What does "tertulia" mean?

Question

I'm trying to learn Spanish. I've been through Duolingo and much of Babbel, and now I'm trying to read the Minotauro translation of "The Hobbit".

And I'm stuck on the title of the first chapter: "UNA TERTULIA INESPERADA"

The English title is, of course: "An Unexpected Party."

The obvious translation would be "Una Fiesta Inesperada", but I understand that "fiesta" means more of a large celebration than a simple dinner party.

Google Translate is of no help: "AN UNEXPECTED TERTULIA".

Help?

How come nobody has already mentioned our official chat room? Come chat with us in La tertulia! — Charlie, Mar 20 '18 at 08:54

score 9 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 19 '18 at 21:27

9

No, tertulia means "salon", "talk-show", "conversation"...

Check the RAE translation:

tertulia

f. Reunión de personas que se juntan habitualmente para conversar o recrearse.

[...]

estar de tertulia

loc. verb. coloq. conversar (‖ hablar).

edited Mar 19 '18 at 21:27

fedorqui

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answered Mar 19 '18 at 18:15

FGSUZ

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score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 21 '18 at 00:23

Per Wikipedia, tertulia is

a social gathering with literary or artistic overtones, especially in Iberia or in Latin America. Tertulia also means an informal meeting of people to talk about current affairs, arts, etc.

It is a much more charming word than party. It has an old-fashioned feel to it. I get particular pleasure out of looking at a grouping of birds and commenting to my son that they are having una tertulia.

What does "tertulia" mean?

2 Answers2