
You have probably heard some anglicisms during conversations with friends, in Spanish tv shows an>or movies and even in the news. These words have been introduced into the Spanish language by using them and the RAE has finally accepted them.an>
In this Enforex article, we tell you what anglicisms are and everything that surrounds this linguistic phenomenon. Find out here!
What are anglicisms?
When a language takes vocabulary from another language to fill semantic gaps, follow fashions or adapt to new technological, social or cultural contexts, it is producing an extranjerismo. Extranjerismos or foreign words are words, expressions or linguistic turns of phrase that a language adopts from another foreign language.
Thus, anglicisms arise from foreign words. Anglicisms are words, expressions or grammatical constructions that come from English and have been adopted in the Spanish language. These words or expressions may have been accepted in their literal form or adapted to Spanish.
This linguistic phenomenon is a form of lexical borrowing and not only occurs with English, but also with other languages such as French, Italian or Arabic. Therefore, it is common, when studying Spanish in Spain, to see words or expressions that are similar or identical in your mother tongue.
What is the origin of Anglicisms?
The use of anglicisms in Spanish arose due to globalization. Moreover, this linguistic phenomenon has increased especially since the 20th century also due to the influence of Anglo-Saxon culture in sectors such as cinema, music or television and the dominance of English in areas such as technology, science, business and social networks.

Is it recommended to use anglicisms?
The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) recommends avoiding unnecessary anglicisms when there are Spanish equivalents. However, it accepts some that are already well established or for which there is no clear alternative.
Although Spanish has equivalent words in many cases, anglicisms are often adopted for convenience, social prestige or fashion. However, according to the RAE and FundéuRAE, it is recommended to avoid unnecessary anglicisms when there are Spanish equivalents.
For example, the terms streaming and newsletter are already commonly used, but these two words have Spanish translations: en directo and boletín, respectively. It is therefore recommended to only use anglicisms if the Spanish word does not exist or does not have a translation. However, in many media and blogs you will see the anglicism instead of its Spanish word. So, the correct use of anglicisms depends on the context, who is speaking and the audience the speaker is addressing.
Types of anglicisms
There are different types of anglicisms in Spanish, let's take a closer look at them:
The unadapted anglicism occurs when the original English form is maintained. For example: marketing, software, online, jeans or feedback.
While the adapted anglicism occurs when a word is modified to follow the Spanish spelling or pronunciation. For example: fútbol (from football), escáner (from scanner), clicar (from click).

Examples of non-adapted anglicisms in Spanish
Remember that unadapted anglicisms are used in Spanish as they are written in English:
- Marketing
- Smartphone
- Streaming
- Software
- Online
- Hacker
- Feedback
- Hashtag
- Spoiler
Examples of adapted Spanish anglicisms
Spanish anglicisms have been adapted and modified to fit the Spanish spelling or pronunciation:
- Fútbol - from football
- Béisbol - from baseball
- Líder - from leader
- Sandwich - from sandwich
- Bistec - from beefsteak
- Cócter - from cocktail
- Mitin - from meeting
- Friqui or friki - from freaky
- Nailon – from nylon
- Club - adapted pronunciation 'klub'

Phrases with anglicisms
Here are some phrases with anglicisms in which you can see how these words work and how they are used in Spanish:
- Estoy viendo una serie por streaming (I'm watching a streaming series)
- Sirvieron un delicioso cóctel de frutas en la recepción (They served a delicious fruit cocktail at the reception desk)
- Me llegó un email de la universidad (I got an email from the university)
- Tuvimos una reunión para hablar de la estrategia de marketing (We had a meeting to discuss marketing strategy)
- María es una excelente líder, siempre motiva a su equipo (Maria is an excellent leader; she always motivates her team)
- Te paso el link por WhatsApp (I'll pass you the link via WhatsApp)
- ¡No me hagas ningún spoiler! Aún no he visto el final (Don't give me any spoilers! I haven't seen the end yet)
- El candidato dará un mitin en la plaza principal esta tarde (The candidate will give a rally in the main square this afternoon)
- El domingo jugaremos un partido de fútbol en el parque (We will play a soccer game in the park on Sunday)
- Este abrigo está hecho de nylon y es resistente al agua (This coat is made of nylon and is water resistant)
Although these are just some of the most common anglicisms in Spanish, there are many more and, as time goes by, more anglicisms will be added to the Spanish language. Therefore, anglicisms reflect how Spanish adapts to changes in any field.
However, remember that their use should be balanced, limited and conscious, although they are part of the natural evolution of the language and contribute to enriching the vocabulary. And you, do you know any other anglicism? Tell us about it!
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