As part of the Hispanic community, one word that we use very often, out of many other words, is “Loco” or “Loca” depending on who we are referring to. It is one of those words that we use with certain people that can be used in many different ways with its own kind of meaning.  We use “Loco” when we talk to a male and “ loca” for a female. This word translates to “crazy” but we don’t use it in a way to call a person that. I, as a Hispanic person, use this word a lot when in a group of friends that I know will not feel a certain way towards it. Those of us in the Hispanic community use this word in all sorts of ways only in the appropriate times. This is one of many words that we use in our community that not a lot of people may know how to use. The word “Loco” has many uses and is not said to just anyone at any time. This word is not always used to mean anything bad, it is just one of those words that you can use in almost any situation. There are times where it is used and when it gets translated it makes no sense to others but to a Hispanic or someone who speaks Spanish it does.

The word “Loca” can be used as a way to greet a close friend that you know well. I use the word as to say hello, “Hola mi loca” or “ Dime a ver mi loca” which is what I would say to a friend when I see or communicate with them. I would also use it on friends only because I know their possible reaction toward it. When I was in high school I would use this word with my small group of friends when we were able to talk during lunch or on our way home. We would call each other “Mi loca” because it was one of those words that we said to or another that did not make us feel some type of way about how each other’s break was. When we came back from holidays and break we would ask each use this word to ask. “Loco”/ Loca” might just be considered the Hispanic way of saying “Bro”. The high school that I went to was mixed but mostly filled with Hispanics and it was a word that was used every day and everywhere. Throughout the school building or outside of it, this word was used in all sorts of ways like “Ella lo que es una loca”, “Klk mi loca”, “Estoy bien loco”, “Tu si que estas bien loco” just to name a few. The word “ Loco” was in almost any sentence in any conversation that we had.

We Hispanics, use this word to express our thoughts about something which can be used as “¿Tu ta loco?”, which translates to “ Are you crazy?”. This could either be said when someone has done something “stupid” or what they did was considered “crazy”. It could also be used as just calling someone “Loco” because of their personality and that they are a fun person. When considering someone to be a fun person who does weird things we usually say “ Tu eres un loco”.  Say “Tu ta loco” can also be used in a way to say “are you crazy I ain’t doing that”. Which could mean that the idea that they brought up is too crazy or just something you won’t do. Another way that we would use the word to express that an idea is “crazy” or just too much is “Yo ni loco hago eso”. Which would translate to “I would not do that, not even if I were crazy” that in other words can just mean that it is not something they would do.

There are ways that this word can be used to talk about other people in a way of asking what they are doing when having a conversation. There are times that when we use the word, it might not make sense when it gets translated. For instance, when we say“ ¿Y que lo que hace este loco?” when they see someone doing something questionable. In English, this would“ and what is this crazy doing” which does not make sense and just sounds weird. When it is used in this way it could also just be someone asking “what is this guy doing?”. When it is used in “Tu parece una loca”, could mean that what you are wearing makes you look crazy/weird or that you simply look crazy. It could also mean that what you are doing seems crazy either in an insane type of crazy or that you look hilariously crazy. These are just some of many ways that the word “Loca” can be used the right way.

“Loco” is a word that anyone can use with friends or others but you have to know how and when to use it. For those people of the Hispanic community or do not speak Spanish and do not know how to use the word here are some examples of how not to use it. The first example of how not to use it is with the wrong people, for instance, never call your parents “loco” because it is very disrespectful. Also as a Hispanic person calling our parents “loco” is very disrespectful and our punishments are different from other kids so we do not dare and call them that. Another way of not using it is walking up to some random Hispanic or Spanish-speaking person and calling them “Un loco” because it will make them upset. Calling a random person “Loco” is something you should not say because you never know how they are going to react. Anyone can use the word but they just have to think of how they are going to use it when to use it and who they say it to.