Top Ten Mexican Slang

The order of this list has absolutely no meaning other than the words and phrases I think are the
most interesting, amusing, common, or unique. Please disagree with me, correct my spelling, or
remind me of what Ive left out.
WARNING: if you are a FRESA (stuckup person! you might be offended by the use of some very
vulgar language, but if you are a NACO (lowclass, person with bad taste! you will overuse most of
the words on this list.
10. "ou may have noticed NO HAY BRONCA is the name of my blog. It means #no problem.$
. !A H"E#O$ (vulgar! % &o you know what huevo means' It means egg, but ()*+,- are balls.
There are many ways to use the word. .hen my -panish was still at a pretty basic level I had a
student who said ()*+,- &I/- to me % not a very nice thing to say.
0/ ()*+,1 means #of course1$ % a very useful e2pression. /nother variation is T*34, ()*+/,
which means you are feeling la5y.
%. CHE&A ' CAG"AMA % 6(*7/ means beer, and 6/4)/8/- are the big returnable 9:
ounce bottles, undoubtedly your best value on the street.
(. !ORA&E$ % It can be used for encouragement, like #go for it1$ or #right on1$ ,r it can be use
like #lets do it1$ or #let;s go1$ 7ook out for its second cousin (I<,7*, which is like =wow= or #my
goodness1$
). *+"E ON,A- % /long with >?)* P/-,', >?)* T/7', and the vulgar >?)* P*&,', this is
yet another way to say #whats up'$ ,3&/ literally means waves or, in this case, vibes.
.. /E,O (vulgar! % This word is as versatile as the tortilla, but, unlike the tortilla, very rarely
appropriate. /s a noun it usually means problem, or more literally, fart.
3, (/" P*&, is a substitute for 3, (/" @A,36/, no problem. 6)/7 *- T) PI36(* P*&,
means #whats your fucking problem'$
/s an adBective it means drunk. *-T," @I*3 P*&,, .*". #Im fucking drunk.$ / drunken party
Object1
or a binge is )3/ P*&/.
"ou can make great phrases with it too, such as the aforementioned >?)* P*&,'
0. CHI,O means cool. If you dont hear this word C:: times a day, you arent off the tourist track
yet. ,n a similar note, P/&A* (father! means good or cool while 8/&A* (mother! usually means
bad. 3o, it doesnt make sense.
1. !NO MANCHES$ % The literal meaning is ridiculous, but this is used like #no way1$ or #come
on1$ 7ook out for 03, 8/8*-1, the vulgar equivalent.
2. CHINGAR (vulgar! % 8uch like *nglishs beloved fword, 6(I34/A has a wide range of uses
% from describing something positively % 6(I34,3 % to negatively % 6(I34/&/.
,r, if there is a lot of something, traffic for e2ample, you can say (/" )3 6(I34, &*
TA/DI6,. It is also used to e2press the foulest, rudest, and most aggressive sentiments.
This is a truly 8e2ican word, and to learn the origins and deep thoughts behind it check out The
Labyrinth of Solitude by ,ctavio Pa5. Dor more everyday uses, do a quick 4oogle search.
1 WEY ' G"EY % I dont really know how to spell it. .*" isnt as famous as ,A/7* or versatile
as 6(I34/A, and it may not even be as common as 6(I&,. "ou might even spend a month here
without hearing it. @ut, once in the proper circles you will hear .*" used as every other word, how
teenage /merican girls use $like.$
#0-imon wey, mira wey, chupamos veinte caguamas wey, no mames wey, estabamos bien pedos
wey1$
.*" means #dude,$ and if you havent heard something like the above already, I truly hope that
when you do you will recall this e2ample and laugh.
-I8,3 in this case is a slang substitute for #si,$ or yes.
HONORAB&E MENTION3S4E "ou can add #on$ or #ona$ to any body part to describe someone
who has a prominent one. Dor e2ampleE
3/AIF % nose G 3/AIF,3 % guy with a big nose
6*</- % eybrows G 6*<,3 % guy with bushy eyebrows
DA*3T* % foreheard % DA*3T,3/ % girl with a big forehead
6)7, % ass G 6)7,3/ % girl with a big ass, often complimentary (vulgar!
/lso, you can do this with professions. #ero$ or #era$ makes a Bob title.
,@A/ % work G ,@A*A, % worker
P/7,8IT/ % popcorn G P/7,8*A, % popcorn seller
6)7, % ass G 6)7*A, % #ass seller,$ but it is really used the way we use #asshole.$
The most popular post on this blog is Top Ten 8e2ican -lang. @ut for sure ten words don;t even
scratch the surface of slang here in 8e2ico.
I hear these words every day. )nlike the original Top Ten 8e2ican -lang, in this post every word
has a P4 rating. 8aybe P4CH.
/inc5e
/inc5e could have been in the original top ten. It translates to many words in *nglish, damn for
