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Remember that when in South America, the word for cool is chévere. This expression figuratively means, “don't jerk my chain.” Keep in mind that you may hear vulgar expressions in Mexican Spanish that mean the same thing, but make sure to use this one as to not offend anyone.Īs explained at the beginning of this article, Spanish slang is incredibly regional. ¡No manches! → No way!/Are you serious?.Further, you would never want to address an elderly person, even someone you know well, with güey. However, when Mexicans use güey with a person they don’t know, it is often times confrontational. Rather than saying the friend’s name, they refer to them as güey instead. Pronounced “wey” in English, this term is mostly thrown around between men in extremely casual situations. Whatever the historical context, mande is used frequently to ask someone to repeat something that you didn’t hear or understand. Stemming from the verb mandar, this expression literally means “command me.” Many believe that it dates back to colonialism, showing a position of inferiority and submission. Mande → Excuse me?/Can you repeat that?.This expression is often used to describe Mexico’s wealthy, but also within groups of social circles and acquaintances.ĭating back to colonial times when people would toss dirty water out the front window and into the street, aguas, meaning “water” reminds everyone to “watch out!” The word fresa actually translates to “ strawberry” however, in this context it is most commonly used to describe people who think they are better than everyone else.
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You just have to remember that everyone’s not talking about their aunts and uncles!Įvery country has its regional expression for “cool” and if you’re in Mexico there will be no shortage of the use of qué padre. Much like the popularity of the word “dude” in California, you will hear tío/tía used among Spain’s youth and young adults. You would use it to express a number of strong emotions such as, shock, disbelief and amazement. The word fuerte technically translates to “strong” in English which seems rather appropriate for the meaning of this phrase. It is not necessarily a positive characteristic so it’s normally used when gossiping. In Spain, when a child or a person comes off as being particularly pampered or pretentious this is a comment you might hear when others describe them. Ser pija → to be really spoiled/stuck up.The word mono actually means “ monkey” but is used to talk about children, animals or anything that someone finds “adorable.” Mono should agree in both gender and number with the person or item you are describing - mono, monos, mona, monas. The word “guay” is pronounced like the letter “y” in English. In Spain, you will hear this everywhere you go and luckily, it’s an easy expression to start using yourself.