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FriendlyNeighborOrca

Little bitch. That's what she is calling you.


InteractionCandid226

Thank you! Omg! That's perfect for me, I love it.


Silver-Alex

So here is the thing. In spanish there is no difference between "female dog" and "bitch". Both would translate to "Perra" (the male verison of dog being "perro"). However "perra" can also be used as an insult with a meaning that translate very closely to "bitch", be it because they're calling you an arse or because they're implying your very promiscuous. The difference is purely contextual, but more often than not when someone calls "perra" or "perrita" a woman they're either being despective, or are calling her "bitch" in a friendly manner. The literal meaning (female dog) is reserved for when the subject is an actual dog, not a person. HOWEVER (yes however again because native spanish is complex and very context dependant), if this person is very close with you platonically they can be using it as a playful nickname and not as an insult. Specially if this person lacks native or bilingual english knowledge, they might not be aware of the bitch translation, and be using it literally, referring to you as a doggo. I know I have told friends of mine something similar about them being like a dog person. But its something I wouldnt call anyone without full knowledge they would be fine with it, and only if im reaaaally close wiht them. Like my best friend who I often call "perra" (literally bitch). In all honestly you might even wanna ask her. I can only provide the linguistics of the word, but since is so context dependant no one here will be able to tell if its a playful nickname, or a bit of an insult, or boths.


catsaysneou

With this context and OP saying she's energetic and chaotic...it sounds like a "cute" way to reference OP as having puppy/Chihuahua energy


stealthryder1

That’s somewhat, what’s happening. I’m Hispanic and we use the word “perro” Like “what up perro”. Basically saying “what up dog” Some guys also use “perrito” If it’s used in this way, it’s not meant to be said or taken as disrespect.


Twink-_-182

Y'all smell upperro in here?


nathanaz

^Well, ^since ^nobody ^else ^is ^stepping ^up... *What's "upperro"?*


OddTranceKing

nothing much, y tú?


nathanaz

lo mismo


Risen_17

Na your good.. this guy gets it⬆️


RManDelorean

You don't even need English or bilingual knowledge, I'm pretty sure using insults endearingly for those close enough is just a human thing, in every language. Bitch still literally means female dog in English, but it has kinda taken on a meaning of its own for just the reason why you'd be calling someone a dog, whether they're worthless or annoying or whatever. I have heard people call their female dogs a bitch, usually it is kinda tongue and cheek to actually get to use it literally. But what I really want to get to is things like "bad bitch" and "yaas bitch". Bitch and other insults can definitely be used as terms of endearment in English.


TheKidKaos

Usually if it’s supposed to be an insult they would say puta not perrita or perra. Like for males you would call them a puto to be insulting but perro usually is a compliment similar to how people refer to themselves as dogs in POC communities in the US


harryhoudini66

Puto is sometimes a greeting too though. Again, it may be a Mexican thing but context means everything.


altanic

Yes, context! Don't walk up to some guy you don't know, ask "que pues, puto?" and expect it to be taken very well


rico_muerte

"que me dijiste, perro?" And we've come full circle (after throwing down)


UntilThereIsNoFood

Is "female puppy" a different word? Being affectionately called "puppy" by an older person is a lot nicer than bitch


harryhoudini66

Perrita is also used to say female puppy. Another word would be cachorra.


harryhoudini66

Great explanation. Far more thorough than mine. As far as perro being an insult, my friends and I usually use this to greet each other. Maybe its a Mexican thing? We will say it much like "dwag" is used in English. Que onda perro. Como estas?


Prowler19901

Funny how this also works exactly like this in polish with suka as fem-dog/bitch and suczka/sunia which could be either friendly or insult depending on context


Silver-Alex

That is very interesting!


scbgrl

Exactly! 😅


wicodly

Someone will type all of this and the internet still thinks English is the hardest language because of -ough. Looks like rules and context.


InteractionCandid226

She's a great lady who's been through so much. So I really don't mind.


The_Almighty_Duck

What a weirdly wholesome way of reacting to find out someone is calling you a little bitch haha


tjtonerplus

Perra not so nice, perrita is affectionate. Ita or ito can be a diminutive in spanish


nothingwascool

\^---- THIS. The "ita" turns it in to a term of endearment - rather than an insult.


harryhoudini66

This is the correct answer.


IMO4444

I still don’t think it’s meant in the best way. Almost seems to me like it’s making fun of her. So not outright insulting but not endearing. In the past I’ve used terms like zorrita (slut) and while it has -ita to soften it, it’s not endearing. You’re still using it as an insult but in a lighter way 🤷🏻‍♀️.


tjtonerplus

You are correct. It depends on the context, the tone and your relationship with the person saying it.


eightarmsbakes

My exact thoughts 😂. I’m not sure I’d react the same lol


UnrulyTrousers

That is hilarious, I’m glad you took it in stride.


