100+ words and phrases to speak and understand real Mexican Spanish
It's been over five years since I postedTop ten mexican slangand its continuationTop 20 Mexican slang🇧🇷 I would never change the words on these lists, but 10 words, 20 words, dammit, 100 words is not enough to cover the massive amount of slang in Mexico.
So here is my master list of the most common, useful, and fun Mexican Spanish words and phrases that go far beyond the top 10 or top 20 (or the other articles online with the same words as my first two lists and obvious rewrites of my descriptions. You know who you are). I sincerely hope that when you hear these rude words in Spanish, you remember my Mexican slang examples and laughs.
What wave?
Together withWhat happened?yHow's it going?, this is another way of sayingWhat's happening?A more informal version isWhat braid?, or vulgarWhat's up?
wavesare waves, but not waves in the ocean (which areeggs), but sound or light waves. So maybe a better translation forlaterwouldvibrations.
someone who isgood waveis nice or cool, while someonesmall thenis not. Also,catch the waveIt means you understand, or you understand.
She's cool - She's cool.
Did you add the wave?—Understand me?
What a miracle!
LiterallyWhat a miracle!that's what the mexicans sayHow long.
Ask?
Askis the mexican way of askingWhat?when you don't understand what someone said. It can also be used asten centsoGo straight on, to encourage someone to speak up, often over the phone. Another way of saying it, which is likeEh?(not exactly a real word), is pronouncedno-oh.
Internet?
very casualSeriously?oIn truth?,internetIt can also mean that something is for the best, as inthis party is the net“This party is the best.
Another common Mexican substitute forSeriously?(true, seriously) eslittle?
Speaks seriously!
Instead of a question likelittle?,another reaction to surprising information is to saySpeaks seriously!—In no way!oWe will!The literal translation,Speaks seriously, it's ridiculous because it's just a euphemism for vulgardon't suck.Scroll down the list tomore wordsby other vulgar expressions of Mexican slang.
Ni modo
Literallywithout method, the common expressionno modemediumIt doesn't matter, it can't be helped, or a disdainfulwhatever.
Wow!
can be used to encourage, such asGo ahead!oTouch the exact subject!Can be used to agree:Let's do it!oWe will!Or you can express emotions such asWow!oMy God!, similar to his second cousinson.
In a bit
Nowmeans now. The-itao-That is(for feminine or masculine nouns) la raíz is a diminutive used to show that something is small or cute. so literallyIn a bitmediumlittle now.
Mexicans could tell you thatIn a bitmediumright nowbut it actually meansprontoofinally🇧🇷 If you ask a Mexican to do something and he respondsIn a bit, so it could happen in five minutes, five hours, or never.
Can you help me with my homework? In a bit. — Can you help me with my homework? coming soon.
Shall we go? In a bit.—Let's go now? Coming soon.
later
Tempolatermeans later,later, different fromIn a bitactually meansright now.
¡Waters!
we all know thatWaterIt's water, but in Mexican slang,aguasmediumCaution!oBe alert!
Waters with the dogs. “Watch out for those dogs.
I am told that this expression comes from when a cleaning lady throws a bucket of water on the sidewalk, warns passersby by shouting¡Waters!
Disgusting
nothing vulgarKitchen helpertranslates to many English words,damn youfor example, but only when used to describe something or someone.
Damn car! - damn car
Pinche Juan – maldito Juan (Also a song by Café Tacuba, good Mexican band to learn Mexican slang.)
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Desire
DesiremediumCold,usually objects and situations rather than people, for whom it is more common to saygood wave🇧🇷 another word forColdeschaplain(verFamilylow).
Camera
No, it's not the Nikkon hanging around your neck, although that's also the word for a camera and the camera inside a tire. A general translation is camera. But as an expressionCameramediumI agreeoit's a deal.A stronger way of saying this is withlet him know.
no anger
This Mexican slang has a special place in my heart: I named my blog after it. This meansNo problemand is an alternative to ordinaryNo problems.(To search forpedounderdrinkinglow.)
