he's saying that he's sleazy,do you?

You speak Spanish,what's your take on the word,pelado,is it not used to describe someone who makes lewd comments,regardless of whether they're rich or poor?

[cooper]

Like in any language words have different meanings depending on how they're used,if a man refers to himself as (un hombre comun y corriente) I don't think he's saying that he's sleazy,do you?

You speak Spanish,what's your take on the word,pelado,is it not used to describe someone who makes lewd comments,regardless of whether they're rich or poor?

Comun y corriente as a phrase means common. "El hombre comun y corriente" is " the common man". "Un hombre comun y corriente" is "a common man". Corriente, used alone, depends on how it is used. Just like a lot of English words. I should have quoted Alex because he was the one that brought up the word corriente as meaning sleazy, lowlife etc. No one else appeared to have heard it used in that manner. I hear it regularly. Like if my wife catches me picking my nose!

I agree with your definition of pelado.