e2ample, but only when used to describe something.
#0Pinche coche1$ % damn car
#Pinche <uan$ % goddamn <uan
Man6e
Man6e is the 8e2ican way to ask what or excuse me, when you dont understand what someone
said. It can also be used like tell me.
Ne7a
Ne7a can be used in several ways, but often like really? or for real?
#*stoy pedo, pero ya me tengo que ir a la chamba.$
#>3eta'$
A5o8i7a
A5o8a means now. The #ita$ or #ito$ (female or male! stem is a diminutive, used to show that
something is small or cute. -o literally a5o8i7a means little now.
8e2icans might tell you that a5o8i7a means right now, but really it means soon or eventually. If
you ask a 8e2ican to do something and they reply with a5o8i7a, then it could happen in five
minutes, five hours, or never.
#>Puedes ayudarme con mi tarea'$ #/horita.$
#>"a vImonos'$ #/horita.$
Ag9a:
"ou probably know that ag9a means water. @ut in slang ag9a: means be careful or look out!
I was told that it comes from when a lady would pour out a bucket of water onto the sidewalk. Is
that right'
Ca;8<n
In places like 4uatemala or (onduras, when I tell people that I live in 8e2ico, I often get #0/h,
cabrJn1= in response. That;s how 8e2ican this word is, that other 7atins think of it right away when
they think about 8e2icans.
It might translate to bastard, but really it;s a word to say to a close friend. / male friend. 7ike
bastard, ca;8<n isn;t appropriate for the family dinner table.
,ther words for a male friend are ca8nal or =e>. #a7o is similar, more like dude, used in northern
8e2ico and by c5icano: in the ).-.
C5icano
C5icano is the word for 8e2ican/mericans.
Toca>o
/ 7oca>o is someone with the same name. "ou can say :o?o: 7oca>o: or Bust call the person with
the same name as you 7oca>o.
Tope
.hen you visit 8e2ico youll see speedbumps everywhere. Ag9a: when you drive over them. They
often arent marked. (itting them hard at night makes everyone in the backseat bounce up and slam
their heads into the roof of the car.
-peedbumps are called 7ope:, and only in 8e2ico, I think. In other parts of 7atin /merica and some
parts of 8e2ico they are called something else % tumolo, right'
Ca?i<n
/ ca?i<n is a bus. In other parts of 7atin /merica its a truck. I told people in 4uatemala that I
arrived by ca?i<n. They looked at me cra5y until I figured it out.
The more official word for a bus in 8e2ico is a97o;@:, not Bust plain bus.
C5a?;a
/ c5a?;a is a Bob, often a lousy Bob.
"ou can say, #Tengo que regresar a mi chamba$ or ask, #>?ue chamba tienes'$
C5aAa
C5aAa describes something cheap or low quality.
#*sta coche es chafa.$
Co6o
Co6o means elbow, but in slang it means cheap, as in a cheap person. / co6o person doesn;t want
to fle2 their elbow, as in pulling out money and putting it on the table.
The #real$ word for this is 7acano.
#3o seas codo$ % dont be cheap.
C5aBo'C5aBa
6ontinuing with the #ch$ words, here are slang words for kids. "ou can also call kids c5a?aco:.
Aemember the final #o$ is for males and #a$ for females.
C<88ale ' ap@8a7e ' 7engo p8i:a
The first two mean hurry up. I dont know if they;re actually slang, but they are damn common.
Tengo p8i:a means Im in a hurry.
8y friend and fellow 8e2ican -panish aficionado Aodney has a great blog of 8e2ican slangE
httpEKKwww.myspanishnotes.blogspot.comK (e also writes this one about bad languageE
httpEKKpelangoche.blogspot.comK
/nd he let me write a guest postE 7earning -panish Through 8usic
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&a C5inga6a is a 8e2ican concept famously analysed by ,ctavio Pa5 in his book The Labyrinth of
Solitude. The offspring of the male -panish and the 3ative woman is usually identified as hio de la
chingada (the son of la 6hingada!E perhaps the strongest insult in 8e2ico. 6hingada is typically
noticed as MfuckM or related to the word. M(iBo de su chingada madreM means Mson of a bitchM (madre
means mother,chingada is MfuckM or other bad words, making the noun, madre, offensive or taboo.!
(owever, the concept has since e2tended far beyond its original meaning.
&erivative words of the noun chingada or the verb chingar are also commonly used 8e2ican swear
words. They can translate to *nglish in many ways.
Spani:5 9:e: oA 75e exp8e::ion
The following list of e2pressions featuring Mla chingadaM appear in 4Jme5 de -ilvaNs !iccionario
