Language/Galician/Vocabulary/Express-Surprise

Galician Vocabulary - Express Surprise

Hi Galician learners! 😊
In this lesson, you will learn how to express surprise in Galician. We will cover interesting vocabulary and cultural expressions that will help you understand the Galician way of expressing surprise.

Basic Vocabulary

Let's start with some basic vocabulary you can use to express surprise:

Galician	Pronunciation	English
sorprendente	soɾpɾɛnˈdɛnte	surprising
asombroso	aˈsomβɾoso	amazing
incrible	iŋˈkɾiβle	incredible
qué cousa!	ke ˈkɔusa	what a thing!
carallo	kaˈɾaʎo	wow (mild swearing)

Now, let's learn some interesting cultural expressions used by Galicians when they are surprised:

Cultural Expressions

"O país das marabillas"

Galicia is known for its magical landscapes, and the expression “O país das marabillas” (the land of wonders) refers to the feeling of wonder and surprise one experiences when discovering the beauty of Galicia’s nature.

• Person 1: E que che parece este lugar?
• Person 2: É un lugar espectacular, e é que estamos no país das marabillas! (And what do you think of this place? It's a spectacular place, and we are in the land of wonders!)

"Quen o ía dicir!"

This expression translates roughly to "Who would have thought it!" and is used when someone is surprised by an unexpected turn of events.

• Person 1: Mirade, creo que a miña tía vén a xantar hoxe
• Person 2: ¿A túa tía? ¡Quen o ía dicir! (Look, I think my aunt is coming to eat today. Your aunt? Who would have thought it!)

"Madre mía do amor hermoso!"

This expression translates to “Mother of my beautiful love!” and is used to show surprise, usually with a bit of humor.

• Person 1: Achégate, tes que ver isto rápido!
• Person 2: Madre mía do amor hermoso, pero que é isto? (Come closer, you have to see this quickly! Mother of my beautiful love, what is this?)

Dialogue

Here’s a dialogue you can use to practice expressing surprise in Galician:

• Person 1: Vinte a nova igrexa do barrio?
• Person 2: Non, aínda non a vin
• Person 1: E tes que ver, parece unha catedral!
• Person 2: ¿De verdade? Que sorprendente! (Have you seen the new church in the neighborhood? No, I haven't seen it yet. And you have to see it, it looks like a cathedral! Really? How surprising!)

Additional Vocabulary

If you want to expand your vocabulary, here are some additional words and expressions you can use to express surprise:

Galician	Pronunciation	English
impresionante	imɾesiɔˈnante	impressive
non me digas!	non me ˈðiɣas	You don't say!
benvidos ao impresionante mundo da tecnoloxía!	βenˈβidɔs aʊ imɾesiɔˈnante ˈmundo ða teknoˈlɔxia	Welcome to the impressive world of technology!

Remember that the best way to improve your Galician is by practicing with native speakers. You can use Polyglot Club to find native speakers and ask them any questions!

To improve your Galician Vocabulary, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Galician language
• Cult of Saint James
• Celtic transition in Galicia
• Nature of Galicia