The phrase dictionary
The words native speakers actually use — and your textbook skips. Real meanings, real example sentences, region by region.
Argentina31 phrases
Al pedo
Pointless, in vain — or idle, with nothing to do. Not the same as "en pedo".
Bardo
Chaos, trouble, drama — the mess itself or the act of stirring it up.
Birra
Beer — the casual Argentine word, borrowed straight from Italian.
Boliche
A nightclub — the place you go dancing, not a bowling alley.
Boludo
Dude, mate — or idiot, depending entirely on tone and who you say it to.
Bondi
Bus — the everyday Buenos Aires word for the city bus (colectivo).
Buena onda
Good vibes — a friendly, easygoing person, place, or gesture.
Chabón / Chabona
Guy, dude — Argentina's word for some bloke whose name you don't know or don't need.
Chamuyar
To sweet-talk, spin a line, or talk your way into (or out of) something.
Chanta
Unreliable, a con artist, all talk and no follow-through.
Che
Hey, mate, dude — Argentina's all-purpose attention-getter.
Cheto / Cheta
Posh, preppy, fancy — Argentina's word for the polo-shirt-and-private-school aesthetic.
Colectivo
The city bus — the standard Argentine word for urban public buses.
Copado
Cool, great, awesome — Argentina answer to Spain’s guay.
En pedo
Drunk — a very informal Argentine expression for being intoxicated.
Fiaca
Laziness, zero motivation — that heavy feeling of not wanting to do anything.
Guita
Money, cash — the everyday Argentine word for dinero.
Laburo
Job, work — the everyday Argentine word for trabajo.
Mango
A peso — money in general, especially when you have none of it.
Mina
Woman, girl — the standard lunfardo word every tango and every porteño conversation runs on.
Morfar
To eat — the classic Lunfardo verb for chowing down.
Pelotudo
Idiot, moron — boludo's heavier sibling, and much more likely to start a fight.
Pibe / Piba
Kid, guy, girl — the everyday Argentine word for a young person.
Posta
Really, for real, seriously — used to confirm truth or ask if something is genuine.
Quilombo
A mess, chaos, a big problem — Argentina’s go-to word for anything gone wrong.
Re
Super, really, so — the prefix Argentines glue onto everything: re lindo, re caro, re bien.
Remera
T-shirt — the Argentine word for a plain short-sleeved shirt.
Trucho
Fake, counterfeit, dodgy — anything that is not the real deal.
Viste
You know, right? — a tag word Argentines drop into almost every story.
Vos
"You" (informal singular) — Argentina’s replacement for tú, with its own verb forms.
Zarpado
Amazing, insane, over the top — or out of line, depending on context.
Internet4 phrases
Crack
A legend, a star, someone brilliant at what they do — "eres un crack" is high praise everywhere.
Cringe
Secondhand embarrassment — the English loanword that conquered Spanish because "vergüenza ajena" needed a verb.
Literal
The Spanish "literally" — an agreement marker and intensifier that is almost never literal.
TQM
"Te quiero mucho" — the Spanish texting abbreviation for "love you lots".
Mexico32 phrases
A poco
Really? No way — Mexico's go-to expression of disbelief.
Aguas
Watch out! Heads up! — Mexico's all-purpose warning cry.
Ahorita
Right now, in a bit, or eventually — the famously elastic Mexican "now".
Ándale
"Come on", "that's it", "exactly", or "hurry up" — the Mexican multitool of encouragement.
Antro
Nightclub — the standard Mexican word for a club, no seediness implied.
Apapachar
To cuddle, pamper, and comfort someone with affection.
Chafa
Cheap, shoddy, poor quality — for knockoffs, junk, and anything that disappoints.
Chale
Damn, ugh, no way — the Mexican groan of disappointment compressed into two syllables.
Chamba
Work, a job — Mexico's everyday word for making a living.
Chela
Beer — the word Mexicans actually use when inviting you for one.
Chido
Cool, great, awesome — Mexico's everyday word for anything good.
Chingón
Awesome, badass — or, of a person, seriously good at what they do.
Cruda
Hangover — literally "raw", which is exactly how it feels.
Cuate / Cuata
Buddy, close friend — an Aztec word for "twin" that became Mexican for "mate".
Desmadre
Chaos, a total mess — or a gloriously wild party.
Equis
Whatever, meh — the letter X as a verdict of total indifference.
Fresa
Preppy, posh, stuck-up — literally "strawberry", applied to people and their style.
Gacho
Mean, lousy, ugly, or a bummer — Mexico's all-purpose adjective for anything bad.
Güey
Dude, mate — or idiot, depending on tone; the word that punctuates Mexican friendship.
Hueva
Laziness, boredom, can't-be-bothered energy — "me da hueva" is a whole Mexican mood.
