Jews from different places in the world have different spoken languages, and one of the most fascinating is Ladino or Judeo-Spanish language. This language, which was called Djudezmo and Djudyo (which both mean “Jewish”), was spoken by the Jews of Spain who were expelled in 1492 and came to the Ottoman Empire.
While the name would imply that it is a mix of Hebrew and Spanish, that only tells part of the story. Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish, Greek, French, and Italian all creep in there as well, and you have a language written in Hebrew that incorporates all of these influences. Let’s take a look at five sayings in Ladino, what they mean, how to say them.
“Ijo de ken sos tu?”
Pronounced “EE-jo de ken sos tu,” this is a way of asking someone who their parents are.
“Haberes buenos!”
Pronounced “ha-BEAR-es BWE-nos,” this means “good news!” It is used both as an exclamation and as a way to keep bad news away.
“Dezmazalado de mi!”
Pronounced “dez-ma-zal-A-do de MEE,” this can be used when you feel things are not going your way, as it translates to “Pity me! I’m out of luck.”
“Djente de piron”
Pronounced “DJEN-te de pee-ROAN,” this refers to the elites, and it translates to “people of the fork,” having come from a time when owning a fork was reserved to rich people.
“Kome kon gana!”
Pronounced “KO-may kon GA-na,” this translates to “eat with desire,” and is said the same way we may say “bon appetit!”
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