Wey
WeyIt was number 1 on my list.Top ten mexican slang, and I keep. The "correct" spelling (of this "incorrect" word) iscara, which derives from the wordboiby an ox
Ask middle-aged Mexicans and they'll sayWeyit didn't exist when they were kids, at least not like it does now. Once in the appropriate circles, you will hearWeyamong any other words, such as how American teenagers useI like.
Simón wey, look wey, we sucked twenty big heads wey, don't suck wey, we were good farts wey!
Wey(ocara)mediumtype,and if you haven't heard something like the example above, I hope that when you hear it, you'll remember and laugh. 🇧🇷Simonis a slang that replacesSim,Sim.)
However, when used in anger,Weymeans something likeidiotoidiot🇧🇷 In northern Mexico, people saypiedra, which is almost vulgar.Idiot, clearly on the vulgar side, can also be used in a friendly way with the right people.
In Baja California, people use non-vulgarpaisa, Abbreviation ofCountry / Yearwhich means countryman.compais a common abbreviation forcomrade, used with close friends or relatives.
Carnalused of a very close friend, usually someone's brother. And speaking of brothers,comrade(fraternal twin) is also used for a close friend.
Girl girl
In English we saychildren, and in Mexico there are many slang words forBoys.Chavois perhaps the most common, but there are othersoftenymorro🇧🇷 (Remember, end words like this with a-oneinstead of a-ofor women that's itgirl, girl, die.)
clear asgirlin English, they can be used for teenagers and adults, as usual, depending on the situation. I have a friend my age who calls his girlfriend hisTo die.
Children- Abbreviation oflittle ones- only used for young children. ONEoftenhe is a spoiled brat but can apply to children in general.
jump
ONEjumpis an older person, and the word can be used as a noun or an adjective. ONEchavoruco, therefore, he is an old guy acting (or trying to act) young.
a related word,green tail(literallygreen tail- green in the sense of immature), is an older man who dates young women or pursues young men.
For what
nacosThey are lower class people, not necessarily because of their economic situation, but more because of their attitude and behavior. The American English equivalent of this Mexican slang term would be redneck (instead of redneck), and althoughnacosand rednecks actually have a lot in common, they would probably hate each other.
Strawberry
literally strawberry, onestrawberryHe is a demanding and vain person. For a woman can be translated ashigh maintenance🇧🇷 This can also apply to things other than people; for example, cheesy and light rock isfrozen music, although the usual word forcornyesmushy.
Another way of saying picky, especially for food, isespecial—especial.
chicano
These are Mexicans living in the United States or Mexican Americans. The illegal ones arewet, what it meanswet, a reference to the unfortunate expressionwet back.
melancholy
A Mexican who doesn't want to be Mexican but loves to talk about his trip to the United States or Europe is amelancholy.This comes from Malinche, the indigenous translator (and lover) of Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico, widely considered a traitor. then amelancholyis someone who symbolically betrays Mexico.
Punishment
They are people from Mexico City, which by the way are calledD.F.(pronounced “deh-eff-ei” in Spanish). There is some debate about whetherpunishmentsthey are people who were born there or who moved there later, but for our purposes it is any one of the 9 million inhabitants of this immense metropolis.
cholo
cholosthey're mexican hip-hop kids: big pants, big chains, and a whole other world of slang. I'm sure Mexican rappers Cartel de Santa would proudly call themselvescholos.
Exactly
plainsthey are the left-wing types who save the world and believe in a socialist utopia. I think a free translation into English could besocial justice warrior🇧🇷 Yes, it's insulting to call someonereal.
right hand
The corresponding insult to people on the right isright hand.you-, as inright,Take it? another word isresearched,especially for the overly religious.
Squeeze owls and chairs if they hate it!
Kaffir
kaffirsthey are terrible drivers, often drivingcarcacha,a wrecked car Another Mexican slang term ispuppy,but this can apply to anything broken, not just cars.
