Cancha
Quechua in South American Spanish: The Inca Words That Survived the Conquest
Community
Your word isn't here yet
Join Hablaaa and add the expression no one else has documented.
Create accountor
Add a word/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
Work or job in Mexico and Peru. It covers everything from a corporate office gig to a side hustle at a taco stand. If you have chamba, you have something putting food on the table.
Examples
“I found a job.”
“I have a lot of work.”
Word family
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
Dumb luck or a stroke of pure chance. In Peru, "chamba" means something went well not because of skill but because fortune was on your side. Note: in most other countries "chamba" means work or job, but this is the Peruvian sense.
Examples
“They won the match by sheer luck, the goal bounced in off a deflection.”
“Did you figure it out? - Yeah, but it was a total fluke, I had no idea what I was doing.”
Word family
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
In many Latin American countries, a job or employment, whether formal or informal, which is a constant concern for young adults.
Examples
“I finally got a job, I'm starting on Monday.”
“I've been looking for a job for three months.”
Regional synonyms
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
Work or job in Mexico and Peru. It covers everything from a corporate office gig to a side hustle at a taco stand. If you have chamba, you have something putting food on the table.
Examples
“I found a job.”
“I have a lot of work.”
Word family
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
In Colombia, a ditch, trench, or hole dug in the ground, typically for construction, drainage, or pipe work. It is the unmarked hole that appears in the middle of the sidewalk without warning and that you only notice when you are about to step in it.
Examples
“Watch out for the trench they opened in the sidewalk, you can barely see it.”
“They dug a huge ditch to replace the water pipes.”
Regional synonyms
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
Work or job in Mexico and Peru. It covers everything from a corporate office gig to a side hustle at a taco stand. If you have chamba, you have something putting food on the table.
Examples
“I found a job.”
“I have a lot of work.”
Word family
Regional synonyms
Showing 6 definitions, sorted by votes
Community
Your word isn't here yet
Join Hablaaa and add the expression no one else has documented.
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
Work or job in Mexico and Peru. It covers everything from a corporate office gig to a side hustle at a taco stand. If you have chamba, you have something putting food on the table.
Examples
“I found a job.”
“I have a lot of work.”
Word family
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
Dumb luck or a stroke of pure chance. In Peru, "chamba" means something went well not because of skill but because fortune was on your side. Note: in most other countries "chamba" means work or job, but this is the Peruvian sense.
Examples
“They won the match by sheer luck, the goal bounced in off a deflection.”
“Did you figure it out? - Yeah, but it was a total fluke, I had no idea what I was doing.”
Word family
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
In many Latin American countries, a job or employment, whether formal or informal, which is a constant concern for young adults.
Examples
“I finally got a job, I'm starting on Monday.”
“I've been looking for a job for three months.”
Regional synonyms
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
Work or job in Mexico and Peru. It covers everything from a corporate office gig to a side hustle at a taco stand. If you have chamba, you have something putting food on the table.
Examples
“I found a job.”
“I have a lot of work.”
Word family
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
In Colombia, a ditch, trench, or hole dug in the ground, typically for construction, drainage, or pipe work. It is the unmarked hole that appears in the middle of the sidewalk without warning and that you only notice when you are about to step in it.
Examples
“Watch out for the trench they opened in the sidewalk, you can barely see it.”
“They dug a huge ditch to replace the water pipes.”
Regional synonyms
/Sounds like "CHAHM" (as in "chat") + "bah" (as in "bar")/
Meaning
Work or job in Mexico and Peru. It covers everything from a corporate office gig to a side hustle at a taco stand. If you have chamba, you have something putting food on the table.
Examples
“I found a job.”
“I have a lot of work.”
Word family
Regional synonyms
Showing 6 definitions, sorted by votes
Articles featuring this word
Enguayabado
Hungover, suffering through the after-effects of the previous night's drinking. In Colombia the "guayabo" collects everything you drank the night before, with full interest. Being enguayabado is a full-body reminder that last night was probably a bad idea.