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Slang words and phrases in Spanish

There are many different elements to learning a new language and one of the most important ones is to sound natural. In the case of Spanish, just as with any language, an excellent way to achieve a natural tone is to understand and throw in some Spanish slang phrases and slang words. 

In this guide to Spanish slang phrases and Spanish slang words, we’ll outline some simple ways to navigate casual conversations like a native speaker. So, let’s get started and dive into the world of Spanish slang!

Spanish slang in Spain vs the rest of the world

It’s important to understand that Spanish slang can be quite different depending on which part of the world you are in. If you decide to study Spanish in Madrid, you’ll hear quite different Spanish colloquialisms on the street compared to what you’d hear in, for example, Mexico, which in itself would be different to those of, for another example, Argentina. 

When you think about it, that makes complete sense. In whatever your native language is, there are also likely to be differences between slang used in one region or country versus another. English slang isn’t the same in the USA as it is in the UK, while there are regional differences too. 

Since you might be studying the language through online Spanish courses from any corner of the world, in this guide we’ll start off by outlining some universal Spanish slang. We’ll also delve into a few basic Spanish slang phrases and words which are primarily used by people living  in Spain.

List of colloquial Spanish words to know

Let’s start off with the translations for some common Spanish slang words used in almost all the Spanish-speaking world. A few are found in the list below:

  • Chico = Guy
  • Chica = Girl
  • Currar = Work
  • Cariño = Dear (as a term of endearment)
  • Compi = Colleague 
  • Mono = Cute (man)
  • Mona = Cute (women)
  • Ojo! = Watch out!
  • Pasta = Money
  • Majo = Friendly person (man)
  • Maja = Friendly person (women)
  • Cabrear = Get angry
  • ¡Joder! = Damn!
  • Cutre =  Bad quality/cheap/dirty
  • Finde = Weekend (a shortening of “fin de semana”)
  • Chao = Goodbye 

Now, we’ll move on to a list of translations for slang words mostly used just in Spain

  • Vale = Okay
  • Venga = Let’s do it
  • Guay = Cool
  • Chulo = Cool
  • Majo = Kind
  • Tío = Friend (slang for Spanish man friend)
  • Tía = Friend (slang for Spanish woman friend)
  • Chavales = Teens
  • Tapear = To go for tapas
  • Puente = Long weekend

List of colloquial Spanish phrases to know

Knowing a few words of slang is all well and good, but you’ll also want to be able to use complete Spanish slang phrases or sentences to sound even more fluent and natural. Here, then, comes a list of colloquial Spanish phrases to know, again starting off with some used all around the Spanish-speaking world:

  • ¿Qué pasa? = What’s up?
  • Me parece estupendo = That sounds great
  • Está súper bien = That’s really good
  • No hay color = There’s no comparison
  • Estar con un humor de perros = To be in a bad mood

Moving on to a few Spanish Spain slang phrases, this list of Spanish colloquialisms will help you fit right in next time you’re out and about in Spain: 

  • Es la leche = That’s sick
  • En un abrir y cerrar de ojos =  in the blink of an eye, such a fast thing to do, it’s almost unnoticeable
  • Qué pasada = That’s amazing 
  • Qué fuerte = That’s crazy
  • Estar como una cabra = refers to someone who’s a bit crazy
  • Echar una mano = To help someone out
  • Estoy flipando = I’m freaking out
  • Date prisa = Hurry up
  • Ser un crack = To be the best at something
  • Me importa un pimiento = I couldn’t care less 
  • Me mola este XXX = I like this XXX
  • Me lié con XXX = I messed up with XXX
  • Va a su bola = He/she does their own thing
  • Tiene mala pata = He/she has such bad luck

 

Curso Intensivo Español
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