No, no
not usthey are nerds, and as an adjective it meansnerd🇧🇷 Apparently in Spainno, nomediumcornyalthough in mexicocornyesmushy.
meticos
A busybody, someone who sticks his nose in everyone's business, is ameticos🇧🇷 If the person is a gossip, then he or she isgossip, asgossipgossip (the noun).
apron
This is a guy whose wife or girlfriend is always bossing him around. It's not vulgar, even though the English equivalent certainly is:whipped pussy.
Namesake
It's not a uniquely Mexican word, but interesting because it has no equivalent in English, anamesakeis someone with the same name as you. You can saywe are namesakesor just call the person with the same name as younamesake,as a nickname (Surname).
Unlike people north of the border, Mexicans can be quite blunt when describing people, using words and nicknames likegordo(gordo),until(thin) andmoreno(dark skin). Although to describe a dark woman, for example, it is better to add the diminutive-ita, as inlittle brunette.
White girl
If you are a fair-skinned woman with blonde or even light brown hair, you will surely be calledWhite girlin Mexico, which means —surprise—light-skinned woman with blond or light hair. For men the word isblonde,and in both cases there are two points above thetu.
Prieto
A racist, or at least bigoted, term for dark-skinned people.
Elbow
Elbowmediumelbow,but in Mexican jargon it meansmiserly, as in a cheap or stingy person. people who areelbowYou don't want to bend your elbows taking money and putting it on the table. The non-slang word for this ismiserly.
Don't be cheap - Don't be cheap.
Use of more expressionselbow, I liketalk nineteen to the dozen,what does it mean to talk too much, orbreak elbows,which means working hard.
buena
Women with a beautiful body arebom(warm),very good,or the even more emphaticdelicious
You're fine, good blonde.—You're good (you've got a good body), white lady.
Be careful with them as they can obviously be misinterpreted. For example, few women would like to be calledthe grossest- a fat and hot girl.
Another way of saying a person is sexy ischula, which can also meanbomin a general sense.
Unpleasant
A pig, in the general metaphorical sense of the word: dirty, disgusting or rude, as the case may be. It can also be used as an adjective:your house is dirty—Your house is dirty. To put it in a nicer way, usecochinito.
bald, etc
Common nickname, used as a noun, refers to a bald person, particularly those who shave their heads.coatit's hair, soCalvomeans... well, there is some irony here.
This leads us to another topic: the-sincey- latersuffixes, which you can add to all kinds of adjectives, like:
Buttocks: in this -nalgona: girl with a big ass. (And hitting someone is hitting)
So you can add-sinceo- laterto any part of the body to describe someone who has a prominent. For example:
Nose: nose -big nose: boy with big nose
eyebrows: Eyebrows -eyebrow: boy with bushy eyebrows
Front: front -frentona: girl with a big forehead
moustache: Moustache-bigotona: girl with mustache
In this: mother (vulgar) —big ass: girl with big ass, possibly complementary (but still vulgar)
Onion: onion-chiveWhat does my wife call me when I eat too many onions?
You can also do this with jobs:-eroo-eramake a job title.
buildings: work project —worker: employee
Popcorn: Popcorn -Pigeon: popcorn seller, who walks the streets with his cart.
In this: in which—Idiot:literallyass salesman, but really more like an idiot.
Life
A special mention forlife, which has no direct translation into English. (Often these are the most interesting words in Mexican slang.)lifeIt's a dirty look, a sour expression on his face. You may have heard this newly coined expression in English:bitch face resting🇧🇷 This is alife🇧🇷 So a woman withlifeit is aSymbol.
Boss
Your father is your boss:my boss, And your mother too:my boss.
old
Your wife or girlfriend is your old woman:my old🇧🇷 Sure, it's not respectful, but it's common. The old ones, on the other hand, are often calledLadies, with the diminutive softening the blow.
this old—this old, could refer to any woman, usually with a negative connotation. Yold,Geezer, can be used between friends likemen(if you get tired of usingWey,idiotocarnal, That is).
Mijo
Mothers talking about their children use this combination of the two wordsmy son- my son.
Chaplain
Chaplain(father) meansColdobom, not for people, but for things or situations.It's cool- It's great, great.It's amazing- It's impressive.
