What a euphemism does
A eufemismo replaces a word that sounds harsh, embarrassing or taboo with a softer one. Spanish taboo areas are much the same as in English: death, illness, the body, age, money, losing your job. At C2 the point is not knowing euphemisms but choosing the right word for the situation.
One thing in three registers
Each taboo area usually has a direct, a gentle and an official option. The message stays the same; only the effect changes.
Direct, gentle, official
| Area | Direct | Gentle | Official |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death | morir | irse, dejarnos | fallecer, el fallecimiento |
| Dismissal | despedir, echar | quedarse sin trabajo | prescindir de sus servicios, un ajuste de plantilla |
| Age | viejo | mayor | las personas mayores, la tercera edad |
| Poverty | pobre | no llegar a fin de mes | personas con pocos recursos, en riesgo de exclusión |
Same news, two effects
Han echado a cuarenta personas.
They've sacked forty people.
Direct and colloquial, the way people talk in the canteen.
La empresa ha llevado a cabo un ajuste de plantilla que afecta a cuarenta empleados.
The company has carried out a workforce adjustment affecting forty employees.
This is how the press release sounds.
How Spanish softens
Besides fixed replacement words, Spanish has techniques you can use to take the edge off almost any statement yourself.
Diminutive
The diminutive ending takes the sting out of a remark without taking it back. English has no direct equivalent and tends to reach for a bit or a few.
Has cogido unos kilitos, ¿no?
You've put on a few pounds, haven't you?
Negated opposite
Instead of saying the negative word, you deny the positive one. With precisamente it sounds particularly dry, much like English not exactly.
El hotel no es precisamente barato.
The hotel isn't exactly cheap.
Description instead of label
A description replaces the label and puts the person before the feature.
El ayuntamiento abre un albergue para personas sin hogar.
The council is opening a shelter for people experiencing homelessness.
Abstract technical noun
An abstract noun turns an event into a process with nobody left acting behind it.
El Gobierno habla de desaceleración económica.
The government is talking about an economic slowdown.
Spotting a cover-up
In the news it pays to ask the counter-question: what actually happened here? Behind crecimiento negativo there is a decline, behind ajustes there are cuts, behind daños colaterales there are civilian casualties. English uses the same patterns, from negative growth to downsizing.
What is meant
El presupuesto incluye ajustes en sanidad.
The budget includes cuts to healthcare.
Literally adjustments; what is meant is less money.
Falleció tras una larga enfermedad.
He died after a long illness.
In obituaries this usually stands for cancer.
