Slang & idioms › Mexican slang
Mexican slang: 35 words
The Spanish you hear on the street in Mexico City, Guadalajara or Monterrey, and on the US border. Each word has its meaning and an example sentence; rude words are marked.
What's up? How's it going?
¿Qué onda, Luis? ¿Cómo te fue en el examen?
What's up, Luis? How did the exam go?
dude, buddy. Also «tonto» if said with anger
No manches, güey, ya son las diez.
No way, dude, it's already ten.
No way! You're kidding!
¿Te ganaste la lotería? ¡No manches!
You won the lottery? No way!
cool, great
Tu bici nueva está bien chida.
Your new bike is really cool.
How cool! «Padre» here has nothing to do with fathers
¿Vas a Cancún en diciembre? ¡Qué padre!
You're going to Cancún in December? How cool!
for real, the truth
¿Neta? ¿Te vas a vivir a Oaxaca?
For real? You're moving to Oaxaca?
job, work
Encontré chamba en una cafetería del centro.
I found a job in a café downtown.
Watch out!
¡Aguas, viene un carro!
Watch out, a car is coming!
in a little while… or right now. Context decides, and often it means «later»
Ahorita lo hago, mamá.
I'll do it in a minute, Mom.
OK, let's go; also «wow»
—¿Vamos por unos tacos? —¡Órale!
“Shall we go get some tacos?” “Let's go!”
come on, go ahead; also «exactly»
Ándale, pásale, la puerta está abierta.
Go ahead, come in, the door is open.
Pardon? Sorry? The polite way to ask someone to repeat
—Oye, Carmen… —¿Mande?
“Hey, Carmen…” “Yes?”
money (literally «wool»)
No tengo lana para el concierto.
I don't have money for the concert.
beer
¿Unas chelas después del trabajo?
A few beers after work?
buddy, close friend; «carnal» is almost a brother
Él es mi carnal desde la primaria.
He's been my best buddy since elementary school.
guy, girl; young person
Los chavos de la escuela juegan futbol en la calle.
The kids from school play soccer in the street.
kid, young guy or girl; very common in northern Mexico
Ese morro canta bien bonito.
That kid sings really nicely.
posh, snobby (literally «strawberry»)
Ese restaurante es muy fresa para mí.
That restaurant is too posh for me.
cheap, low quality
Los audífonos que compré salieron bien chafas.
The headphones I bought turned out really cheap.
bad, mean, not nice
Qué gacho que no te invitaron.
That's so mean that they didn't invite you.
a hangover
Después de la boda tenía una cruda terrible.
After the wedding I had a terrible hangover.
How embarrassing! (literally «what a bear»)
Me caí enfrente de todos. ¡Qué oso!
I fell in front of everyone. How embarrassing!
Really? No way?
¿A poco ya terminaste el libro?
Really? You already finished the book?
it's really hard, tough
Está cañón encontrar departamento en la Roma.
It's really hard to find an apartment in Roma.
OK, deal
—Nos vemos a las ocho. —Va.
“See you at eight.” “Deal.”
a ride, a lift
¿Me das un aventón al aeropuerto?
Can you give me a ride to the airport?
blond or light-skinned person; street vendors use it as a friendly «hey»
¿Qué va a llevar, güera?
What are you having, miss?
someone from Mexico City
Mi esposo es chilango, pero vivimos en Monterrey.
My husband is from Mexico City, but we live in Monterrey.
a small shop or business
Mi tía tiene un changarro de tamales.
My aunt has a little tamale stand.
pickup truck; northern Mexico and the US border
Se fue en la troca de su papá.
He left in his dad's truck.
as a little extra, for free
Compré tortillas y me dieron un chile de pilón.
I bought tortillas and they gave me a chili for free.
awesome, really good at something. Vulgar but extremely common
Tu hermana es bien chingona para el ajedrez.
Your sister is really damn good at chess.
damn, lousy; used before a noun
Este pinche tráfico no avanza.
This damn traffic isn't moving.
What's up? / What's the problem? Very informal; say it only with close friends
¿Qué pedo, carnal? ¿Todo bien?
What's up, bro? All good?
tacky, low-class. Classist and can hurt; better to understand it than to use it
Dicen que esa camisa es naca, pero a mí me gusta.
They say that shirt is tacky, but I like it.
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