In Mexican slang,madre(mother) is much more common thanchaplain, although on the contrarychaplain, is totally unusual. Which brings us to…
swearing,profanityin Spanish, they comprise some of the most diverse, prevalent, and versatile types of slang in any language. Entire books and websites are devoted to swearing in Spanish, in English as well. It could be a lifetime of study, and if you want to jump in, my friend Rodney has a great site to check out:"That mouth!" Don't be an idiot.
In the interest of your Mexican slang education, I have included five of the most versatile Spanish words, which can be twisted into many meanings. They are, in their most basic form:mother, suck, balls, bastard,ychingar– of course, with a few extras mixed in.
Madre
As I wrote above, in Mexican slangchaplainnot a bad word butmadreit certainly is. Because? Well, as an anonymous commenter wrote in my articleTop ten mexican slang, mention the mother and start the fight.
Here are some ways to usemadre:
I fart with this mother"What the hell is wrong with this fucking thing?" - You can usemadreto refer to almost everything.
I don't care mothers- I do not care.
Not Maes- No way.
A toda Mae: This meansincredible, or when about yourself it means you feel good, ready for action, as inI'm all mother.
what a low mother: Something bad, wrong, not cool for sure.Did you fail your class? What a low mother."Did you fail your class?" This sucks.
rebellion:A mess, or a confusing situation, is arebellion
break the mother: This meanskick your ass, as inI will break your mother🇧🇷 A simple verb for this is madrear. And once you get your ass kicked, you're coveredmadrazos, obruises, also known asprostitutes
For example: I'm going to kill all those damn bloggers who copy the content of my articles.
even the mother:be fed up with somethingI'm already up to mom, that they put a hat on me(The first line of Molotov’s “Frijolero,” a big song full of Mexican slang.)
on the other hand
Etymologically speaking,ON THE OTHER HANDis related tobreasts(breasts). But there is no good English translation of sucking except possiblybreastfeedobreastfeed.
As you can imagine, this is fertile ground for jargon.on the other handthe verb therefore meansgive a blowjob, and the nounblowjobit is ablowjob🇧🇷 Butfoodcan also meanShit, also known asnonsense(doidiot,Idiot),what will happen, and much more, including acceptable dining tablefilth.
if a boy issucked(an adjective this time) means that he is muscular, implying that he breastfed a lot and grew up.
To rememberstrawberryAbove? Another Mexican slang term for demanding and presumptuous people isidiot, oidiotfor women.
Finally, as mentioned above, the extremely commonDo not mind(Come on! No way!) is actually a euphemism fordon't suck, literallydon't suck me🇧🇷 Remember to conjugate your verbs, even when using Mexican slang: if you're talking to a group of men (don't use it with women), saydon't suck.
Idiot
When I travel through Central America, to places like Guatemala or Honduras, and I tell people that I live in Mexico, they often tell meOh bastard!That's how Mexican this word is, which other Latinos immediately come to mind when they think of Mexicans.
I always assumed it came fromgoat,goat, but supposedly has more ancient origins, starting with the conqueror and pirate Pedro Hernández Cabrón, who was so heinous that his name ended up becoming an insult.
When used as an insult, cabron is best translated asBastard, though not in the sense of someone with single parents. But you can also tell a friend, a friend of course. I likeBastard,idiotIt's not the right thing to say to your boss or your girlfriend's father.
Idiotcan be used in other ways, especially for something difficult:it's carbon🇧🇷 If you say that about a person it means they are tough.
If you are angry, you areirritated🇧🇷 Can be used as a verb:I embarrass(othat drives me crazy)It's cool—this guy annoys me.
he is bastardhas a substitute for mixed company use:this gorge.
sing
Like the beloved f-word in English,chingarIt has a wide range of uses, from describing something positively:It's cool(it's fucking amazing), to negative:it's fuck(it's screwed). The euphemism for that isof exfoliation.
