When you start learning Spanish, of course you’ll struggle to catch the subtleties in the accents to really tell them apart.

Then, you’ll inevitably have an AHA! moment while traveling and meeting Spanish speakers from all over the world: the vocabulary from region to region changes much more quickly than the sounds themselves.

In other words, it is easier to tell Spanish speakers apart by a few key slang words that give them away in an instant! In this article, you will learn the THREE MOST COMMON SPANISH SLANG WORDS from 12 different Spanish speaking countries!

Spanish Slang – Slang Used In Spain

Spain claims to have the most pure form of castellano, but they are no strangers of jergas (slang words)!

Check out the top 3 slang words from Spain below.

1. Tío/tía

Tío/tía, as you may remember from Spanish 1, literally mean uncle/aunt. In Spain, however, tío is used colloquially as bro, dude or guy. Same goes for tía, as in girl, lady or chick. It is also used incredulously, to emphasize the ridiculous behavior of some guy/girl.

“¡Qué tío!” means “What a (blank)!”. The blank is interpreted according to the tone (idiot, hero, womanizer, genius, etc.). You’ll hear this phrase used by our Spaniard voice actors in the amazing Gritty Spanish Audio stories!

Examples:

“Oye tío, ¿cómo has estado?”

“Hey bro, how have you been?”

“¡Mi novio me colgó de nuevo! “¡Qué tío!”

“My boyfriend hung up on me again!” “What a jerk!”

2. Guay

Guay is the Spanish word for cool, awesome, amazing.

There are infinite words to express this sentiment in Spanish. However, guay is used exclusively in Spain, making it our #2 Spanish giveaway!

Example:

“Mira esa foto que sacó en Nueva York… ¡Qué guay!”

“Look at this picture she took in NY… How cool!”

3. Joder

Many countries use joder as annoy or mess around, but none of them use the stand-alone verb with the intensity of a Spaniard.

It roughly means sh** or f***. The “j” is intense, like you’re about to hock a loogie.

Example:

“Joder, tengo que entregar el ensayo mañana y ni siquiera he empezado”

“Shi*, I have to turn in the essay tomorrow and I haven’t even started yet!”

Make sure you check out more Spaniard Slang words on this page.

Dominican Republic Slang

On the opposite side of the world and Spanish spectrum, we have the Dominicans. If you can’t tell them apart from their Spanglish, island swag and affinity to leave out the “s” from all words, you can identify them by these 3 popular slang words!

1. ¿Qué lo qué?

This is a dead giveaway for a Dominican! Qué lo qué is their way of saying what’s up, what’s going on, an abridged version of “¿qué es lo qué esta pasando aquí?”.

Example:

(Walking down the street and you bump into a really good friend)

“¿Qué lo qué mano?”

“What’s up homie?”

2. Carajito

Not to be confused with the word carajo (shi*), carajito is a little boy, a kid.

Example:

“Mira ese carajito allí jugando con los perritos”

“Look at that little boy over playing with the dogs”

3. Tato

Caribbeans love jumbling their words together. Tato is the lite version of “esta todo bien” or “esta todo”. It’s another way of saying okay, sure. It can also be used with attitude in response to something that doesn’t please you in an “alright, I see you” throwin’ shade kind of way.

Examples:

“Mami voy a salir con mis amigas” “Dale, tato”

“Mom I’m gonna go out with my friends” “Okay, it’s all good”

(Resentfully)

“Ah pues no me vas a cocinar? Tato…”

“Oh so you’re not gonna cook for me? Okay, I see you…”

Check out more on Dominican sayings here!

Puerto Rican Slang

Los puertorriqueños are usually easy to pick out of a line-up because they swap their “r’s” with “l’s” (calor becomes calol).

However, if you ear hasn’t been attuned to their Caribbean swang, here are the top 3 words that will give away a Puerto Rican instantaneously.

1. Al garete

Al garete, literally meaning is astray, used to refer to a ship gone adrift.

Today in Puerto Rico, it can mean when someone has lost it, gone off the path, or something that got out of hand.

