Quick Guide to
More Mexican
Spanish

Quick Guide to
MORE Mexican
Spanish
Language Babel, Inc.
presents

2
SPEAKING LATINO KUDOS
“My grandfather Juan Mauricio Lopez would be happy.
The book is very good , It will help me understand and
learn more words of the Mexican culture of my mother and
grandfather.”
- E.M. Waters Amazon Review on
Quick Guide to Mexican Spanish book
“Jared is the go-to guy for anyone learning or considering
learning Spanish, and he’ll blow you away with how much he
knows about the Latin American varieties of the language.”
- Donovan Nagel, Mezzofanti Guild: An Online Community
of Serious Language Learners
“Romey translates common colloquialisms into English so
that Americans can actually understand what the heck locals
are saying when they visit South American countries.”
- Monica Garske, AOL News
“Acabo de descubrir Speakinglatino.com. Que sitio más
padre, chido, chévere, tuanis, bacán...”
- Jake Fisher comment on Facebook
“@JaredRomey ¡¡¡Me ca*** de risa!!! ¡Buenísimo! I had to
pause several times to recover from laughing! You made my
day!”
- @MultiMae from Mae’s Language Lounge Blog via Twitter

A FREE MEXICAN SPANISH
BONUS IS WAITING FOR
YOU AT
Receive your
bonus List of
Common
Mexican Spanish
Phrases
FREE!
8CLICK HERE

4
About the
“Quick Guide To More Mexican Spanish”..............5
More Spanish Words & Phrases from Mexico........ 7
About the authors:
The Story of Speaking Latino..................................70
Other Spanish vocabulary books..........................73
Photos & Illustrations Credits..................................74
Useful external links
Mexican Spanish resource page......................38
Mexican Spanish YouTube playlist.....................51
Mexican Spanish articles....................................66
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRESENTATION
In this second book on Mexican Spanish you will
find 500 new words and phrases used regularly by
Mexicans. Used in combination with the original
Quick Guide to Mexican Spanish you will have
more than 1,000 terms to lead you to fluency in
Mexican Spanish.
Each term has been defined in English and
synonyms are included when available. Most
entries include example sentences. Each entry is
presented as follows:
compa: 1) diminutive of
“compadre,” a partner, friend or pal
2) a child’s godfather
SYN: 1) compañero, compi, carnal,
amigo, compa, cuate
0 1) ¿Cómo andas compa?
Bien, pero algo cansado. 2) Esos
compas saben muy bien por donde
debemos llegar.
Abbreviations and Symbols:
SYN: synonyms or similar words
0 example sentence
5

More Spanish
Words &
Phrases from
Mexico

7
A
a chingar a su madre:
expression said to
someone who has
used up all your
patience, so they
will finally leave you
alone
a golpe de calcetín:
on foot
SYN: a pata
0 ¿Cómo te vas a ir
a tu casa? - A golpe
de calcetín, no hay
de otra.
a la chingada: used
to put an end to
something, to throw
away an unusable
object, when a job is
finished at all costs or
when you no longer
want to see a person
a la verga: when
something expected
goes wrong, screw it,
forget it
SYN: ¡a la goma!
0 Ya me cansé de
estar haciendo esta
tarea, voy a mandar
esta materia. ¡A la
verga!
a pata: to go
somewhere walking
SYN: a golpe de
calcetín
0 ¿Te vas a llevar el
coche? - No creo, iré
a pata.
a poco: seriously?,
really?
0 Se casó Martha. A
poco, platícame.
a toda madre:
expression that
something is very
well, or that you did
great
0 ¿Cómo te fue? - A
toda madre, todo
salió bien.
abogángster: lawyer
SYN: litigante
0 Ya tengo mi
abogángster así que
voy a ganar.
abrirse: 1) usually
when something or
someone is in your
way and you want