If there's a lot, traffic for example, you can saythere are a lot of…, for examplethere is a lot of traffic🇧🇷 The non-vulgar way of saying it isa lot of…oa good one of…
In general, you can usechingarexpress the dirtiest, rudest and most aggressive feelings, likefuck your mother(fuck your mom, or just fuck you) orgo to hell(Screw this).
This is a truly Mexican word, and to learn the origins and deep thoughts behind it, readThe Labyrinth of Solitudeby Octavio Paz. (Click on the books for information.)
For daily use, take a look atchignonary:
singas a verb usually meansCumrather thanhave sex🇧🇷 another good forCumesCum.I'm screwed- I'm screwed.
For real and commonly expressed sex, usetakes, which in other Spanish-speaking countries meansto takeohold up🇧🇷 Wear it like that in Mexico and people will laugh like crazy.
Cut!
Here is an additional word, similar toChingar: ¡Chale!It is likeShit!oShit!when something bad happens.
Eggs
We knoweggsThey are eggs, but throughout the Spanish-speaking world,eggsthey are also balls (testicles).
In Mexican slang,eggscan be used much more widely. When my Spanish was still at a very basic level, I had a student who saidegg daysTo me, that's not a very nice thing to say.
One of my favorites,It is clear!mediumclear!oThat's right!- very useful. Another variation isI have eggs, which means you feel lazy, and a lazy person is aIdiot🇧🇷 If you sayit gives me eggs, it means that something hates you.what the hell- how flat
Yes, profanity and booze go together like lemon and salt, and likewise the words for alcohol and booze are a source of great slang. Think in English: alcohol, a beer, getting drunk, getting angry, getting beat up, getting screwed...
chela
chelasare the beers, also known ascheves🇧🇷 The word can come frommicheladas, a large mug of beer mixed with tomato juice, lemon, hot sauce; there's even a place in Mexico City that puts shrimp and mango slices in themicheladas🇧🇷 Perhaps an acquired taste.
bigheads
The best deals for beer drinkers in Mexico arebigheads, large 40-ounce returnable bottles. As one commenter pointed out to me, technically the biggest is abigheadAlthough this is a marketing term I've never heard of. ONEcaguamaBy the way, it is a type of sea turtle.
Another useful container for beer is abrass(big side), onetall boyin English.
help
ONEhelpIt's a liquor bottle. I even heard the big one, what we callhalf gallonin the US, calledelephant foot:elephant foot🇧🇷 I like it.
Point
This is the vulgar way of sayingalcoholic beverage, and the verbtrackis the vulgar way of sayingto drink(the verb). you can also sayto suck,to suck, as inlet's suck—let's drink/get drunk.
bad drink
In Mexican slang, abad drinkhe's a bad drunk, you know, the one who loses control and fights and cries.Don't be a bad cup.
Cru
Literallycru, raw meanshangover, as inI'm grossoI have raw(I'm hungover).
basement, cave
ONEcantinait's a bar and athe secondit's a disco. ONErodeoIt's sort of a nightclub that specializes in band music: the cowboy hat groups with loud drums and big horn sections.
pedo
could have putpedoundermore words, since it is versatile, common and so vulgar. literally apedoIt's a fart, but most of the time it meansdrunk.
I'm fart - I'm drunk.
Thereforeun pedotehe is a drunkard, a heavy drinker, although it could also mean a big fart.
the nounpedais a party or drunkenness, also known asdrunkennessthe oneto him🇧🇷 the party itselfpartycould be calledpachangaopoultry.
pedoalso meansproblem, as inni pedoono problems, the common substitute forno anger,No problem.What's your fucking fart?—What the fuck is your problem?ONEPedroHe is a person who causes trouble.
Finally, you can useWhat's up?instead ofWhat wave?to sayWhat the hell is happening?(in a friendly way), or in an angry tone of voice,What the fuck?The euphemism for these ispex, as inWhat pex?oby pex.
This list of Mexican slang masters is getting a little long, so long I think I'm going to have to write a sequel with words for crime and punishment, sports, drugs, food, and most importantly, sex. But for now I leave you with some good and necessary ones, which surely belong in a complete list of the most important Mexican slang words.
