Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
In the Collins Dictionary, "fuck" as "copulate is:
"fuck: joder, (Spain) follar, (LAm) coger"
This book is geared to Latin America first, including Hispanics in the US. My wife is Cuban, and she tells me that for Cubans and Puerto Ricans that none of them is going to understand "coger" in this context. My first wife, for 18 years, till she died in 1993, was Peruvian, and in Peru the word is "cachar" (In Cuba it is "zingar").
What would be the best universal choice for Latin America? When I say choice, I mean for understanding, not what is actually spoken.
TIA
I apologize in advance if I'm wrong. As I understand it, you like sex. I mean really like sex. And you like to fuck, don't you?
Explanation: Not as strong, but I think everyone understands it...
Plural: fucks
1. hacer el acto sexual, fornicar; Synonyms: have sex, fornicate, get laid, have it away, have it off; Have sexual intercourse with.
2. coger, hacer el amor con, follar, abrochar, chingar, cogerse a, culear, echarse un polvo, joder; Synonyms: shag, screw, have sex, get laid, be engaged in sexual intercourse, have sex with, have a screw, have a shag, knock off, be on the job, bonk, have it away; Have sexual intercourse with.
All he does is to fuck, Lo único que hace es joder.
This student sleeps with everyone in her dorm.
Adam knew Eve.
Were you ever intimate with this man?
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 5 days (2009-05-05 23:26:29 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
Don't you find it interesting that such mundane terms are so difficult to translate? I had a similar situation recently while translating a text full of Cuban slang. Saludos, Mike!
Para tratar de mantener el registro sociolinguístico y al mismo tiempo para que sea entendible, voy a usar varias palabras después de "fornicar" Gracias, Mike :) 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I don't think it has to be offensive. 'Coger' in many countries means 'take' (coger el autobus), 'follar' is used in Spain but is meaningless in many Spanish speaking countries on this side of the world. On the other hand, 'fuck' has become such a household term, is is not so offensive any more. Ultimately, Mike will have to decide what works best
From my point of view, "fornicar" is too light of a term. "fuck" is clearly offensive, which is why the target term should be offensive too. Otherwise, the author would've chosen "fornicate" or simply "have sex"... I can think of "follar" as an offensive word that's somewhat well-spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Also "coger"... definitely not "joder", which in some parts means "to bother".
Absolutely agree with Lydia, the most universal term would be fornicar. Joder has not the same meaning in México, as Mike has found the equivalent is coger and it´s also very rude.
I wouldn´t easily grasp the meaing of follar, culear either, but maybe within the context these words would mean something.
I will agree with Lydia, of course!
Difícil encontrar un sólo término. Estoy en desacuerdo con Richard en cuanto a 'joder'. En Chile 'joder' significa 'to bug' (to annoy) y usamos 'culear' para fuck, que es muy fuerte, pero a la vez descriptivo, viene de 'culo'. En España 'culo' no es más que bottom, no se si otros latinos entienden 'culear'.
Sorry for using Spanish. I wanted to say that another option, widely used though a bit cold, is "copular". I think "fornicar" is not bad at all. I believe in literature, "fornicar" is the preferred option in hispanic-american editions.
In this context of a very idiomatic statement within a psychological report, I agree with your keeping it as colloquial and still generally recognizeable as possible. I suggest that 'joder' appears in the oldest literature that most folks are likely to be aware of for this connotation, while still being used in all of the Latin American countries whose slang I'm familiar with (along with a ton of other more-local ones, of course). Regards.
Los términos más universales son más fríos, y de ellos fornicar es el más parecido a "fuck". Los términos más coloquiales varían de país en país. En México, como dices, se dice "coger" (que aquí, es muy distinto de "agarrar"). Otra posibilidad es "copular".
maybe not universal, but how about the most common
00:35 Apr 30, 2009
You are probably right, Lydia. However, if I had to use one, or maybe two terms, to cover "most" of the different countries in Latin America and the US, which would they be?
Mike, I doubt if you're going to find a term that is common to all SA and US...
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
28 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
coger, follar
Explanation: Either would be understood here, though of course the first is the one really used. 'Joder' is mostly used for the 'other' sense of screw or fuck, and sometimes simply a strong word for 'bother, annoy' (Dejate de joder!) Perhaps you could complete it with a suitable US or Caribbean Spanish term.
Actually, 'fornicar' is probably the safest bet and, when pronounced with the correctly rolled R, is a lovely strong sounding word!
Christine Walsh Local time: 18:52 Native speaker of: English, Spanish PRO pts in category: 59
Explanation: Not as strong, but I think everyone understands it...
Plural: fucks
1. hacer el acto sexual, fornicar; Synonyms: have sex, fornicate, get laid, have it away, have it off; Have sexual intercourse with.
2. coger, hacer el amor con, follar, abrochar, chingar, cogerse a, culear, echarse un polvo, joder; Synonyms: shag, screw, have sex, get laid, be engaged in sexual intercourse, have sex with, have a screw, have a shag, knock off, be on the job, bonk, have it away; Have sexual intercourse with.
All he does is to fuck, Lo único que hace es joder.
This student sleeps with everyone in her dorm.
Adam knew Eve.
Were you ever intimate with this man?
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 5 days (2009-05-05 23:26:29 GMT) Post-grading --------------------------------------------------
Don't you find it interesting that such mundane terms are so difficult to translate? I had a similar situation recently while translating a text full of Cuban slang. Saludos, Mike!
Lydia De Jorge United States Local time: 17:52 Works in field Native speaker of: Spanish, English PRO pts in category: 56
Grading comment
Para tratar de mantener el registro sociolinguístico y al mismo tiempo para que sea entendible, voy a usar varias palabras después de "fornicar" Gracias, Mike :)
Notes to answerer
Asker: You hit the nail on the head. Even if I have to use two or three words, although the few the better, I would like to keep it as strong, if possible. If so, which words would be the best?
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +9
Software comparison tool