breve de mexicanismos (O::C!E
"star dado a la #hingadaE Mto be given to 7a 6hingada,M that is, ruined, that you have lost
everything.
"star de la #hingadaE to be somehow too bad, difficult, or complicated.
Ir hecho la #hingadaE to go lightningfast.
Ir a la #hingadaE Mto go to la 6hingada,M or to go away upset, to go fuck yourself.
Irse algo a la #hingadaE to break or damage something, something Mgoing away to 7a
6hingadaM.
Llev$rselo a alguien la #hingadaE to be angry or in a tight spot.
%io de tu chingada madreE Myou son of a bitch,M calling someone else a son of a bitch
instead of Bust saying it in general.
&andar a alguien a la #hingadaE Msend someone to 7a 6hingada,M which means saying
goodbye with disdain or annoyance to someone who is bothersome.
'&e lleva la #hingada!E MINm fucked1M
(ete a la #hingadaE Duck off
Tu chingada madre E you motherfucker or also like your fucked mother
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Four letters aren't enough in Spanish
C&a C5inga6aDC =5a7 6oe: i7 8eall> ?ean-
Octavio Paz
(1918 - 1998),
Mxico. Nobel
Prize for
Literature,
1990. Famous
for is !or"s
#e Lab$ri%t
of &olitu'e, a%' #e &u%
&to%e, (cta)io Paz as
become te cam*io% of is
Mexica% omela%',
*rese%ti%+ it as i% a
ma+ical *ara'e from its
ol'est i%'ia% tra'itio%s to
te *rese%t 'a$s. #e Nobel
Prize !as +i)e% to (cta)io
Paz for is ,*assio%ate
*rose of +reat orizo%s,
caracterize' b$ a se%sual,
i%telli+e%t a%' uma%istic
i%te+rit$,. Mario -ar+as
Llosa, a%oter +ia%t of
.is*a%ic literature as
sai' of Paz tat e is ,o%e
of te +reatest *oets tat
te &*a%is-s*ea"i%+ !orl'
as e)er *ro'uce' a%' at
te same time a +reat
uma%ist,.
Naci/ e% la ciu'a' 'e
Mxico el 01 'e marzo 'e
Chingn
*l que es un as. /quel que
sobresale
Chingaquedito
*l que molesta todo el tiempo, pero
sutPlmente
Chingarse
6uando algo se rompe o se
descompone
Chingarse
/lguien se chinga cuando trabaBa
duro para lograr algo
Hacer una chingadera
(acer algo contras las reglas
preestablecidas
Chingar en un contexto sexual
-e puede chingar a una muBer sin
poseerla. *l que chinga BamIs lo
hace con el consentimiento de la
chingada
el chingado
es lo pasivo, lo inerte, el que se
deBa chingar
chingn
es el macho, el que abre
Chingo
1911. 2% a3o marca'o *or el
i%icio 'e la Primera 4uerra
Mu%'ial $ la 5e)oluci/%
6a*atista. 7l 8ar'9% $ la
biblioteca 'e su abuelo
*ater%o fuero% el esce%ario
'e los *rimeros 8ue+os $ 'e
las *rimeras lecturas 'el
escritor mexica%o (cta)io
Paz.
:es*us ;ue aba%'o%/ la
,cue)a e%ca%ta'a,, %ombre
co% ;ue l bautiz/ a la
)ie8a ma%si/% 'e *ro*ie'a'
'e su abuelo, el +a%a'or
'el *remio Nobel 'e
Literatura a recorri'o u%
lar+o cami%o como
cate'r<tico, 'i*lom<tico,
escritor, *ol9tico
co%tro)ersial $, ace
)arios a3os, como e'itor 'e
la re)ista ,-uelta,. &i%
lu+ar a 'u'as, (cta)io Paz
es el autor mexica%o e
iberoamerica%o cu$a obra se
a 'ifu%'i'o m<s e% el
mu%'o. =asi to'os sus
libros a% si'o tra'uci'os
a )arios i'iomas. 7l amor,
el erotismo $ sus *rofu%'os
estu'ios a%tro*ol/+icos
sobre el ser mexica%o, so%
los temas ;ue a%
*re'omi%a'o e% su obra
literaria. &us libros m<s
co%oci'os so%> ,Lu%a
&il)estre,, ,No *asar<%,,
,Pie'ra 'e sol,, ,7l
laberi%to 'e la sole'a',,
,7l mo%o +ram<tico, $ ,Las
tram*as 'e fe,.
A: pe8 Oc7aBio /aE
(ay quienes chingan por chingones y
quienes chingan por chingar
una gran cantidad de algo
Chingononn
superlativo de chingo
Ley de Herodes
, te chingas o te Bodes
Ley Gringa
*l que se apendeBa, se chinga Bodes
Hacer una chingadera
TraicionarQ hacer algo a una
persona solo por molestarQ actuar
de mala fe contra alguien
Chingalamala
/l igual que el chingaquedito,
chinga constantemente, pero
abiertamente y sin miramientos
Chingar
-e puede aRadir la de robar, perder
o ganarE el que roba o gana, "/
chingJ, mientras que la vPctima o
perdedor, -* chingJ
Chingadera
-e aplica tambiSn, a las cosas de
mala calidad o a cualquier obBetoE
ese reloB es una chingadera, o bienE
en esta maleta traigo todas mis
chingaderas
Chingonera
7o contrario de chingadera es
chingonerPaE algo e2traordinario o
e2celenteE *l trabaBo que hi5o el
carpintero, es una chingonerPa.
Me lleva la chingada!
*s la e2presiJn de enoBo o furia por
algo que no saliJ bien.
Se lo carg la chingada
-e muriJ, se perdiJ
irremisiblemente o se saliJ mal
librado de un trance.
Chinguero
*s lo mismo que un chingo de
cosas, o para aplicar la misma

