Go for It With Pa’lante

Go for It With Pa’lante Palante is not a word you will find in any standard Spanish dictionaries. Spanish teachers might even cringe upon hearing it. It is a Spanish slang word loosely translated as onward, go ahead, or go for it. Where Pa’lante Comes From Palante  is a well-understood  slang  word apparently originally used in Caribbean Spanish-speaking areas and seems to be gaining popularity in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world. Its a shortened version of para  adelante, a fairly common phrase made up of the  preposition  para, often meaning for, and  adelante, an  adverb  (sometimes functioning as other  parts of speech) meaning forward. What is unique about this word and its use is that  contractions and  apostrophes  are rarely used in Spanish. In fact, using apostrophes to indicate letters are missing is usually thought of as an Anglicism. For some inexplicable reason, palante is sometimes spelled as palante and is listed that way as slang in the Collins Spanish Dictionary. But the spelling of palante is far more common. It is not listed in the Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary (known as DRAE for its Spanish initials), the languages most authoritative reference source. Famous Word at Rallies Palante is something commonly heard at rallies usually used to rile up a person or group to action. As evidence of its burgeoning spread outside of the Caribbean, the word was used as part of a slogan at pro-Hugo Chvez rallies in Caracas, Venezuela:  ¡Palante Comandante!  Chvez was the president of Venezuela from 2002 to 2013. A literal translation of the rhyming phrase  ¡Palante Comandante!, would be something like Forward, Commander! although that direct interpretation does not capture the subtle connotation nor the colloquial nature of the phrase. El  CotVmandante  was a popular reference to Chvez. In the context of rallies, other translations of palante might be go ahead, onward, go for it, hang in there or keep on going. Pop Culture References Pop icon and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin brought the word mainstream in his 1995 musical hit,  Marà ­a. A popular line from the song: Un, dos, tres, un pasito palante Maria! The line translates to, One, two, three, one little step forward, Maria!  The song topped the charts at the time and became Martins first international hit single. Before and after Martin, Spanish music artists have been using the slang word in music hits. Other famous titles with the word include Echa  Palante, by  Mexican recording artist, Thalia, made popular in 1997. The song was featured in the 1998 dance competition movie Dance with Me in a memorable scene starring  Vanessa L. Williams  and  Puerto Rican  singer  Chayanne. As an example of the words use in song prior to Martin, Puerto Rican-American Latin jazz great, Tito Puente released a song, Palante, which he subtitled Straight in English.   Palante con Cristina (Palante With Cristina) is a popular show on Telemundo, a U.S. cable TV network. Related Phrases One related phrase that is widespread is echado para adelante. The sentence Estamos echados para adelante can mean something like, Were all ready to go for it. Sometimes echado para adelante is shortened to something like echao padelante. These phrases are not considered formal Spanish, but would most likely be used in the context of colloquial speech or familiar conversation.   Palante in Names of Programs or Groups Palante has become word often used in the names of organizations on programs to help convey they idea of progress. Among them: Mujeres Palante is a cooperative employment organization of and for the benefit of women. It is based in Barcelona, Spain.Palante Harlem is a New York tax-exempt organization devoted to housing issues.Echar PaLante is a campaign devoted to the betterment of Puerto Rico.PaLante Pacà ­fico is a philanthropic effort connected with the University of the Andes (Universidad de los Andes) in Bogot, Colombia.The PaLante Afterschool Program is for elementary children in Allentown, Penn. Key Takeaways Palante is an increasingly common Spanish slang word that isnt listed in most dictionaries.Palante is used to indicate concepts such as encouragement, enthusiasm, resolve, and progress.The word can be found in song titles and names of organizations throughout the Spanish-speaking world.