What does “la carne de burro no es transparente” mean?
La Chilindrina y Doña Florinda contra los hombres de la vecindad
A2 Spanish listening practice · Mexican Spanish · Picked for people who know a little
La carne de burro no es transparente literally means “donkey meat isn’t transparent,” and it is what you say when somebody plants themselves right in front of you and blocks your view. The joke folds in burro as “dummy”: you can’t see through you, and you’re a bit of a donkey for standing there. It is a childhood classic across Mexico, hugely popularized by El Chavo del 8.
You will hear it shouted in front of a TV, at a window, or in any crowd: ¡Quítate, que la carne de burro no es transparente! It pairs naturally with the blunt imperative quítate (“move”). Its overtones are playful and a touch rude, fine among friends and family but not something you’d say to a stranger you want to keep on good terms with.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Spanish listening practice video?
How common in written Spanish
How common in spoken Spanish
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.