6uando decimos #e7e a la C5inga6a,
enviamos a nuestro interlocutor a un
espacio leBano, vago e indeterminado...
PaPs gris que no estI en ninguna parte.

Para el me2icano, la vida es la
posibilidad de chingar o de ser chingado

*l poder mIgico de la chingada se
intensifica por su carIcter prohibido.
3adie la dice en pTblico. -olamente un
e2ceso de cJlera, una emociJn o el
entusiasmo delirante, Bustifican su
e2presiJn franca

*s un palabra que sJlo se oye entre
hombres, o en grandes fiestas

/l gritarla rompemos un velo de pudor,
de silencio, de hipocresPa. 3os
manifestamos tal y como somos de
verdad.
palabraE un chingo de chingaderas.
!#iBa MFxicoD 5iGo: 6e la C5inga6a$
4rito de 4uerra del 8e2icano
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The music of this particular version of M7a /delitaM was stolen (without greater changes as a main
theme of whole picture! by Isaak ,sipovich &unayevsky, who wrote the songs for one of the best
known soviet comedies (circus CUHV film! (AussianE tsirk!. The -oviet composer and plagiarist
never mentioned the origins of his song.

/delita in the (istorical 8useum of the 8e2ican Aevolution.
"n lo alto de la abrupta serran)a
acampado se encontraba un regimiento
y una mo*a +ue valiente los segu)a
locamente enamorada del sargento,
,n the heights of a steep mountain range
a regiment was encamped,
and a young woman bravely follows them,
madly in love with the sergeant.
-opular entre la tropa era .delita
la muer +ue el sargento idolatraba
+ue ademas de ser valiente era bonita
+ue hasta el mismo coronel la respetaba,
Popular among the troop was /delita,
the woman that the sergeant idoli5ed,
and besides being brave she was pretty,
so that even the colonel respected her.
/ se o)a0 +ue dec)a0 a+uel +ue tanto la +uer)a1
/ si .delita se fuera con otro
la seguir)a por tierra y por mar
si por mar en un bu+ue de guerra
si por tierra en un tren militar,
/nd it was heard that the one who loved her so
much saidE
If /delita were to leave with another man,
INd follow her by land and seaG
if by sea, in a warshipQ
if by land, in a military train.
/ si .delita +uisiera ser mi esposa
y si .delita ya fuera mi muer
le comprar)a un vestido de seda
para llevarla a bailar al cuartel,
If /delita would like to be my wife,
if /delita would be my woman,
INd buy her a silk dress
to take her to the barrackNs dance.
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