8
to pass 2) to say you
are leaving, or ask
someone to leave
SYN: 1) hacerse a un
lado
0 1) ¡Yo creo que
ya me abro wey! 2)
Está muy feo por aquí
y la mayoría de mis
amigos ya se abrieron
también.
acahual: running
away from justice
0 Javier ya decidió
coger el acahual,
que lo culpan de
algo que no hizo.
achechado: spoiled,
as in spoiling a child
SYN: alcahueteado,
chiqueado
0 Mi nuera tiene
al niño muy
achechado, ya le
dije que no es bueno.
achichincle: errand
boy, a helper or
assistant
SYN: chalán
0 ¿Dónde está
el achichincle?
Necesito unas copias.
¡achis!: expression
of disbelief and
amazement
SYN: ¡¿cómo?!
0 ¡Achis! ¡Pero yo lo
dejé en la mesa!
acoplado: party
crasher
SYN: colado
0 A él no lo invité,
vino de acoplado.
acordeón: a cheat
sheet
0 Usé un acordeón
para el examen de
matemáticas.
aflojar: trying to make
out and have sex
0 Mi novia no quiso
aflojar ayer, creo que
está enojada.
afrentoso: a
conceited person
SYN: pedante
0 Ese tipo es muy
afrentoso.
agalambado: being
without a path or
destiny
SYN: perdido

9
0 Mi hermano anda
todo agalambado,
nunca queda bien en
un trabajo.
agarrado: a cheap or
stingy person
SYN: cacique
0 No seas agarrado y
paga la cuenta.
agarrarse de bajada:
to tease someone
aguantar vara: to
hold one’s own or
whatever may come,
to hold down the fort,
to endure
SYN: soportar
0 Aguanta vara, en
dos horas nos vamos.
agüitado: when
someone feels sad,
depressed, shame,
discomfort
SYN: triste, decaído,
deprimido
0 Estoy bien
agüitado, no pasé los
exámenes y quizás
repruebe el año.
¡ah, burro!: local word
to express surprise for
something
SYN: ¡Ah, caray!
0 ¡Ah, burro! ¡Cómo
hace calor hoy!
¡ah, malaya!: maybe!,
perhaps!
SYN: ¡ojalá!
0 ¡Ah, malaya!
Que mi hijo llegue
temprano a casa.
¡ah, jijo!: amazement
or disbelief
SYN: ¿cómo?
0 Su cuenta es de
300 dólares. Ah, jijo
yo pensé que era
menos.
ah, no mames:
denotes disbelief,
amazement, stop
screwing around
SYN: ¿Neta?
0 Son 500 dólares.
-Ah, no mames.
ahogado: very drunk,
trashed
SYN: pedo
0 Pero si estás
ahogado, así no
puedes manejar.

10
aiga: another way to
say “haya” or “there
is”
SYN: haya
0 ¿Tu crees que aiga
leche?
ajuarear: have luck,
be fortunate
SYN: suertudo
0 ¡Si no fuera por
mi tío no serías tan
ajuereado!
al chilazo: done
carelessly
SYN: al chile
0 Esto está hecho
al chilazo. ¿Quién lo
hizo?
al ratón vaquero: in a
while, in a moment
0 Al ratón vaquero te
llamo, porque estoy
ocupado.
al verde: to speak the
truth, be honest, to
lay the cards on the
table
SYN: de verdad
0 Al verde que yo no
te hablé a las 3 de la
madrugada.
alebrestarse: to
agitate, to be stirred
up, to be mad
SYN: encabronarse
0 No se me alebreste
joven, ahorita lo
atiendo.
aló: hello
SYN: hola, ¿bueno?
0 ¿Aló, con quién
tengo el gusto?
amá: mother
SYN: mamá
0 ¿Amá, donde
están mis zapatos?
amigui: word used
by women of a high
social status, or
wannabees, and the
gay community to
say “girlfriend”
0 Amigui, apúrate
que no vamos a
llegar a la fiesta.
¡ándale!: another
way to say “hurry up”
with more emphasis
SYN: ¡apúrate!
0 ¡Ándale hija,
córrele por las tortillas
que van a cerrar!

