Achicopales

Achicopales

¡No te me achicopales! 

Think of it as encouragement, coupled with just a little bit of good old fashioned guilt-tripping. It’s almost like saying “you can do it… just don’t let me down!” The very fact that me is included in the phrase, makes it completely personal!

You might as well be saying…

“I’m counting on you!”

“It’s all up to you.”

“Whether we sink or swim… you’re the only one responsible!”

But then again, sometimes we need that good, swift kick in the BE-HIND to get us going.

Sometimes we need that ¡oyeme tu! ¿quién te me crees? ¡pos este! 

I personally like the word achicopales because it can also be used very tenderly. When you’re feeling mighty down, it’s also nice to hear someone say no te achicopales, without the exclamation points. It really does make a difference. As with most of the rest of the words we use in the Spanish-language, the meaning is in the context and the tone.

According to one definition I found online, ¡no te me achicopales! can also be defined as “don’t chicken out on me.”

I kind of like that interpretation too.

One thought on “Achicopales

  1. Actually, that’s not the meaning of achicopalar. It’s way off, my friend! When you say “no te me achicopales” you are begging “please don’t be sad!”
    The word comes from the nahuatl ACHICOPA which means to feel inferior or depressed.

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