Mexican Spanish is very different from the versions of the language spoken in other hispanic countries like Spain, Chile, Costa rica, etc. Nosotros have our ain slang and funny expressions that you're unlikely to find anywhere else. So, whether you lot're planning an ballsy trip through Mexico, want to impress your Mexican friends at home, or an expat in Mexico urban center who wants to blend in a little better with the locals, this quick introduction to 14 common Mexican Castilian sayings should help yous achieve your goal in no time at all!

1. ¿Mande?

"Don't say 'what', say 'mande'" is one of those classic things Mexican moms tell their kids. Even if nosotros've never really understood what's incorrect with asking "what" ("qué" in Spanish), this recurring instruction has stuck with u.s., and we commonly use "mande" as a polite Mexican Spanish version of the aforementioned word.

Then remember, when you recall your waiter is asking what blazon of wine y'all want with your contemporary Mexican dinner, but you didn't quite take hold of what he said, don't say "¿qué?," say "¿mande?"

2. ¿Bueno?

Bueno is the first word you'll hear whenever you brand a telephone call to anyone in Mexico. It isn't really a salutation, more but a random word (bueno literally means "good") we use at the showtime of every phone call. Only the person receiving the telephone call will say it, and only once. If you answer dorsum with some other bueno, things will get all weird. Go ahead and effort information technology!

So when you're calling to book a bed in that cute piddling hostel in downtown San Miguel de Allende, and you lot hear a bueno from the receptionist, yous'll know exactly what to make of that.

3. Ahorita

A time-based Mexican Castilian expression that depends entirely on the context and the speaker, ahorita is supposed to limited immediacy, but we tend to use it equally a temporal wildcard that could be referring to any amount of time between the next few seconds and the next few…let'due south say minutes.

It's a adept one to throw at your travel partner when he impatiently asks when you'll be ready to get out and hit the bars in Mexico Metropolis…and you haven't even taken a shower yet!

4. ¡Aguas!

Our brusk, elementary, and effective Mexican Spanish mode to say "be conscientious." Nosotros use it in situations where immediate activity and quick reflexes are required, like when you lot're nearly to step in dog poop, or when you lot cross the street thinking those cars are going to stop simply considering you're using a crosswalk.

Don't get confused if your waiter says "aguas" when handing y'all a delicious, steaming hot café de olla on a chilly morning in the mountain urban center of Taxco. They have not brought you lot the incorrect drinkable (aguas literally translates to "water") — she's but trying to save you from burning your tongue.

v. Órale

This Mexican Spanish saying is a tricky one. Information technology's ordinarily used to express agreement, simply depending on the tone and context it can also mean "hurry upwardly," "that'south amazing," "permit'southward go," "I wasn't expecting that," "information technology'southward alright," "come up on," "please," "sounds like a plan," "lookout it," or simply "aye." Practice makes perfect, just remember we also abbreviate this expression to ora, which is also an abbreviation of ahora ("now"), and that at that place'due south always ándale…which is more often than not the same, merely a little different.

Prepare to stitch the steps of Teotihuacán's Pyramid of the Sun? Órale!

6. Güey

If your Mexican buddies get-go calling you güey, that'south probably a skillful sign. It means they consider you a friend, and you can refer to them in the aforementioned fashion. This is another confusing term that most of the time can be interpreted every bit "dude," merely tin also mean "some guy" (un güey), "your boyfriend" (tu güey), or "you're really stupid" (estás bien güey). Exist careful non to confuse "estás bien güey" with "¿estás bien, güey?" ("are yous alright, dude?").

In Northern Mexico, güey is normally replaced with vato ("dude"), primo ("cousin"), or compa (for the sake of simplicity, allow's just say this one means "dude" again).

seven. Comper

A short version of con permiso ("excuse me") that's used exclusively to make your presence known to the people around you while you maneuver through tight spaces, comper is especially useful at festivals and markets where phrases like comper, ahí va el diablo ("alibi me, the devil's coming through") are ubiquitous.

El diablo in this context is not the Lord of Darkness, but the dolly used to transport goods in Mexican markets. And there are a lot of incredible markets in Mexico.

viii. Provecho / provechito

Some people interpret this common Mexican proverb as "Enjoy your meal," but this doesn't seem completely accurate. Provecho is a strange greeting we use to acknowledge people who are nearly to consume, are already eating, or take but finished their meal. It's not uncommon to say provecho to consummate strangers, especially to every complete stranger you make eye contact with on your manner out of that restaurant in Oaxaca where you just ate the all-time mole poblano of your life.

Provechito is just a cute fashion of saying provecho.

ix. ¿Qué onda?

One of our favourite Mexican Castilian greetings, qué onda (literally "what a wave") is the exact equivalent of "What's up?" The wave tin can easily exist substituted past a fart (qué pedo), a fraud (qué transa), a mushroom (qué hongo), or a whorl (qué rollo) without altering its pregnant.

10. Chido / chilo / chingón

These Mexican Spanish phrases are easy ones. They all express that something'due south good. Simple as that. Chingón is the best of the three, but it denotes and then much awesomeness that some people consider information technology extremely rude. Chido and chilo are the balmy and socially acceptable versions, merely still pretty awesome. Chido is used in Cardinal Mexico, while chilo is mostly used in the northern states and is pronounced "shilo."

11. Bien padre

Padre means "absurd" (as well as "begetter," obviously). If you want to say that something'southward really cool, you can say está bien padre ("this is actually father") or está padrísimo ("this is super father"). Another expressions used to say that something's absurd include está de pelos ("this is hairy") and está con madre ("this is with mother").

12. Cámara

Literally meaning "photographic camera" or "chamber," this is a common Mexican Spanish term is used to show agreement. More adventurous speakers tin can substitute information technology for camarón ("shrimp"). As in: "We should hit the beach at Playa del Carmen after nosotros cheque out the Maya ruins in Tulum. Camarón!"

13. El mal del puerco

"The evil of pork" is the common state of drowsiness that overtakes your torso after a copious meal. The evilness resides in its ability to boss a person's volition completely, forcing its victims to take a nap, or coyotito ("a little coyote"), despite previous plans.

xiv. ¡Gracias!

Looks similar a simple "thank you," doesn't information technology? Y'all'll eventually discover we use this word in contexts that don't sound logical at all, like when nosotros're refusing the offers of street vendors or dealing with those banking concern employees that insist on providing u.s. with an actress credit menu. We're not really thankful for their attempt, we're just saying, "No, I don't want that." Think about it every bit a "no, cheers" without the "no."

A version of this commodity was previously published on Oct 21, 2015, and was updated on February 25, 2022.

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