Ahorita
Right now, in a bit, or eventually — the famously elastic Mexican "now".
Related lesson: Tricky Spanish Words That Trip Up English Speakers.
Hear it in context
Ahorita voy, dame cinco minutos.
I'm coming right now, give me five minutes.
—¿Ya hiciste la tarea? —Ahorita la hago.
—Did you do your homework yet? —I'll do it in a bit.
—¿Quieres un cafecito? —Ahorita no, gracias.
—Want a coffee? —Not right now, thanks.
Ahorita que me acuerdo, te tengo que pagar.
Now that I remember, I owe you money.
What It Actually Means
Ahorita is the diminutive of ahora (“now”), and logically it should mean “right this second”. Sometimes it does. But in Mexico it stretches to mean “in a bit”, “later today”, or — famously — “at some indefinite point that may never arrive”. “Ahorita lo hago” can be a sincere promise or a polite way of saying “not now, stop asking”. Context, tone, and how well you know the person are your only guides.
The Cultural Note
This isn’t sloppiness; it’s politeness. Mexican conversational culture avoids blunt refusals, and ahorita lets a speaker decline or defer without the harshness of “no” or “later”. “Ahorita vengo” (“I’ll be right back”) from a shopkeeper might mean two minutes or twenty. Getting frustrated misses the point — learn to read it instead.
The Rule That Matters
Direction of time matters too: ahorita can point backward as well as forward. “Ahorita venía tu mamá” means “your mom was just here a moment ago”. And Mexicans compress it further for urgency — ahorititita genuinely means “right NOW”.
Common Pitfall
Learners hear “diminutive of now” and assume extra immediacy — the opposite of the usual reality. If you truly need something immediately, say ya, ahora mismo, or en este momento. If a Mexican friend says “ahorita te aviso”, translate it as “I’ll let you know”, timeline unspecified — and don’t take it personally.