11
andar bien trucho: to
be extremely clever
SYN: bien al tiro
andar tras los
huesos de: to court
or pursue someone
romantically
0 Pablo anda tras los
huesitos de Camila,
pero ella no quiere.
apá: father
SYN: papa
0 ¿Apá, me das
dinero para irme de
rol?
apapachar: being
very nice to a person
SYN: dar cariño
0 Me agrada que
me apapaches.
apapuchi: on your
shoulders
SYN: hacer caballito
0 Ya deja que el niño
camine solo, lo traes
apapuchi todo el
tiempo.
apelativo: nickname
SYN: apodo
0 A este le pusimos
de apelativo “el
tuercas”.
aplicar: to really have
to apply yourself to
finish something
0 Me tengo que
aplicar esta semana
para que no pierda
el trabajo.
apretada: closed,
conservative, when
a women refuses
something, like to
dance or have sex
SYN: retraída,
cerrada, recatada
0 Esta vez no traigas
a tu prima, es muy
apretada. Nunca
toma o baila con
nosotros.
apuchar: to push
someone
SYN: empujar
0 Yo no quería subir
al camión pero me
apucharon y no me
quedo otra.
apuntarse: one way
to say “I’m in” or
“count on me”, to

12
0 ¿Quién es él? - Mi
asistonto.
atrabancado: a
person that does
things by impulse
0 Es bien
atrabancado, nunca
piensa antes de
hacer las cosas.
aventón: to ask for a
ride or give a ride
SYN: raid
0 Se me descompuso
el carro - ¿Quieres un
aventón?
awelita soy tu nieto:
of course
SYN: claro
0 ¿Estás listo?
Awelita soy tu nieto.
ay wey: usually
when something not
expected comes,
strong surprise
SYN: ¡ay cabrón!
0 ¡Ay wey! Casi
choco con otro auto.
azorrillado: frightened
or scared, receive a
strong scolding
sign on, to take part
in an activity or plan
SYN: yo le entro,
acompañar
0 Yo también me
apunto para ir a
jugar fútbol. / Vamos
al cine ¿vienes? - Yo
me apunto. ¿Qué
película vamos a ver?
aquí nomás mis
chicharrones truenan:
around here, what I
say goes
arderse: to be a sore
loser, to have one’s
ego injured
SYN: envidia
0 Se siente todo
ardido, porque me
dieron el puesto a mí
y no a él.
armarla: to be
capable or able, to
be a skilled person
0 Es un excelente
mecánico. Sí la arma,
te lo aseguro.
asistonto: an insulting
term for assistant
SYN: ayudante

13
B
bacha: the butt of a
marijuana cigarette,
a roach
0 Pásame la bacha.
bailar: usually word
to express being
cheated, fooled or
tricked by someone
SYN: engañar
0 Ayer me llevaron
al baile los policías,
me infraccionaron
indebidamente.
bajar: 1) to steal 2) a
blow job
SYN: 1) quitar, robar
2) mamar, chupar,
soplar
0 1) Le bajé
cincuenta pesos a mi
hermana para venir.
2) Logré engañarla
para que se bajara
por los chescos.
bajón: teenage word
when you feel sad or
depressed
SYN: triste, decaído
0 Después de
terminar con Juan me
SYN: espantado
0 No lo azorrilles, es
un escuincle.

14
profesional sólo como
pasatiempo.
beliz: suitcase
SYN: equipaje
0 Está en el beliz rojo,
ahí lo guardé.
bicla: a bike
birria: 1) a dish made
from goat meat 2)
beer
0 1) Deme tres tacos
de birria.
bofo: tired, exhausted
SYN: bombo
0 Ando bien bofo,
déjame descansar un
poco.
bolero: a person that
shines one’s shoes
0 El bolero de la
esquina es muy
bueno y barato.
dio el bajón todo el
fin de semana.
banda: a group of
friends or a group
with something in
common (students for
example)
SYN: la raza
0 Deberías ir a la
fiesta, le va a caer
toda la banda.
barra: excuse
to avoid doing
something
SYN: pretexto
0 No me digas
barras, mejor dime
que no puedes.
bataca: drums
SYN: traca, batería
0 Toco un poco la
bataca, pero nada
BATACA
BICLA