Example:

“Manos, unos achos sacaron armas en el concierto! Se fue al garete”

“Bro, some guys took out guns in the concert! It got out of hand”

2. Janguear

Also spelled “hanguear”, this slang comes directly from the Anglicism “hang out”, and is used in the same context.

Example:

“Mama, voy a hanguear con mis panas, nos vemos”

“Mom, I’m gonna go hang out with my friends, see ya”

3. Nene/nena

The words nene and nena are not necessarily exclusive to PR, but they are used so heavily words on the island you’ll forget that niño and niña even exist.

Example:

“Hace calol nena, ¡abre la ventana por fa!”

“It’s hot girl, open the window please!”

Check out more must-know Puerto Rican expressions here, or maybe some Puerto Rican curse words if you’re up for the challenge!

Mexican Slang

Mexico is a huge country with a rich variety of accents, between regions and social classes. They are also physically very diverse and some Mexicans have a quite neutral accent. These 3 phrases, however, are the easiest way to tell a Mexican apart!

1. Platicar

Mexicans love the verb platicar. They use it on the daily. It means to chat, converse, catch up, or even gossip (have you seen their Soap Operas?).

Example:

“La cosa más chistosa me paso! No me lo vas a creer!”

“The funniest thing happened to me! You’re not gonna believe it!

¡Platícame!

Tell me!”

2. No mames wey

This is the quintessential Mexican catchphrase. No mames literally means don’t suck, but it can also mean no way!, get out of town, or in a slightly more aggressive tone don’t f*** with me! Wey is just Mexican for “bro” or “dude”.

Example:

“¿Te dijo gorda? No mames wey”

“He called you fat? No way bro”

3. Mande

Not far off from the Colombian “¿dime?” or castellano “¿qué?”, mande is a response to something that you misunderstood/didn’t hear. It can be a question or a statement. It literally means “send”, as in Message Not Received: Please Send Again.

This is considered a form of courtesy in Mexico, and kids are taught that responding “¿Qué?” to an adult is maleducado (rude). Linguists say that mande was inherited from the times of colonization when mestizos/indigenous castes submitted to Europeans/criollos by using the phrase “mándeme usted”, roughly meaning you’re in charge, tell me what to do.

You can always tell if someone is Mexican by this subtlety (and if you’re Spanish is still rocky, be prepared to hear this one a lot)!

Example:

(Mom yells at you from other room but you don’t hear)

“¿Mande?”

“Can you repeat please?”



If you wanna learn some more on Mexican slang to survive on the streets, check out this fun post!

Peruvian Slang



Little about the enchanting country Peru makes international headlines besides their exquisite cuisine and breathtaking landscapes like Machu Picchu. But what about their Spanish? Here are 3 of the most typical Peruvian slang words!

1. Pata

Pata (meaning female duck) is the way that friends refer to each other in Peru! If a Peruvian calls you their pata, it’s a lovely form of endearment!

Insider Tip: Be careful because pata in PR means homoseuxal.

Example:

“Oye, te presento mi pata Juan”

“Hey, let me introduce you to my friend Juan”

2. Jato

Jato is an informal way of saying your house, your dwelling, your place.

Example:

“¿Nos vemos en tu jato?”

“We’ll meet up at your place?”

3. Huasca

Another way of saying drunk! This word comes from the ancient psychedelic brew from the Amazon “ayahuasca”, that shamans still take today.

Example:

“¡No quiero salir más contigo! Siempre termino huasca”

“I don’t want to go out with you anymore! I always end up drunk”

Wanna sound like a local? Check out more Peruvian slang words here!

Venezuelan Slang

Besides heavily aspirating the “s” in Venezuela and having strikingly similar accent to Canarians (who had a large impact during their colonization),Venezuelans have enough slang to make their very own dialect, if not language. We’ll go over the top 3 giveaways here, but there’s much more to venezolano than meets the eye!

1. Chamo/a

Chamo/a means a boy or a girl, similar to tío/tía. The religious use of it by the youth can be equated to “bro” or “dude”.

Examples:

“Oye chamo, ¿cómo está la vaina?”

“Hey bro, what is good?”

