Asu mare
Wow, oh my God, no way — Peru's catch-all cry of surprise.
Related lesson: Peruvian Spanish: A Survival Guide.
Hear it in context
¡Asu mare, qué tráfico hay hoy en la Javier Prado!
Oh my God, the traffic on Javier Prado is awful today!
—Me ascendieron. —¡Asu mare, felicitaciones, causa!
—I got promoted. —No way, congratulations, mate!
Asu, ¿ya son las diez? Me tengo que ir.
Wow, is it ten already? I've got to go.
What It Actually Means
Asu mare is the Peruvian exclamation for anything surprising: good news, bad news, a huge plate of food, a terrible traffic jam or a goal in the last minute. It works like “wow”, “oh my God” or “no way”. Plain asu is the everyday, lighter version, and ¡asu mare! is the full-strength one.
Where It Comes From
It’s a worn-down ¡a su madre! — the same mother-based exclamation found across the Spanish-speaking world, reduced in Peruvian speech until hardly anyone hears the original. That’s why it’s informal but not really offensive. Most Peruvians wouldn’t count it as a swear word, though a strict grandmother might still raise an eyebrow at the full form.
The Cultural Note
The phrase became a national brand in 2013, when comedian Carlos Alcántara’s autobiographical film Asu mare became one of the biggest box-office hits in Peruvian history, followed by sequels. If you say asu mare to a Peruvian, there’s a good chance they’ll smile and think of the film.
Common Pitfall
Outside Peru the expression mostly just marks you as someone who has spent time there. Use asu and asu mare with Peruvians, and ¡no puede ser! elsewhere.