Tango Glossary
Spanish/English Dance Vocabulary
Pronunciation
‘ll’ or ‘y’ is pronounced ‘zh,’ or as an English ‘j’
‘qu’ sounds like the ‘c’ in ‘cat’
‘z’ is pronounced like ‘s’
‘j’ is a hard, throaty ‘h’ sound
Social courtesy
| bailar | to dance |
| Querés bailar? | Do you want to dance? |
| Sí, gracias. | Yes, thank you. |
| Uno más? | One more? |
| Cómo no. | Yes, please. (literally “How not?”). |
| Por favor. | Please. |
| yo | I |
| vos | you |
| él | he |
| ella | she |
Verbs and Actions
| parar, pararse | to stop, to stand (up) |
| derecho | straight |
| caminar | to walk |
| abrir | to open |
| juntar | to join, bring together (as in, one’s feet or knees) |
| marcar | to lead |
| (la marca) | (the lead) |
| llevar | to lead, also to carry |
| guiar | to guide, also to lead |
| seguir | to follow |
| escuchar | to listen |
| mirar | to look |
| fijarse | to pay close attention to |
| preguntar | to ask |
| Una pregunta por favor |
A question, please |
| una vez más | one more time |
Dancing
| el compás | the beat |
| el ritmo | the rhythm |
| despacio, lento | slow/slowly |
| rápido | fast |
| doble tiempo | double time |
| pasos | steps |
Body Parts
| el cuerpo | body |
| el eje | axis (usually refers to balance) |
| el peso | weight |
| los dedos | toes, fingers |
| el pie/los pies | foot/feet |
| las piernas | legs |
| las rodillas | knees |
| la cintura | waist |
| los brazos | arms |
| el pecho | chest |
| el abrazo | embrace (as in, dance hold) |
Dance Floor
| paso | a step |
| pisar | to step |
| piso | floor |
| pista | dance floor |
Directions
| adelante | forward |
| atrás | backward |
| al costado | to the side |
| izquierda | left |
| derecha | right |
| derecho | straight |
Steps & Embellishments
| cruzar (cruze) | to cross (the cross) |
| ocho | a figure “eight” |
| giro | a turn |
| salida | a basic walking pattern |
| corrida | a run |
| sacada | a displacement of the feet |
| boleo | (no translation) |
| parada | a stop, often a “sandwich” |
| barrida | a sweep |
| arrastre | a drag |
| llevada | a “carry” |
| enrosque | a twist |
| lapiz | a pencil |
| amague | a fake |
| gancho | a hook |
| rulo | a curl |
| patada | a kick |
| adornos | embellishments |
Tangos & Milongas
| vals | Waltz (Argentine waltz) |
| milonga | The name of a peppy, cheerful dance related to the Tango the music for that dance a dance hall where Tangos, milongas, and waltzes are danced. |
| Milonguero/ Milonguera |
Person who frequents milongas, their lifestyle or a particular style of dancing. |
| canyengue | An older style of Tango. |
| orillero | Another older style of Tango; literally “from the orilla”, the outskirts of town or the curbside. |
| Salon | A style of Tango from the 1940s. |
| Fantasia | Fantasy or stage Tango. |