Mexican slang
Speak Spanish like a Mexican
Would you like to learn Mexican Spanish? Then the Viva Idioma, Spanish School is the right place for you. On this page, you will find some slang words from Mexican Spanish and their meaning in English.
Mexican Spanish
Mexican Spanish differs from Spanish in Spain and other Latin American countries in terms of vocabulary, slang, and intonation. There are also differences in pronunciation and in certain grammatical aspects.
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Past tense instead of perfect
Compared to the Spanish from Spain, the past tense is mainly used in Mexico instead of the perfect tense.
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Example:
Mexico: "Yo bebí una coca" (I drunk a coke) -> simple past
Spain: "Yo he bebido una coca" (I have drunk a coke) -> Perfect
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"ustedes" instead of "vosotros"
In Mexican Spanish, the second person plural "vosotros" is dropped and replaced by the third person plural "ustedes".
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Example: " You're going on vacation"
Mexico: Ustedes se van de vacaciones
Spain: Vosotros os vais de vacaciones
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Despite some differences, Mexican Spanish with its dialects is considered to be one of the most understandable and widely spoken Spanish in the world. Therefore, it is definitely worth learning about it. Nowadays you can do this flexibly and independent of location with an online course . So that you can convince yourself of the quality of the teaching, we offer you a free trial lesson .
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Mexican Words
Vocabulary Spanish / English
Voladores De Papantla
Spanish:
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alberca
camarón
camión
camisa
camioneta
carro
celular
chamarra
chango
colectivo
computadora
cuarto
department
derecho
playera
placticar
popote
rentar
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English
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pool
shrimp
truck
shirt
SUV
car
mobile phone
Jacket
Ape
Bus (usually a minibus)
computer
Room
apartment
straight (driving straight)
t-shirt
talk to each other (chat)
drinking straw
Rent
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Slang Words in Mexican Spanish
Here you will learn some of the most commonly used slang words in Mexico. It is important to note that these words cannot be translated literally from Spanish to English.
"Aguas!"
When someone tells you "Aguas!", it has nothing to do with "water", but it means "Attention!" or "Caution!"
"Codo"
The Spanish word "codo" means elbow. However, in Mexico it is used to describe someone as stingy. That means the person is very frugal with his money.
"Estoy crudo"
Often used after a long night of partying, because it means something like "I'm hungover".
"Fresa"
Literally means "strawberry", but in Mexico it is used for people who come from privileged households and behave arrogantly.
"Güey"
Güey, often pronounced as "wey", means "buddy"/"colleague" and is often used in Mexican Spanish. For example, "Que onda wey" means as much as "how are you colleague/buddy.
"Huevo"
The word translates to "egg"/"eggs" In Mexico, it is often used similarly to English as a term for "testicles".
"La Neta"
When someone uses "la neta" in a sentence, they are generally saying "really?" or "the truth?". Likewise, it is used to confirm someone's statement or to make a statement. For example, "La neta te quiero mucho!", this means "The truth, I like you a lot" or like "La neta te amo!", which means "The truth is, I love you!".
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"Naco"
Used to describe a person of a lower social class. Usually this is characterized by style of dress and behavior. A female person is referred to as "Naca" and a male person as "Naco".
"Qué padre!"
Translates to "how father", but it has the meaning of "how cool!", "great!" and is therefore much used in Mexican Spanish.
FREE SPANISH LESSON
You now know the most common slang words in Mexico, but don't know how to use them?
We would be happy to show you how and when these are used in our Spanish course.​
We at Viva Idioma, Spanish School are convinced that you can learn Spanish with joy and success.Before you decide on a Spanish course yourself, you can try out our free trial class. A language teacher from Mexico will be happy to welcome you for a free trial lesson.
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