15
SYN: moncha
0 Ve por una botana
a la tienda.
bote: jail, prison
SYN: tambo
0 Me metieron al
bote, por estar en la
punta del desastre.
boya con patas: a fat
person
bruja: word used
when you are out of
money
SYN: pobre,
quebrado
bomba: a joke
SYN: broma
0 ¿Ya te sabías esta
bomba?
bombón: a beautiful
girl
SYN: chula, hermosa,
belleza
0 Si vieras a mi
amiga. En unos años
se volvió un bombón,
a cuando era más
joven.
bonachón:
charismatic, happy
personality, with
good health also
0 Mi tío es alguien
muy bonachón,
siempre nos invita
cosas cuando
estamos con él.
botana: a snack,
usually junk food
BOTANA
BOTE
BRUJA

16
C
cabrear: to be afraid
of something, to go
back on your word,
to have second
thoughts
SYN: culear
0 No te vayas a
cabrear. Una ronda y
nos vamos.
cacarizo: a pimple-
faced shit
cachirul: a trap or
con
SYN: estafa
0 No te metas a ese
negocio , es puro
cachirul.
cachorrear: heavy
petting, stroking or
rubbing, sexual acts
with the clothes still
on
SYN: cachondear
0 Estábamos en
pleno cachorreo,
y yo dije pues si va
a aflojar, pero se
apretó.
caciquear: take
0 Ayer me gasté
todo en las medicinas
y me quedé bruja.
bubis: boobs or tits
SYN: tetas
0 Marina tiene unas
bubis bien grandes.
buen lejos: to be
attractive from a
distance
SYN: agradable a la
vista
0 ¿Cómo ves a
Amanda? - Tiene
buen lejos, yo me
apunto.
¿bueno?: word used
to answer the phone
burro: stupid, dork, a
poor student
SYN: tonto
0 Me recuerdas a
Pedro, es bien burro
en matemáticas.

70
THE STORY OF SPEAKING LATINO
Suffering a typical 9-5 existence, Jared’s foray
into lunch-hour Spanish shook up his mundane
life. He quit his job, stopped by briefly to school,
and then left the US…for 14 years. Early stumblings
in real-world Spanish taught him that a cola isn’t
just a soft drink, bicho doesn’t always mean a
bug, and boludo may be heartfelt or middle-
finger felt. Twelve countries, three startups, two
bestsellers and a Puerto Rican wife later, he’s still
confounded by how many Spanish words exist for
“panties.”
Their personal experiences highlight common
confusions of every-day Spanish. With the views
of a native Spanish speaker and a gringo who
picked it up as an adult, they constantly find
entertaining and controversial lessons on how to
communicate in Spanish. The Speaking Latino
books and website are a consequence of Jared’s
bumblings in Spanish, crossed communications
with Diana,
repeated bouts
with culture
shock, and
confusions
over the
correct words
for popcorn,
gasoline, pen,
bus, underwear,
traffic jam and
drinking straw.
One of the
Jared
Diana

71
strangest things for him to accept while learning
Spanish was why he spent years in classes, and
yet a large portion of the words he learned didn’t
do a bit of good in the real world. It still amazes
him that depending on where you are chiringa,
barrilete, papalote, papagayo, pandorga,
chichigua, cometa or volantín all mean the same
thing: kite.
Diana, a native Spanish speaker, and Jared, a
fluent Spanish speaker who learned the language
as an adult, share their research and personal
experiences about local Spanish from across the
Spanish-speaking world in Speaking Latino. Books
and eBooks that collect and translate thousands
of Spanish slang words and phrases, articles
on Spanish used in specific countries, Spanish
learning tips and a searchable Spanish slang
dictionary with tons of local words all move you
towards real world Spanish fluency.
Follow their discoveries at
www.speakinglatino.com.