Occupation
the songs arerolas, an alternative to the word regular in Spanish,song.
the band
the bandit could be the band, but it could also be a group of friends.
chamba
A job, often a difficult or shitty job. You can sayI have to go back to my jobhe asksWhat job do you have?The verb,quarto, mediumto work, and without pride or enthusiasm.
I have to work tomorrow.
chanarro
It means a small business, a small shop or a small restaurant. this toochangarrohas something to do withmonkey, the Mexican word formono?
Is dead
Is deaddescribes something cheap or low quality.This car sucks.
Ciudad
Ciudad(sometimes spelled and always pronouncedfood- remember there is novsound in Spanish) meansmoney, but not in the general sense aslana(wool, money) orplata(silver, money), but in a numerical sense (pesos), asDollars.
This one is worth a hundred varos — It's worth a hundred pesos.
Soda
ONEsodaIt's a soft drink, like a Coke. But if a policeman asks you for onesoda, is asking for a bribe.
paro
a favor is aparo, as inpare-me - Do me a favor.
Background
ONEbackgroundit's a joke (a joke) and something funny isfunny. BackgroundIt can also mean the trick, or the way of doing something, as inthe joke is to do it like this- the trick is to do it like this.
Appropriate
EappropriateIt's a vulgar play on words. This fascinating aspect of Mexican culture deserves another article. It can also be used as a verb,albuquerque.
gacho
This is a replacement forFeo,feo, although both words are used in a much broader sense than physical ugliness. For example:Cheiras mal— you smell bad (not ugly).
I originally wrote this incorrectly asgaucho(thanks for the correction), which is an Argentinian cowboy and an excellent Steely Dan record.
collect
collectmediumexaggerated, oridiculous, like in action movies where 100 enemies shoot at the hero, but not a single bullet hits him.
Hundred
Literallypour, meansDiarrhea, as inI have jet.It can also be used to express that you have a lot, not necessarily diarrhea.
pickpocket
ONEpickpocket, or simplyrata(rat) is a thief, a criminal, worse than a rat if you ask me.
voice
remember thekaffirsdriving yourguffaws🇧🇷 well thecarcachacould be avoice(pronounced and sometimes writtenbocho), nickname of the Beetles, which are everywhere in Mexico.
jacket
In Mexico, don't call your jacketjacket, because that's Mexican slang formasturbating🇧🇷 To usejacketinstead of.
grooves
These are sandals, AKAhuaraches, an ancient Indian word that is also a type of (delicious) food. If you walk in public withgroovesthey can call youflip flop.
D.F. and chilangos
SenseFederal District, and pronounced “deh-eff-hey”, is how most people refer to Mexico City. It might just be called Mexico, but almost neverthe city of mexico, except on documents or airline tickets, although the government is trying to change this. By the way, people fromD.F.sonpunishments.
Plinth
Essential word for traveling, theplinthIt is the main square or central square of a city, also known asdowntown park.
Cologne
This meansneighborhood, not the English cognatecolonia🇧🇷 Residents can be calledneighbors(which usually meansNeighbor) osettlers.
Depa
They areemberit's your apartmentDepartment.
Truck
ONEtruckit is a bus, while in other parts of Latin America it is a truck. I remember telling people in Guatemala that I arrived totruck, and they looked at me madly until I realized and explained myself. The official word for bus in Mexico isbus, it's not simplebus,unlike Spain and other places.
get drunk
We will end this list with a word that is not just slang but a huge part of any Mexican experience, especiallyif you drive🇧🇷 Speed bumps are everywhere, often unmarked and completely hidden in the dark night.Aguaswhen you hit them, because hitting them hard causes everyone in the back seat to bounce and hit their heads on the roof of the car, or worse, a flat tire.
speed bumps arebumper, and only in Mexico. In other parts of Latin America and some parts of Mexico, they arelumps, reducers- What other words?
Part 2 is coming soon and will include more Mexican slang and rude Spanish words for food, sports, sex, drugs, all that fun stuff. Thank you for reading and I look forward to your comments, corrections and complaints.
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