My host mom and I stood at the entrance to her house, waiting. She had a beautifully wrapped present in hand. I had enough Spanish to get me through the drive thru at Taco Bell. We waited for her oldest and youngest son (the middle son is getting married).

I asked in my just-moved-in-Spanish what the word is for fiancé. She told me ‘novia.’ I said, what is the word for bride? She said ‘novia.’ I said… oh. I wanted to say.. so then what’s the word for girlfriend?

Novia means girlfriend, fiancé AND bride in one word! That’s a lot of work for five letters. 

In the US you take on each new title as a new state of being. Girlfriend means one thing, Fiancé is a girlfriend with hot sauce on it, and Bride is a girlfriend covered in hot sauce and sauerkraut and relish in a paper cup on the side. You’re title changes and so does your status: I’m a FIANCÉ. It also rhymes with a pop star which doesn’t hurt. Whatcha got, Rihanna?

There are massive implications for the fact that the word ‘girlfriend’ can also mean ‘bride’ in Latin America. You can’t call someone your girlfriend unless you see things going somewhere. Interesante.