# ¡Sos un chanta!



## Stacy's Mom

Hi to all:

a friend of mine asked me if I knew what the phrase "sos un chanta!" means - but I couldn't find it in any of my dictionaries or other resources.  This is the sentence in the e-mail he received:

"I do not know is there is a word in English to say what I want say , but I know very well the word in Espanish. Sos un chanta !!!" 

Anyone know?


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## araceli

Hola:
Es una expresión típicamente argentina.
Chanta es algo así como fanfarrón, ostentoso en forma torpe.
Podría ser boastful, braggart (adj.) y show-off (noun).
Saludos.


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## Stacy's Mom

Muchas Gracias!


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## araceli

De nada.


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## Mita

"Chanta" is used in Chile, too. Here are some definitions I found:


> Chanta: ventajero, oportunista, simulador que pretende ser lo que no es.


 Source.


> Chanta:
> - Estafador.
> - mentiroso, que cuenta historias falsas
> - de mala calidad (incluye personas de mala calidad…)
> - persona elocuente de poca credibilidad


Source.

So, it can also mean (depending on the context): You're a con artist! / You're a liar! 

Regards,


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## Stacy's Mom

Gracias Mita.


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## Seeking

Hola! Soy Argentina, y, si bien es típicamente una expresion que usamos, estoy de acuerdo con Mita. Tiene más que ver con "caradura", ventajero, tramposo.

Saludos.


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## Loitey

Esa palabra era originalmente " Chantapuffi " luego con el uso se convirtió en " Chanta " y describe a un individuo de que se muestra como una persona importante con muchos contactos y conocimientos pero que en realidad  es un don nadies .  ( Se usa mucho Argentina y Uruguay a nivel popular )


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## dblaine

Based on my experience in the Argentine Patagonia (1980-82), both the definition and connotation are pretty much exactly equivalent to the American English "jerk."  Jerk as a noun and not as a verb (action).  Definition:  a person that is disliked because of irreputable behavior.

Example:  "That salesperson intentionally overcharged me.  What a jerk!"  Parecido a:  "Ese tipo (persona) me afanó (robó).  ¡Qué chanta!"  

[Please forgive if I do not get the Argentine style of speech (lunfardo) right; it has been many years.]


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## Seeking

Interesting comparison!
Thanks, dblaine!


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## san_wablo

It is also widely used in Chile and means something like "conceited charlatan" and is quite derogative.


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## cecilia

Hola Foro:
Todas las explicaciones son posibles ya que depende del contexto en que se use (si bien el significado general es "poco confiable, boastful, etc.). Creo que en el caso inicial de una carta de un amigo, puede responder a algo que no se cumplió, por ejemplo, "ibas a venir/escribir y al final no fue así. ¡Sos un chanta! (no cumpliste la promesa).
Saludos,
Cecilia
Preguntita: ¿puede traducirse como "con man"? ¿Qué pasa con "con woman"???


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## piatnizkisaurus

Creo que una palabra en Inglés que se aproxima bastante al equivalente de "chanta" sería "scoundrel".


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## k-in-sc

But "scoundrel" is not conversational. I think of "chanta" as "bullshitter" (which is vulgar) or "somebody trying to rip you off," depending.


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## piatnizkisaurus

Acá en Argentina "chanta" es alguien que mediante engaños trata de obtener algo de alguien, por ejemplo dinero. Creo que la definición de "scoundrel" se acerca bastante a eso. Aunque a mi también me suena muy "rígido" y poco familiar. ¿Tal vez "slick"?


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## k-in-sc

More like "slimy," although that's an adjective and "chanta" is a noun. Spanish tends to use nouns where English uses verbs and adjectives.


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## duvija

k-in-sc said:


> But "scoundrel" is not conversational. I think of "chanta" as "bullshitter" (which is vulgar) or "somebody trying to rip you off," depending.



Or as an Uruguayan friend of mine calls it 'un bullshitero'.


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## Barbara S.

I don't think there is one word in English that totally matches "chanta". Depending on context it could be "asshole", "jerk", "wannabe".


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## duvija

Barbara S. said:


> I don't think there is one word in English that totally matches "chanta". Depending on context it could be "asshole", "jerk", "wannabe".



Mmm, it's missing the little lies, and the cheating romance...


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## duvija

Encontré algunas mejores en un thesaurus.
He is a :
Fake
Phony

Y más refinadas 'impostor', 'fraud', hypocrite, pretender.


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## Moritzchen

Creo que la palabra que más se ajusta es "loser".


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## k-in-sc

"Loser" is too wimpy. "Weasel," maybe, reinforced with the adjective of your choice: lying, cheating, hypocritical, etc.


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## piatnizkisaurus

Yeap, "weasel" sounds just about right to me.


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## Barbara S.

Except how many times a day or week or month do you use or hear "weasel"? Chanta is an all purpose word that's usually understood in the context to mean a variety of faults. 60 years ago we would have said "fake" or "faker" but no one says that any more about a person. There are many terms in English for a person who is untrustworthy and they keep changing.


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## piatnizkisaurus

Well, we'll just have to agree that some words don't have an exact translation into another languages


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## Moritzchen

piatnizkisaurus said:


> Well, we'll just have to agree that some words don't have an exact translation into another languages


Exact?
Chanta is not an exact term, it doesn't imply a definite type of character.
So no, we're not giving up.


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## piatnizkisaurus

Yes it does. It refers to a deceitful person, someone who gets what they want by deceiving others.


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## Moritzchen

Or who tries. And is so bad at it everyone knows what he's about.


