It’s pretty easy to make friends in Ibiza especially if it involves food, wine, cute kids or cats! The Ibicencos are a warm and welcoming bunch but having a few words under your belt definitely smooths the way for deeper connections and easier communications.
1. Vale (va-lay) translates as okay but can also mean fine, right on! and all good!
2. Venga (ven-gah) means c’mon, let’s go, you don’t say, no way!, chop-chop, yeah right, say what! This is really a catch all word you’ll hear all around you.
3. Hierbas (ee-yer-bas) You’ll be offered a shot of this fragrant liqueur after dinner in most restaurants and homes. Native to the island it’s a mix of local herbs said to aid digestion. Delicious and easy to down. Beware of overindulging.
4. Asesoría (ass-es-sore-ia) means consultant… of bureaucratic life. An asesoría generally works out of a gestoria, which translates as an agency that undertakes administrative work (read: smoothes the way)
5. Abogado (ah-bow-gah-doe) is a lawyer. Hopefully the only time you need one is when you are buying a property.
6. En venta (en-ven-tah) For sale. An important phrase to know when browsing the property market.
7. Ibicenco (ee-bee-then-co) a native to the island. Once you become friends with an islander, you have a friend for life.
8. Mariscos (mar-iz-cos) equals seafood, when served with paella (pay-eh-ya) or in a bullit de peix (boo-yit de pay-sh) – it’s a dish to die for.
9. Caña (ca-nya) is draught beer. Very important.
10. Licencia de Obras (lee-sen-sia de oh-brass). You need one of these to doing any kind of building work in Ibiza. See numbers 4 and 5 for more clarification.
*BONUS WORDS
Chiringuito (cheer-ing-ghee-toe). This is a beachside restaurant, most of which serve up delicious local dishes, predominantly seafood and ice cold drinks.
Genial (hen-ee-al) means everything is super fantastic hunky dory!
Fatal (fa-tal) means the opposite of above unless you using to describe a love interest, then it’s more like, a super hottie.
Que guay! (ke-gwai) Awesome!
Chulo/Chula (choo-low/choo-la) is cute, cool and awesome.
Que fuerte! (ke-fwer-teh) Unbelievable! No way! That’s crazy!
