Common Mexican phrases and sayings you must know to survive
December 11, 2023
Jean G. Fowler
Latest Modification Date: 1/2/24
If you’re moving to Mexico or if you are already living there, you’ve probably trying to learn the most basic Spanish to survive your day-to-day life. While a translating app or dictionary will surely help you, there is so much more to know from the way Mexicans speak.
Spanish, as any other language, is alive and changes all the time. Words may evolve or change depending on where you are, and some may even have several meanings so it can be confusing for foreigners, especially when locals use words that would usually have a totally different meaning.
This is why we’ve prepared a handy list of common words and a few examples.
“Ahorita”: Punctuality and time in Mexico seems to work differently than other places. For example, if you’re at a market and the person selling vegetables is busy attending another client,, they’ll probably say something like “ahorita”, meaning “one moment” or “one second”.
But if you’re planning to see someone to go out, that person may answer “ahorita voy”, or “I’ll be there soon”, which can vary from 10 minutes or 1 hour and that’s when it gets confusing. Usually, the best way to know what to expect when you hear that word is to ask them to be more specific or to plan ahead to avoid delays.
“Ahorita” is one of the most confusing words in Spanish because it can also cover a larger time span, getting even to a few hours.
“Provechito or provecho”: To use when you go out to eat at a restaurant. People say “provecho” as a gesture to others, especially strangers at other tables or those that are just sitting down. It means something around the lines of “have a good meal” and it shows good manners.
“Mande”: In Mexico, people don’t say “que” as it may come across a bit rude. When another person asks you something and if you didn’t understand or hear what they said, a more polite answer would be “¿mande?”.
“¿Bueno?”: If you’ve called a friend or acquaintance on the phone and get this word for a response as the pick up, they’re not literally saying it's a translated word which is “good”. In reality, “bueno” is just a way to say hello when you’re calling.
“¡Aguas!”: When you hear this word, the person is trying to tell you to be cautious with something or a situation. For example: “Aguas con el coche”, which would translate as “careful with the car”.
“Comper” or “compermisito”: If you’re walking by a busy market or place, someone may say to you “comper”, which means “excuse me”.
“Güey”: Commonly spelled “wey” through text messages, is used to refer as a friend, acquaintance or sometimes even a stranger as “dude”.
“Qué padre” or “padre”: This word, which literally means father in english, is not meant to refer to someone's dad. It’s actually a saying to express excitement. “Qué padre” would be a way of saying “that 's cool”. “El concierto estuvo padre” translates to “the concert was awesome”.
“¡Qué chido! or just “chido”: Similar to “padre” but with a bit more enthusiasm. Also, “chido” may be used as a confirmation like “ok”.
“Chingo” and “un chingo”: This one may be a bit confusing too. First of all, the word “chingo” is sometimes considered a swear word in some contexts, so it’s not something you would use in every situation, but it is mostly used to describe or count. For example, “un chingo de cosas” would be a lot of things, or “te quiero un chingo” means “I love you so much”.
If you want to learn more about the Spanish language and its common phrases, we are here to help you! We offer Spanish classes! Dare to learn and be part of Xpats.
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Common Mexican phrases and sayings you must know to survive
December 11, 2023
Jean G. Fowler
Common Mexican phrases and sayings you must know to survive
December 11, 2023
Jean G. Fowler
If you’re moving to Mexico or if you are already living there, you’ve probably trying to learn the most basic Spanish to survive your day-to-day life. While a translating app or dictionary will surely help you, there is so much more to know from the way Mexicans speak.
Spanish, as any other language, is alive and changes all the time. Words may evolve or change depending on where you are, and some may even have several meanings so it can be confusing for foreigners, especially when locals use words that would usually have a totally different meaning.
This is why we’ve prepared a handy list of common words and a few examples.
“Ahorita”: Punctuality and time in Mexico seems to work differently than other places. For example, if you’re at a market and the person selling vegetables is busy attending another client,, they’ll probably say something like “ahorita”, meaning “one moment” or “one second”.
But if you’re planning to see someone to go out, that person may answer “ahorita voy”, or “I’ll be there soon”, which can vary from 10 minutes or 1 hour and that’s when it gets confusing. Usually, the best way to know what to expect when you hear that word is to ask them to be more specific or to plan ahead to avoid delays.
“Ahorita” is one of the most confusing words in Spanish because it can also cover a larger time span, getting even to a few hours.
“Provechito or provecho”: To use when you go out to eat at a restaurant. People say “provecho” as a gesture to others, especially strangers at other tables or those that are just sitting down. It means something around the lines of “have a good meal” and it shows good manners.
“Mande”: In Mexico, people don’t say “que” as it may come across a bit rude. When another person asks you something and if you didn’t understand or hear what they said, a more polite answer would be “¿mande?”.
Latest Modification Date: 1/2/24
“¿Bueno?”: If you’ve called a friend or acquaintance on the phone and get this word for a response as the pick up, they’re not literally saying it's a translated word which is “good”. In reality, “bueno” is just a way to say hello when you’re calling.
“¡Aguas!”: When you hear this word, the person is trying to tell you to be cautious with something or a situation. For example: “Aguas con el coche”, which would translate as “careful with the car”.
“Comper” or “compermisito”: If you’re walking by a busy market or place, someone may say to you “comper”, which means “excuse me”.
“Güey”: Commonly spelled “wey” through text messages, is used to refer as a friend, acquaintance or sometimes even a stranger as “dude”.
“Qué padre” or “padre”: This word, which literally means father in english, is not meant to refer to someone's dad. It’s actually a saying to express excitement. “Qué padre” would be a way of saying “that 's cool”. “El concierto estuvo padre” translates to “the concert was awesome”.
“¡Qué chido! or just “chido”: Similar to “padre” but with a bit more enthusiasm. Also, “chido” may be used as a confirmation like “ok”.
“Chingo” and “un chingo”: This one may be a bit confusing too. First of all, the word “chingo” is sometimes considered a swear word in some contexts, so it’s not something you would use in every situation, but it is mostly used to describe or count. For example, “un chingo de cosas” would be a lot of things, or “te quiero un chingo” means “I love you so much”.
If you want to learn more about the Spanish language and its common phrases, we are here to help you! We offer Spanish classes! Dare to learn and be part of Xpats.