2. Ladilla

When something is boring or annoying, you can use que ladilla as an exclamation. It can be also be an adjective to describe when you’re too lazy to do something, like pereza in castellano.

Insider Tip: Don’t try to translate directly: ladilla is literally a female crab.

Examples:

“La tarea es para mañana? Ay qué ladilla”

“The homework is for tomorrow? Noooo I don’t want to”

“No quiero salir, me da ladilla”

“I don’t want to go out, I’m too lazy”

(In bed all day)

“¿Chama qué haces?”

“Girl what’re you doing?”

“Nada, aquí ladillada”

“Nothing, here chilling”

3. Arrecha

To be ferociously angry at someone or something. Not to be confused with Colombian arrecha (meaning horny).

On the contrary, it can also mean really, really amazing, as in ¡arrechisimo! As if it weren’t confusing enough…

Examples:

“Chama me puse arrecha cuando se fue sin decir adios”

“Girl I got pissed when he left without saying bye”

“¡La fiesta estuvo arrechisima!”

“The party was so awesome!”

Check out this post where you’ll learn even more Slang from Venezuela.

Colombian Slang

Our Latino sweet talkers, everybody loves the Colombian accent for its charming drawl and their prolific use of terms of endearment. But if you can’t catch their accent right away, here are a few slang words that make them stand out!

1. Parce & Parcero/a

Parce or parcero/a is next on the list of “bro/dude” and “girl/chick” terms. Legend goes that it derives from aparcero– someone who owned a stake in a parcel of land. Income was largely shared and fellow farmers relied heavily on one another: they won or lost together. Community and comradery thrived, giving way to the parce abbreviation we know today.

Example:

“¿Todo bien parce? ¿Cómo estás?”

“All good bro? How are you?”

“Él es muy parcero”

“He’s a good guy (very friendly)”

2. ¿Qué hubo?

Also known as quiobo, literally “what have”. ¿Qué hubo? means what’s up, how ya been. It’s a common Colombian greeting.

Examples:

“¿Epa Maria, qué hubo?”

“Hey there Maria, what’s up?”

3. ¡Hágale pues!

Colombians are known for using the formality usted with everyone, even with children (which sounds like you’re calling a three old “sir” for a non-Colombian). They also use the word “pues” excessively, almost as a filler. The combination of these two meet in the classic phase ¡hágale pues! meaning do it already or go ahead.

Example:

“¿No terminó sus tareas todavía? ¡Hágale pues mijo!”

“You haven’t finished your homework? Well, do it already then!”

Follow this link to get more Colombian slang!

Guatemalan Slang

Central Americans have a few things in common, including the use of el voseo, the j slightly aspirated as if it were an h, and the gentle sound of ll and y (unlike Spain and Argentina). Here, however, we have some truly Guatemalan words that only the chapínes/chapinas (Guatemalans) use!

1. Cerote

Traditionally an offensive way to say “loser”, derived from the word cero or “zero”, it is now a common way to refer a friend as a term of endearment. It can also mean brother or mate.

Example:

“¿Epa cerote, en qué te has metido?”

“Oh mate, what did you get yourself into?”

2. Chontes

In Guatemala, the cops are called chontes. It’s only slightly derogatory and depends greatly on the tone it’s used for.

Example:

“Allí vienen los chontes, ¡esconde la marijuana!”

“The cops are coming, hide the weed!”

3. Burra

The word, Burra Literally means “female donkey”. However, it’s a term used to refer to a bus or public transport. The famous chicken buses of Guatemala are often referred to as burras, but fancy pullman trucks also make the cut.

Example:

“¡Me toca salir ahora mismo si quiero tomar la burra!”

“I have to leave right now if I want to get the bus!”

To get more insider intel on Guatemalan expressions, check out this link!

Argentinian Slang

Argentinians are the easiest to pick out of the line-up because of the distinct way they pronounce the “ll” and “y” like “sh” (sho me shamo).

1. Che boludo

Che is thought to originally come from que in Italian. It is a transition word or an exclamation, roughly equating to well or hey!

Boludo is Argentinian for “bro” or “assho**”, depending on the context.

