Peppa Pig is one of my son’s favourite TV shows, and anyone who watches it, even casually, knows her favorite pastime – jumping in muddy puddles! A puddle in Spanish is known as a charco.
Latin American Pronunciation
European Pronunciation
The etymology of this word is uncertain. Many consider it to be imitative, or a word whose pronunciation reproduces the natural sound that object makes, but it could also be a borrowing from Basque.
Charco is a masculine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles:
- el charco = the puddle
- un charco = a puddle
- los charcos = the puddles
- unos charcos = some puddles
Me gusta saltar en los charcos.
I like jumping in puddles.
Charco can refer specifically to a puddle created by rainwater, or more broadly to any kind of puddle formed from a liquid, such as spilled milk, blood, or wine. A muddy puddle is known as un charco de barro (“a puddle of mud”).
It may also denote different kinds of small pools, such as rock pools.
In Spanish, charco is often used metaphorically to refer to the Atlantic Ocean, similar to how we use the word pond in English to describe this body of water. In some Latin American countries, charco can be used colloquially to refer to a larger body of water, like a small waterfall or even a swimming pool. Here are some expressions you might hear that use charco in this sense of the word:
- al otro lado del charco = the other side of the pond / across the pond
- cruzar / pasar / atravesar el charco = to cross the pond / ocean
- del otro lado del charco = from the other side of the Pond
- vamos para el charco del pueblo = let’s go to the town’s pond
He cruzado el charco diez veces en mi vida.
I have crossed the pond ten times in my life.