Luego luego
Right away, immediately — doubling flips 'later' into 'at once'.
Mande
Pardon? Yes? — Mexico's polite way to answer a call or ask you to repeat.
Morro / Morra
Kid, young guy or girl — and, with a possessive, boyfriend or girlfriend.
Naco / Naca
Tacky, trashy, low-class — Mexico's most loaded insult, handle with extreme care.
Neta
The truth, for real — the Mexican way to swear something is true or ask if it is.
No manches
No way, you're kidding — the family-friendly Mexican exclamation of disbelief.
Órale
The all-purpose Mexican exclamation — wow, OK, come on, or hurry up, depending on tone.
Platicar
To chat, to talk — the everyday Mexican verb for conversation.
Qué onda
What's up — the standard casual Mexican greeting, literally "what wave".
Qué padre
How cool, how great — literally "how father", and completely normal in Mexico.
Qué pedo
What's up, what's wrong, or what the hell — Mexico's rudest, most versatile greeting.
Sale
OK, deal, sounds good — Mexico's word for sealing a plan.
Spain43 phrases
A tope
Flat out, at maximum, totally packed — or an enthusiastic "let's go!".
Apetecer
To feel like, to fancy — Spain's go-to verb for wanting something in the moment.
Apuntarse
To sign up for something or count yourself in — '¡me apunto!' is how you join a plan.
Botellón
An outdoor gathering, mostly of young people, to drink together in a public space before or instead of going to bars.
Caña
A small draught beer — the default order in any Spanish bar — plus a family of idioms.
Chaval / Chavala
Kid, youngster — and between friends, "man" or "mate".
Chulo
Cool or cute when describing things; cocky when describing people.
Chungo
Dodgy, sketchy, rough — or, of a situation, tricky and unlikely to go well.
Colega
Mate, buddy — in Spain it usually means friend, not colleague.
Curro
Job, work — the informal word Spaniards use instead of trabajo.
Cutre
Shabby, tacky, low-quality — done on the cheap.
De puta madre
Awesome, fantastic — a very vulgar phrase that means something is absolutely great.
En plan
Like, kind of, sort of — the filler younger Spaniards drop into nearly every sentence.
Finde
Weekend — the universal clipping of 'fin de semana'.
Flipar
To be amazed, shocked, or blown away — good or bad.
Guay
Cool, great, awesome — the everyday Spanish word for approval.
Guiri
A foreign tourist in Spain — teasing, but rarely hostile.
Hostia
Literally the communion wafer; in practice a Spanish exclamation of shock — or a slap.
Joder
Spain's all-purpose expletive — surprise, annoyance, admiration, or emphasis, dozens of times a day.
Liarse
To get tangled up, muddled, or carried away — and, colloquially, to hook up with someone.
Ligar
To flirt, to hook up — the verb for the early stages of romantic interest.
Majo / Maja
Nice, friendly, likeable — and, for things or kids, cute.
Mazo
A lot, really, loads — Madrid's favorite intensifier, literally a sledgehammer.
Mogollón
Loads, a ton, a huge amount — of anything.
Molar
To be cool, to really like something — used the way English speakers say "I love it".
Movida
A hassle, mess, or piece of drama — or, in another sense, a scene or happening.
No pasa nada
It's fine, no worries, no harm done — Spain's all-purpose formula for letting things go.
Ostras
Wow, whoa, oh my gosh — a mild exclamation of surprise, the polite stand-in for 'hostia'.
Pasta
Money, cash — Spain's everyday slang for 'dough'.
Petarlo
To smash it, be a huge hit — while 'petado' means packed full or broken.
Pijo / Pija
Posh, preppy — Spain's word for rich-kid style and the people who have it.
Puente
A long weekend created by bridging a midweek public holiday with an extra day off.
Qué fuerte
That's wild, unbelievable, insane — the default reaction to shocking news, good or bad.
Quedar
To arrange to meet up, to make plans with someone.
Rayarse
To overthink, spiral, or get weirdly obsessed — when your brain gets stuck like a scratched CD.
Resaca
Hangover — the morning-after consequence of a big night out.
Rollo
A drag or a bore — and, in 'buen/mal rollo', the vibe of a situation.
Sobremesa
The time spent lingering at the table talking after a meal is finished.
Tener morro
To have some nerve — the Spanish art of shameless cheek, measured in snout.
Tío / Tía
Dude, mate, man — an all-purpose informal way to address or refer to someone.
Vale
Okay, alright, got it — Spain's all-purpose word for agreement.
Vaya tela
Unbelievable, what a state, that's really something — a resigned reaction to something excessive.
Venga
Come on, alright then, let's go — a flexible filler that pushes a conversation forward.