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## piatnizkisaurus

Well not everyone can see what a "chanta" is really up to until it's too late. A "chanta" is some sort of a hustler, if you may. Here in Argentina  there are many "chantas", and most of the times they take advantage of desperate or not too bright people.


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## Moritzchen

How about the public employee who can hardly make ends meet and still gets clothes on credit and hits the hottest spots to make believe he's someone he's not?
Not trying to take anything from anyone but to pass himself for what he's not.
Anyway, we will keep on striving to find a similar term as this country is also full of chantas so there's got to be a term.
I'm not giving up, you can do whatever you want.


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## k-in-sc

Moritzchen said:


> How about the public employee who can hardly make ends meet and still gets clothes on credit and hits the hottest spots to make believe he's someone he's not?
> Not trying to take anything from anyone but to pass himself for what he's not.


That would be "poser," a shade of meaning not really covered by "weasel" (a word which I, for one, use all the time).


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## Moritzchen

k-in-sc said:


> That would be "poser," a shade of meaning not really covered by "weasel" (a word which I, for one, use all the time).


Cool!
my point is that the word encompasses more than swindler.
Madoff was a big swindler and con man but was no chanta.


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## k-in-sc

Maybe the problem is that swindling is handled differently here


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## Sherlockat

Mita said:


> "Chanta" is used in Chile, too. Here are some definitions I found:
> Source.
> 
> Source.
> 
> So, it can also mean (depending on the context): You're a con artist! / You're a liar!
> 
> Regards,




Mnnnnnn like this: "El Chanta En Viva El Lunes"?


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## piatnizkisaurus

Cool it. I'm just saying I think you have the wrong definition of "chanta". Here, a "chanta" is someone who gets something, usually money, from someone by deceiving them. Someone who passes themselves for what they're not is more like a "trucho" or "fake". At least that's the word we use over here. I hope you finally got the real meaning of "chanta".


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## Libertango Cape Town

While living in Buenos Aires, I learned that "Chanta" refers to something of bad quality, fake, pretending to be something is not. Bad quality shoes can be "chanta" .


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## sound shift

In colloquial BrE it could be "He's a chancer."


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## gatis

Un Uruguayo  que me está pretendiendo (conquistando) , me dice "Sos una Chanta" el tono de voz es suave, y burlesco... Como debo entenderlo?? Indudablemente me está ofendiendo?


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## duvija

gatis said:


> Un Uruguayo que me está pretendiendo (conquistando) , me dice "Sos una Chanta" el tono de voz es suave, y burlesco... Como debo entenderlo?? Indudablemente me está ofendiendo?



No pongo las manos en el fuego por ese uruguayo, pero probablemente puede estarte diciendo que sos una mentirosa/conquistadora/irresistible...


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## gatis

Eehmm... Eso quiere decir? Es bueno o malo? jeje no entiendo; lo que quiero saber es si me está ofendiendo?.


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## duvija

Imposible saberlo. Falta la entonación y el contexto. Ayer le dije a mi marido, muy cariñosamente, 'Sos un hijo de puta'! porque había hecho algo bueno, y significaba aprobación. Imposible saberlo objetivamente.


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## Martoo

duvija said:


> Ayer le dije a mi marido 'Sos un hijo de puta'! porque había hecho algo bueno



¡Cuánto amor! 

Para mi chanta es un poco negativo...para el tono burlón usamos gato, rata (aunque también signifique amarrete/tacaño), _ladri _o mentiroso simplemente.

¡Qué mentiroso que sos!

El chanta puede decirse en burla, con risas de por medio y una mueca de diversión (como supongo que habrá dicho *duvija *jajaja).


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## roxybob

cecilia said:


> Hola Foro:
> Todas las explicaciones son posibles ya que depende del contexto en que se use (si bien el significado general es "poco confiable, boastful, etc.). Creo que en el caso inicial de una carta de un amigo, puede responder a algo que no se cumplió, por ejemplo, "ibas a venir/escribir y al final no fue así. ¡Sos un chanta! (no cumpliste la promesa).
> Saludos,
> Cecilia
> Preguntita: ¿puede traducirse como "con man"? ¿Qué pasa con "con woman"???



I saw a political caption today in which the president of Argentina is made to appear to say of her past week's encounters with the new pope "Fue mi semana chanta..." which I take to mean that the captioner is implying that she has been dissembling or pretending to hold views that she does not actually hold.   

In response to Cecelia's "preguntita" above, another term which is commonly used here in the U.S. and which is not gender specific is "con artist".   A "con man" always refers to a man.   I don't think anyone would normally use the term "con woman" though.


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## k-in-sc

"Semana Santa" has been turned into "semana chanta" in a lot of other contexts too.


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## hfox1251

It reminds me a lot of the word "chamuyero", which is kind of like "player" in English, in my opinion, in that those who are accusing others of being chamuyeros are saying it in a negative way, but certain people might strive to be chamuyeros, just like some (most of the time men) want to be players.


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## cseptima

gatis said:


> Un Uruguayo  que me está pretendiendo (conquistando) , me dice "Sos una Chanta" el tono de voz es suave, y burlesco... Como debo entenderlo?? Indudablemente me está ofendiendo?



No, yo lo uso todo el tiempo con amigos! En esos casos es simplemente para decir que alguien suele hacer falsas promesas, mandarse cualquiera (say bullshit) o ganarse a la gente con pavadas--in quite a shameless way. Pero insisto que no busca ofender, sino "desenmascarar" sin necesariamente querer reclamar nada. Para eso están los amigos, ¿no?


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## k-in-sc

Bullshitter


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