Causa
Close friend, brother — the warmest word in Peruvian slang, borrowed from a potato dish.
Related lesson: Peruvian Spanish: A Survival Guide.
Hear it in context
Habla causa, ¿qué fue? Años que no te veo.
Hey brother, what's up? Haven't seen you in ages.
Ese es mi causa del colegio, nos conocemos desde chibolos.
He's my old school friend — we've known each other since we were kids.
Oe causa, ¿me prestas diez soles hasta el viernes?
Hey mate, can you lend me ten soles till Friday?
What It Actually Means
Causa is the Peruvian word for a friend so close he is practically family — the slot English fills with brother or bro. It is mostly a vocative: you call someone causa to their face (habla causa) more often than you describe them as one, and the word carries an implication of loyalty that plain pata does not.
Where It Comes From
Via prison and street slang of the early twentieth century, and — by the most repeated etymology — from la causa, the cold layered potato dish that is one of Lima’s signature plates: what you shared with your cellmate or workmate became who you shared it with. The dish itself allegedly took its name from the fundraising plates sold por la causa — for the cause — during the wars of independence. Three meanings, one word, two centuries of Lima in it.
How Natives Use It
Male-leaning, informal, warm: causa, causita for extra affection, and mi causa when describing the friendship. It stacks with the rest of the register — “Ya pe causa, al toque nos vemos” is a complete Peruvian sentence. Women use it less and receive it less; amiga and flaca do that work.
Common Pitfall
Order carefully: in a criollo restaurant una causa is lunch, in a courtroom it is a lawsuit, and on the street it is your best friend. Only context tells them apart — and calling a waiter causa while ordering the dish is a pun every limeño made before you.