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How to Say "chatterbox" in Spanish

English → Spanish

charlatán

nounB1informal to neutral
Use 'charlatán' for someone who talks incessantly, often in a boastful or annoying way, implying they might not be entirely truthful or are just overly talkative.

Examples

Mi vecino es un charlatán; siempre me cuenta toda su vida en el ascensor.

My neighbor is a chatterbox; he always tells me his whole life story in the elevator.

loro

/LOH-roh//ˈloɾo/

nounA1informal
Use 'loro' informally to describe someone, usually a child or a close acquaintance, who talks non-stop without much substance, similar to a parrot repeating things.
A bright green and red parrot perched on a tropical tree branch.

Examples

El loro de mi abuela puede decir su nombre.

My grandmother's parrot can say its name.

Había muchos loros de colores brillantes en la selva.

There were many brightly colored parrots in the jungle.

¡Cállate un poco, que eres un loro!

Be quiet for a bit, you're such a chatterbox!

One Gender for All

Even if the bird is female, people almost always use the masculine form 'el loro'. To specify it's a girl bird, you usually say 'el loro hembra'.

Describing People

When calling someone a 'loro' because they talk a lot, you still use 'un loro' regardless of whether the person is a man or a woman.

Using 'la loro'

Mistake:La loro es verde.

Correction: El loro es verde. Even though it ends in 'o', it follows the standard rule of being masculine, and it rarely changes to 'a' for female birds in common speech.

Charlatán vs. Loro

Learners often confuse 'charlatán' and 'loro' because both mean someone who talks a lot. Remember 'charlatán' can imply boastfulness or even dishonesty, while 'loro' is a more direct, informal comparison to a parrot's constant squawking.

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