72
IT’S EASY TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH
www.SpeakingLatino.com
www.Pinterest.com/SpeakingLatino
www.Facebook.com/SpeakingLatino
@SpeakingLatino
www.YouTube.com/SpeakingLatino
jared@speakinglatino.com

73
THE SPEAKING LATINO COLLECTION OF SPANISH
SLANG DICTIONARIES AND PHRASEBOOKS
8
ARGENTINA
8
CHILE
8
COLOMBIA
8
PUERTO RICO
8
DOMINICAN REP.
8
PERU
8
PUERTO RICO
8
VENEZUELA 1
8
VENEZUELA 2

74
soil-70573/
Page 19 Carro del mandado. Public
domain image (CC0) http://pixabay.
com/en/black-icon-food-outline-
symbol-29647/
Page 21 Chanclas. © Speaking
Latino
Page 21 Chante. CC0 PD Dedication.
http://openclipart.org/detail/28497/
house-icon-by-purzen
Page 22 Charola. Police Badge
Drawn by: Mike the Librarian. CC0
PD Dedication. http://openclipart.
org/detail/173188/police-badge-by-
mcendejas-173188
Page 22 Charro. © Speaking Latino
Page 22 Chavo. CC0 PD Dedication.
http://openclipart.org/detail/166637/
boy-thinking-by-chrisdesign
Page 23 Chela. Public domain
image License (CC0). http://pixabay.
com/en/glass-cup-bottle-cartoon-
mug-29461/
Page 23 Chillar. David by surlygirl, on
Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/
jm_photos/5752497947/
Page 25 Chones. Dotted panties
Uploader: laobc. CC0 PD Dedication.
http://openclipart.org/detail/78691/
dotted-panties-by-laobc
Page 26 Chota. Public domain image
(CC0). http://pixabay.com/en/head-
people-man-police-person-37625/
PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS CREDITS
Page 3 Presentation. 1) [Mayan
Calendar] Untitled by theilr, on
Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/
theilr/2164085293/various-clothing-
by-jicjac-11222 2) tacos in homemade
tortillas by Stacy Spensley, on
Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/
notahipster/3821721431/
Page 14 Bataca. Public Domain
CC0. http://pixabay.com/en/music-
set-icon-simple-outline-31359/
Page 14 Bicla. Public Domain CC0.
http://pixabay.com/en/red-flat-icon-
ride-cartoon-bikes-35987/
Page 15 Botana. Public domain
image (CC0) http://pixabay.com/en/
nachos-snack-kcal-calories-74202/
Page 15 Bote. CC0 PD Dedication.
http://openclipart.org/detail/13824/
sedan-car-by-zager
Page 15 Bruja. Empty Pockets
By danielmoyle on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
danmoyle/5634567317/
Page 17 Cajeta. By
Cchhuucchhoogmail (Own work)
[Public domain], via Wikimedia
Commons. http://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACajeta_
de_Celaya.PNG
Page18Calaca.Publicdomainimage
(CC0) http://pixabay.com/en/head-
dead-black-diagram-simple-29380/
Page 18 Canillas. Public domain
image (CC0) http://pixabay.com/
en/feet-toes-toe-human-body-

Copyright ©2013 by Language Babel, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by Language Babel, Inc., San Juan, Puerto Rico.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as
permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright
Act, without either the prior written permission of the author and the
Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed
to Language Babel, Inc., 1357 Ashford Ave., PMB 384, San Juan, PR
00907 or by e-mail to info@speakinglatino.com.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and
author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make
no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or
completeness of the content. You should confer with a language
professional when appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be
liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including
but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For ordering information or special discounts for bulk purchases, please
contact Language Babel, Inc. 1357 Ashford Ave., PMB 384, San Juan,
PR 00907 or by e-mail to info@speakinglatino.com.
Printed in the United States of America by Language Babel, Inc.
ISBN-10: 1484957016 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1484957011
Printed in the United States of America by Language Babel, Inc.
Version 3

In this second book on Mexican
Spanish you will find 500 new words
and phrases used regularly by
Mexicans. Used in combination
with the original Quick Guide to
Mexican Spanish you will have
more than 1,000 terms to lead you
to fluency in Mexican Spanish.
Each term has been defined in
English and synonyms are included
when available. Most entries
include example sentences. There
are also 46 illustrations.
Quick Guide
to More
Mexican
Spanish