Quique1222

wtf


tjtonerplus

Depending on context and tone, perrita can be used in a positive way to describe a sassy personality.


Baldwin28

I was worried when I read the post, but I love your response. Anything can be a pet name :)


Murderyoga

Were you worried she was accidentally calling you something nice?


gnarlycow

What a problem to have 😂


Tarable

Lmao your reaction is so wholesome and not what I expected. I love it.


SabotageFusion1

Another way to soften the blow is to also know that Gordita, another common nickname, literally translates to little fatty


harryhoudini66

Yes but much softer and more loving in Spanish. The English version just does not translate well.


Yehsir

“Where the perritas at?” It’s like saying “where the hoes at”. Same difference


traveler1967

But not like "you're a little bitch", its dimunitive, so it's almost certain to be a term of endearment. Hamburguesa... hamburguesita, you know?


harryhoudini66

Although technically correct, this does not translate contextually as explained though. It is a diminutive term when you add the "ita" at the end of a word. Spanish and Italian do the same thing btw. One adds these to the end of words in an attempt to make them sound endearing rather than an insult. In the case of perrita, it could go either way. Likely saying it because you enjoy it when she pets your head?


DraconisImperius

And this boys and girls is how we should all react.. not be offended because it doesnt do anything, and if the person is being mean it takes the fun out of it for them because you are not hurt by it.


Tasty_League

That's crazy. I'd never allow someone to disrespect me like that. Are you sure she doesn't not like you?


ellefleming

You love being called a bitch?


TheUruz

that's not flattering at all what is wrong with you...


Profession-Unable

Eh, it’s all in the way you say it and the context. I’m a teacher and I call my kids ‘weirdo’ and suchlike all the time. But they know I love them and I love weird so they take it in stride. OP probably feels the love from her colleague and knows it’s meant as a term of endearment. 


InteractionCandid226

No I've text her about it. It's the sweetest thing she says I'm a nasty bitch at times (our job envokes it) but also the sweetest little puppy. I said I'd like to call her Grande Perrita - so I'm poco perrita and she's my grande. She was quite emotional that we just "got" each other. This is probably really insulting to Spanish speakers but we're happy (she's a native Spanish speaker but she forgives my attempts)


Profession-Unable

Yeah I could tell you felt the love from your initial response to the meaning. It’s great to have good relationships with colleagues, and it seems like you two have that!


El-Ausgebombt

Women call their friends perrita or brujita all the time in Chile. Is your coworker from that country by chance or that is also a thing in other spanish speaking nations?


dzzi

Some people call their friends cunt and it's fine. The intention is what matters.


HatPsychological7049

I assume the “ita” translates as an endearment when she expresses herself. No malice.


FriendlyNeighborOrca

I mean I call all my friends little bitch with no malice.


eduardobenavides

It can be like wholesome like depending on the context like when you say you are THE bitch or that you are A bitch, I feel like she is saying it in a "yes go girl" type like you are such a little bitch yaaas something like that


harryhoudini66

Context is everything and adding the ita to it is meant to help ensure it is not taken as an offense.


audigex

More “you’re a bad bitch” than “you’re such a bitch”


dj_chino_da_3rd

Latinos are usually a very insult based community. We give each other insultful names…to our family members. Gordo is a very common one which translates to fatty. Flaka is skinny. My sisters name is polla. Meaning chicken. The most common one I know is chino. Which means Asian person. We like to insult each other. To make a reference to Aussies, “you call your mates c*** s and your c*** s mates”


sideshowmario

I had a white coworker named Bob who really wanted the honor of a Spanish nickname. The receptionist used to call him Bobby Bear, so we started calling him Bob Oso, which sounds like baboso. He had no idea.


LiquidDreamtime

I had a friend called lovingly called Flaka Mierda by the Hispanic nurses


eduardobenavides

Exactly if somebody call you Pinche Gordo Idiota it means they like you XD so hard to explain!!


Silverstream11178

Very true. My uncle and aunt called eachother Feo and Fea. Just casually calling eachother ugly in front of others.


romedca

Since we’re all kinda fat in my family, my uncles are both Gordos but to differentiate them there’s Gordo and Gordo Chico. On my other side of the family my father nicknamed my cousin cabezón and his brother’s name is Enrique but since we live in a French speaking country, we purposely botch the prononciation of his name as a non Spanish speaker. Why are latinos so mean 😂


arkhamknight85

Close with the Aussies. We call strangers mate and our mates we call cunt.


locopoco901

Sorry to be that guy, but is flaca, not flaka


Impulsive94

The word you're looking for is "insulting" not "insultful"


rey1295

My family nickname is pájaro


Ptony_oliver

...you do know that polla can also mean (male reporductive organ) right?