Example:

“Che boludo, ¿cómo andás?”

“Hey bro, how are you?”

2. Re

Not to be confused with the prefix re, as in again, putting re before a word in Argentina simply adds to the greatness (or severity) of the object.

Example:

“Boludo, la fiesta estuvo re buena, ¡y te la perdiste!”

“Bro the party was so great, and you missed it!”

3. Copado

Copado is Argentinian slang for cool, awesome! Throw a re in front to sound extra local.

Example:

“Ese tipo es re copado!”

“That guy is so cool!”

For more on slang that Argentinos can’t live without, click here!

Cuban Slang

As Cubans migrated to the U.S., much of Cuban slang migrated with them to Miami and New York, so knowing Cuban slang could really do you some favors if you want to improve your street smarts!

1. ¿Qué bola?

This is the quintessential Cuban phrase, like che boludo for the Argentinians and no mames for the Mexicans! It means what’s up, what’s going on!

Example:

“¿Oye qué bola?”

“Hey what’s up?”

2. Asere (acere)

The Cuban version of “bro” used to show proximity, usually preceded by que bola.

Example:

¿Qué bola asere?”

“What’s going on man?”

3. Pinchar

In Cuban slang, pinchar means to work. Think of it as penny-pinching to remember!

Example:

“Estoy pinchando asere, qué quieres?”

“I am working bro, what do you want?”

Check out more Cuban slang and Cuban expressions here!

Ecuadorian Slang

Ecuador has the second largest indigenous population of any country in South America. The Quechua language from the Incan empire has considerably influenced their slang today. Check out some of the examples below!

1. Chuchaqui

When you have a mad hangover from la joda (the party), you have a chuchaqui. The word comes from the Quechua word chaqui, meaning the discomfort one feels right after chewing coca leaves.

Example:

“Cómete un banano*, te ayudará con el chuchaqui”

“Eat a banana, it will help with the hangover”

In Ecuador and some other countries, you’ll hear Banano instead of Plátano.

2. Ñeque

Ñeque by it self means fuerza (strength/force). So when you lack the force to do something (a.k.a. you’re too lazy), “te falta ñeque”. Ñeque also comes from the Quechua word ñiqquiy meaning muscle.

Example:

“Metele ñeque al deber”

“Make an effort/do your best on the homework”

3. Caleta

Caleta, historically a place to hide stolen goods, is an informal term for house. For example, when you wanna hit up your friend’s place for a get-together.

Example:

“Voy a la caleta de un pana”

“I’m going to my friend’s house”

Get caught up on Ecuadorian slang straight from the streets here!

Chilean Slang

By far the hardest of the Latinos to understand, not only for the super speed at which they speak but the conjugation of “vos” in a unique way, as if they were speaking Italian. Take a look.

1. ¿Cómo estay? (como es-tai)

Como estay (similar to como estas) is the Chilean way of saying how are you.

It’s a dead giveaway when speaking to a Chilean. Also look out for deci (a.k.a. Dices or decis) or teni (a.k.a. tienes or tenis).

Examples:

“Hola Vale, ¿cómo estay? ¡Te extrañe este fin de!”

“Hey Vale, how are you? I missed you this weekend!”

2. Po

Po is the shortened version of pues, roughly meaning “well” or “then”. It may also be used as a filler word or to add exclamation without any particular meaning. Argentinians refrain from using pues at all, whereas Peruvians use “pue”. Thus, you can be sure that you’re speaking with a Chilean if they sneak in a po every other sentence.

Example:

“¡Pensaba que la tarea se entregaba mañana po!”

“I thought the homework was for tomorrow!”

3. Wea

A general word to designate “thing” or “stuff”. It can also take on a more aggressive tone as “shi*”, like I don’t want to deal with this wea.

Example:

“Fome la wea, po”

“How boring is this stuff*”

How Many Ways Can We Say Dude in Spanish?

Tío, wey, pata, chamo, parce, cerote, boludo, asere, and the list goes on! If you want to learn more about colloquial Spanish from all of the different Spanish speaking countries, make sure to check out the GrittySpanish blog and get fluent today!