Which one should you use?
While mendigos is a standard term, you may encounter pordioseros which is used informally. For a more polite or euphemistic approach, you can use the phrase personas que piden limosna, which translates to people who ask for alms.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Mendigos is a formal term for beggars. In contrast, pordioseros is an informal term. If you wish to be more polite, use the phrase personas que piden limosna.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, mendigo is the most common term used in both formal and informal settings. In Mexico, both mendigo and pordiosero are widely used interchangeably in both formal and informal contexts. In Argentina, mendigos is mainly used in formal settings, while pordiosero is commonly used informally.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is gendered: use the masculine form mendigo to refer to a single male panhandler and the feminine form mendiga to refer to a single female panhandler. The plural form mendigos is used for a group of panhandlers, whether the group is all male or a mix of genders.
How do you pronounce it?
/mendiɡos/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, calling someone a mendigo can act as a slang adjective meaning 'damn' or 'cursed', as in saying '¡mendigo perro!' to mean 'damn dog!'
- The informal term pordiosero literally means 'for God', stemming from the phrase por Dios, which beggars used to invoke divine mercy when asking for help.
- Classical Spanish literature often features a character known as the pícaro, a rogue or trickster who frequently disguises themselves as a mendigo to survive through deception.
Examples in context
- Hay muchas personas mendigando en esta zonaThere are many people panhandling in this area
- El gobierno está implementando políticas para ayudar a los mendigos en nuestra ciudadThe government is implementing policies to help the panhandlers in our city
- No deberíamos juzgar a las personas que están mendigando, nunca sabemos su situación realWe shouldn't judge the people who are panhandling, we never know their real situation
- En esta zona, suele haber muchos pordioseros pidiendo dinero en la calleIn this area, there are often many panhandlers asking for money on the street
- Hay varios mendigos en la estación.There are several panhandlers at the station.
- Los mendigos pedían monedas en la plaza.The panhandlers were asking for coins in the plaza.
- No me gusta dar dinero a los mendigos.I don't like giving money to panhandlers.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are walking through a busy city square.
- LucíaMira, hay muchos mendigos cerca de la fuente.Look, there are many panhandlers near the fountain.
- JavierSí, es un problema en esta zona.Yes, it is a problem in this area.
- Lucía¿Quieres que vayamos por otra calle?Do you want to go through another street?
- JavierSí, mejor caminamos por allá.Yes, it is better if we walk over there.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
