Al tiro
Right away, immediately — Chile’s answer to ahorita, and rather more reliable.
Related lesson: Chilean Spanish: A Survival Guide.
Hear it in context
Voy al tiro.
I'm coming right now.
Lo hago al tiro, no te preocupí.
I'll do it straight away, don't worry.
Al tiro que llegue te llamo.
As soon as I get there I'll call you.
What It Actually Means
Al tiro means right away, at once, this minute. It is one of the first Chilenismos a visitor meets, because it answers half the questions asked in a working day.
Where It Comes From
From the image of a gunshot — al tiro, at the shot, the way a race begins the instant the pistol fires. Spanish has a family of these: de un tiro, al toque in Argentina, de una in Colombia.
How Natives Use It
As an answer (“¿Me lo puedes mandar?” — “Al tiro.”), as an adverb inside a sentence, and as a conjunction meaning “the moment that”. Chileans will also stretch it, affectionately and dishonestly, into altiro altiro for something that really is immediate.
Common Pitfall
Compare it with Mexico’s ahorita, which can mean anything from “now” to “never”. Al tiro is genuinely more urgent — but “Chilean immediately” still leaves room for a coffee first. Outside Chile, use enseguida, ya mismo or de una and you’ll be understood everywhere.