If you’re a foreigner who’s living in Colombia, surely this is one of the questions you hear most often. Taxi drivers, new people you meet, even old friends who are just checking in on you–everyone wants to know. What do they want to know? Do you feel at home here? Are you used to life in Locombia? Have you settled in? Do you like it here? Are you happy? It’s a good question to regularly ask yourself as well.
The verb amañarse is a synonym of acomodarse and acostumbrarse and means to settle in, to get used to, to make one’s home. In WordReference, it says this is a Latin American usage. For some reason, I always thought it was a Colombian word, but the dictionary’s not backing that up. Perhaps it’s used more commonly in Colombia, though–I’d have to go live in more Latin American countries and then report back to you.
Barcelona es una maravilla, me amaño mucho allá. Voy casi todos los diciembres.
Barcelona’s marvelous- I feel so at home there. I go almost every December.
¿Sí estás amañado acá en Medellín?
Are you happy here in Medellín?
¿Ya te amañaste? Estoy en esas, pues creo que voy a sentirme más amañada apenas tenga unos buenos amigos acá.
Have you settled in yet? I’m working on it, I mean I think I’ll feel happier once I have some good friends here.
One phrase I learned in Colombia and subsequently use is a mi amaño (or a tu amaño, a su amaño, etc.). This means as one pleases. However, I can’t find a shred of evidence for it online! Sometimes the internet’s the last one to find out about these things.
Soy tuyo, muy tuyo, y solamente tuyo, y este fin de semana podrás disponer de mí a tu amaño.
I’m yours, all yours, and only yours, and this weekend you can have your way with me as you please.
Chavismo interpreta la Constitución a su amaño: Iglesia
Chavismo cherry-picks the Constitution: Church.
Cada quien reinventa el amor a su amaño y de acuerdo con sus necesidades y creencias básicas, cada quien lo construye o lo destruye, lo disfruta o lo padece.
Each person reinterprets love as they see fit, and in accordance with their needs and basic beliefs, each person builds it or destroys it, enjoys it or suffers from it.
I got the idea for this post when I ran into two instances of amañado being used in a way I wasn’t familiar with today and yesterday. As it turns out, amañar can also mean to fix or to rig. Here are the sentences, both of them from–where else?–mi querida Colombia.
Que pida al corrupto fiscal de Carranza y a los médicos de medicina legal que se venden por dinero y dan resultados amañados y todos quedamos tranquilos.
Have him ask that corrupt district attorney Carranza and the medical examiner’s office to turn a blind eye for money and they’ll tamper with the results and we’ll all calm down.
Si los dirigentes del Metro hicieran unos cuantos viajes cotidianos en tren, tal vez se darían cuenta de que esta cultura construida hace 15 años es amañada y se cumple cuando el sistema lo permite.
If the directors of the Metro were to take a few daily trips on the train, maybe they’d realize the culture constructed 15 years ago is phony and happens when the system permits it.
No idea about the relation between amañar and amañarse.
So, you, wherever you are, ¿estás amañado?
On a side note, happy independence day to Colombia! One year ago, I was down there to celebrate with them.
