Maybe you have heard of the word guagua. This word has different meanings in different countries, but there are also some Spanish speaking countries that don’t use this word at all.
In Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and some other Caribbean countries, guagua is how they call the bus. Some people say that this word comes from the English word: wagon, but there are others that state that it was because Wa Wa and Co. Inc. were the ones that provided Cuba with their first buses. So if you hear the expression: “¡Apúrate que nos deja la guagua!” It means that you need to hurry up or you’re going to miss the bus.
Also some Puerto Ricans call the airplanes “guagua aérea” Why? Well, there is a famous movie in that country with the same name that narrates the constant trip that the people from San Juan took to New York looking for a better life and the so-called American Dream.
In other countries like Chile, Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia and Argentina, guagua is how they call babies or little kids. So if you hear someone saying “¡Cómo llora esa guagua! That means that there is a baby crying a lot, maybe nearby and not a big bus making a lot noise.
