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.
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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! 🙂
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