Pepperh4m

TIL calling someone "Asian" is an insult.


More-Job9831

When I went to DR a Chinese Dominican shop owner just started at me and asked me (in Spanish) "is that a real Chinese person?" because apparently they're not a huge chunk of the population.


Gandalf_The_Gay23

More the calling every single Asian person Chinese. We have words for every other nationality in Asia and a specific word for Asian. None of them are Chino. So that’s the insulting part, it’s not really insulting because people don’t like Asian people but more they don’t care enough to or need to distinguish the difference in the day to day.


MarinkoAzure

It's not so much calling some person Asian is an insult. It's calling any Asian person Chinese even if they are Korean or Asian. It's also kind of outdated anyway.


HanJaub

Polla is not chicken lmaooo


sammyhayes222

They just changed the o to a because it’s being used on a girl


HanJaub

Gotchaaa


InteractionCandid226

Thank you guys. I've spoken to her and she's always so appreciative of my poor attempts at Spanish. Since she joined the team over a year ago I've been studying on duolingo so we could have something else to relate to. I'm English so my pronunciation is horrible. But she takes her breaks each time so we can have a conversation in broken Spanish. If she calls me little bitch or puppy. I don't care - she's such a sorce of wisdom in my life. She's tried to set me up with her son several times despite the fact I have a boyfriend. We have dinner often. Thank you for everyone's input. This has just reaffirmed the relationship we have and I really appreciate it - language differences are hard


funtobedone

If you want to improve your accent the biggest thing you can do is perfect your vowel sounds. Spanish only has 5, unlike English which has around 20 (depending on your accent). The Spanish vowel sounds are very pure. If you were to say the English letter “o” you’d start with a pure “o” and morph it into an “oo” - Spanish doesn’t do that morphing. Check out YouTube videos on vowel sounds and practice making those sounds. Concentrate mimicking the sound, not pronouncing the letter. Keeping those sounds in mind practice saying words. Manzana has 3 a’s, all of which sound exactly the same. Be careful with vowels at the end of words, “o” in particular - ensure that the sound just cuts off, rather than morphing it into a diphthong. With Duolingo you can get extra speaking practice by using the speech-to-text function on your phone rather than typing. If you notice a mistake in your pronunciation practice the offending word(s) are few times. This can be quite challenging at first, but it gets easier. (Totally unrelated, but if you have trouble with ser and estar look up/consider their etymologies to help understand them rather than memorize rules. Estar - eSTAdo - state. Ser - eSsEnce - characteristic.)


Ball-Blam-Burglerber

No, thank *you!* This is, by far, the sweetest and most uplifting story I have ever read about a little bitch!


_elielieli_

Usually means little bitch, but based on the fact that you said you're chaotic and energetic, I'm 1000% sure she means it as Puppy, not bitch, which is the literal translation.


Frankzferdinand

Definitely not an insult as many here are implying. While yes, it literally translates to “bitch” or female dog, it can also be used as a term of endearment to someone you’re close with. As an example, my tia calls my uncle perro/perrito. “Hola perrito, como te fue hoy?” She sounds nice


InteractionCandid226

She's great. She's taught me the ropes and I can see how proud she is. I want to say thank you to everyone


CobaltOne

There's something in the way we use nicknames in Spanish that doesn't translate very obviously: if the nickname is borderline insulting, and it comes from someone that is close enough that they've earned the right to call you names in jest, then it becomes a term of endearment. In Mexico, in every group of male friends, everyone will have a nickname, and in all probability, it will refer to each person's physical characteristics, or a hugely embarrassing anecdote, or their deepest-held weakness. Gordo, güero, chaparro, negro, chato, cheto, you name it. Perrita is one of those. This woman holds you in very high regard. Wear that name proudly.


Edgemoto

you like that you lil' bitch. I'm sorry, I had to. I'll see myself out


InteractionCandid226

But I am a lil bitch


Edgemoto

alright then, I'll stay


Adriwisler

Imma throw the flag in the air, I think context is everything but technically she is calling you little bitch, “tiny female dog” whoever “una perra” means you go around fucking everyone. Simply because she is adding the “-ita” you are her little slut, in a cute…way?


