You need to use curlies for that. The type you are using is called a hash. Perl arrays use square braces, but require integers to index them, just as C does. $index_hash{"hola"}="mundo"; $index_hash{"hello"} = "world"; There is no corresponding type in C, though C++ std::map is close.

Please take a few minutes to look at the Perl Monks Site FAQ, you'll find out how to format your questions more effectively. Code tags are good to know about.

After Compline,
Zaxo