The use of the verb 'haber' as personal (Habían muchos coches; Hubieron numerosos atascos, etc.), in which the verb agrees with its direct object, is not a peculiarity of Canarian Spanish, although it is true that in our regional variety it has a high frequency. The New Grammar of the Spanish Language, by the Royal Spanish Academy and the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, points out on this issue that "numerous cases of agreement are attested both in European Spanish (especially in that spoken in the east and southeast of Spain) and in American Spanish. It is observed that the phenomenon is currently expanding, with somewhat greater intensity in America than in Spain" (volume II, p. 3063). The Royal Spanish Academy recommends, however, the impersonal, non-agreed use of the verb in cultured language, in accordance with the majority use of prestigious writers (Había muchos coches; Hubo muchos atascos).
Our words
rabo (tail)
1. m. Handle of cooking pots. It was an old pot that had already lost its tail.
2. m. Lz. Last section of cloth of the fishing gear called boguera.
3. m. GC. and LP. Last part of a debt. When the business closed, he was left with a few tails unpaid.
4. m. GC. and LP. Small debt.
empinar el rabo (to raise the tail). To die. When someone raises their tail, everything is praise.
rabuja
1. f. Certain disease that affects animals such as dogs and cats, which weakens them and causes peeling and sores on the skin. They were disgusted to touch it because it had rabuja.
2. com. Person of short stature. It applies especially to children. It struck me that that rabuja had so much strength.
3. Tf. Weakness and frailty typical of childhood.
4. LP. Small, leftover thing of little value.
5. LP. Drunkenness.
Information on the location of voices and meanings
Fv: Fuerteventura
GC: Gran Canaria
Go: La Gomera
Hi: El Hierro
LP: La Palma
Lz: Lanzarote
Occ: Western Islands (Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro)
Or: Eastern Islands (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria)
Tf: Tenerife