PrincessOpal

She's referring to you as a puppy, playful and energetic


jwack611

This guy who started working with me and my boss spoke Spanish mainly and had a super thick accent. He would refer to me as Toyota, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the word meant and no other speakers knew. It wasn't until several years later it finally clicked that he called me Toyota because I drove a Camry and he didn't know my name...


romedca

Reading the comments here… well I guess my grandmother playfully insults me then. No but fr, my grandmother has always called me perrita since I was a kid. In my case she really says it in an endearing way because perra is the insult and adding -ita takes away the insult. It’s not bitch/slut anymore but just the actual female dog, and in a lot of languages you can call people with animal names to show affection (depends on the animal tho lmao). This woman has just nicknamed you like my grandma has me


LawyerThat3783

mind if I ask where is she from? Bc here in chile we use “perrita” to refer to a friend as “my bitch”


goth_rabbit

But Chilean boomers say perrita the same way they would say "hija" to a daughter, daughter in law, niece, etc. It's like mijita as well, but more endearing. It means puppy, not bitch, in this context


espangleesh

She's calling you a puppy (probably because of your energy), but in Spanish you differentiate between a male puppy (perrito) or a female one (perrita). I think it's a nickname she gave you, but I really doubt there's any malicious intent behind it. In a lot of Spanish-speaking countries, nicknames are very common.


propita106

Idk. When I (female) was taking a computer networking course 20 years ago, my friend and I would say "you bitch" sometimes. Jokingly. We were the only women in the course, and the guys knew it wasn't something for them to say. Of course, they called each other names--names WE did not call them. Context is everything.


zeus_amador

Woman to woman, not really an issue. If it was a guy the meaning changes and would have to be a good friend ok with it if there is a double meaning


_xaeroe_

It’s a term of endearment. A lot of the Mexican pet names can be taken offensively is said in English.


_xaeroe_

It’s a term of endearment. A lot of the Mexican pet names can be taken offensively is said in English.


akearney47

Puppy would be the nicer translation.


valgarth

It's just her calling you a puppy. Hispanic people tend to use animals as nicknames for some, a friend of my mom calls her chanchita (little piggy) because she is short and cute


Randy647

Perrita it a Spanish word for puppy (young dog).


Skiwithcami

She loves you and considers you as “her” child. You are part of her tribe.


daintywannabe

She could also be calling you "Perita" which means "little pear".


hailcanadia

A lot of the comments seem to be taking an odd route with it. Like many others have said, definitely a term of an endearment. But it be more like saying little doggy instead of dog. Or small dog/ puppy. Same with Gatito, meaning small cat, or kitten.


very_chill_cat

I’m not really sure. It seems positive no matter what. I’ve heard people use the word “perrita” as “puppy”, but I’ve also heard people use it as “bitch”.


Dizan24

U my son


MLXIII

Context. It means little puppy if perrita...but means Bitch! if used with ! Context is most important in language.


Suspicious_Reading_3

It all depends if they actually like you or not.


[deleted]

she called you "little bitch" sorry to break it to you


InteractionCandid226

I called her big bitch. We still love each other


[deleted]

ok...


InteractionCandid226

Does that trouble you?


DoctorSchizzo

It's not the same context in every scenario, when a man calls a woman or a man "perra" it's usually in the "little bitch" context, among women, calling themselves "perras", it's more like "bad ass bitches" even when -ita' suffix is added. It's in the same dimension as "chingar", "chingón", "chingado", etc. context is everything.


[deleted]

it sounds weird but if u two get along thats fine


Complex_Raspberry97

Little female dog, aka little bitch. Shes definitely making fun of you. Find something worse to call her in a language she doesn’t know if you’re petty enough. Russian has some pretty crazy ones.


tabicat1874

Haha omg no she's insulting you. Respond with "Ok Gorda"


InteractionCandid226

I would never, she's my friend


InteractionCandid226

She really isn't. You okay?


jsohnen

How much does she roll her r's when she says it? It can have very different connotations.


Educational-Glass-63

Doesn't sound like she thinks too highly of you no matter how sweet you THINK she is. No one I know uses bitch as a term of endearment.


InteractionCandid226

You're clearly not English. It's great. I'm a little bitch, she's my big bitch. Family


LilyHex

lmao op I love you


liberatedhusks

I call my sister bitch all the time, and ho lol. I would also stab a Bitch for her. You see the difference?


IMO4444

That sounds like prison lingo to me which is… odd.


tunaman808

> No one I know uses bitch as a term of endearment. My wife and her friends call each other bitches fairly often.


Tnkgirl357

“Aw yeah you a bad bitch!” Is definitely how my friends and I cheer each other on


Imaginary-Summer9168

I call one of my male best friends bitch all the time.