Claro

            Every once in a while a word just seems to radiate for me. Several years ago that word was “grace,” and I wrote about grace in a blog entry (If you are curious, look into the Archives of dhstringer.com and scroll down to July 2, 2020.). The word that glows for me today is “claro.”

 

            I know – it’s a Spanish word. And my association with Spanish is shaky at best. When I was in high school the recommended foreign language course of study to prepare for college was two years of Latin followed by two years of a modern language. I needed another semester in my freshman year at Amherst so I could complete my Foreign Language Requirement (since dropped as a graduation requirement), and after that I had very little to do with Spanish. The exception was a trip to Italy, where I spoke Spanish so badly they thought I was speaking bad Italian and understood me. Fortunately, we have a good friend who teaches Spanish. And fortunately, I’m not explaining what the word “claro” means, but what it means to me.

 

            The simple meaning of “claro” is something like “sure” or “of course.” It’s like saying “yes,” but with an explanation point. I read that you hear claro “very, very often” in conversation, maybe like the way we use “like” or “y’know.” I’m told that people might inject “claro” into a conversation as a way of saying, “I’m listening” or “I understand” or “I’m with you.” It’s a word that connects people.

 

            But there’s more. For me, the word “claro” is somehow connected to the English word, “clear,” and that is part of the word’s appeal. It’s great to have, in a conversation, an affirmation that is free from argument, free from ambiguity and misinterpretation. I’m not sure whether “claro” and “clear” share a common Latin ancestor (I only took Latin for two years), but the openness, the sense of acceptance, is very welcome in today’s world of political language and the suspicion and mistrust that so much current language engenders. Someone says something to you, and you interject “claro,” and both the conversation and the connection are enriched.

 

            By this point our friend Beth, a Spanish teacher, must be bursting with things to say – mainly corrections and elaborations on my rambling thoughts. Have at it, Beth!

 

            Beth wrote: “It's perfect! One of my favorite words. It made me realize just how much I use 'claro' with my Spanish friends – exactly as you describe. One Spanish friend uses ‘claro’ with the intonation  'CLAroooooo' that communicates – ‘Yes, don't you already know that, though? And if not, where have you been?’" 

 

            I will try to use the word at least once a day. Claro!

 

            I wonder what the word means if followed by a question mark . . ..