50 SLANG TERMS

FOR TRAVELING THROUGH THE

SPANISH-SPEAKING WORLD

A GREAT WAY TO CONNECT IN SPANISH

CREATED BY SPANISH WITH MENDOZA

TABLE OF CONTENTS 01

About your Tutor - Page 2

About this eBook - Page 2

Slang Terms By Country

Colombia & Spain - Page 3

Mexico & Argentina - Page 4
Dominican Republic & Costa Rica - Page 5
Peru & Cuba - Page 6
Puerto Rico & Chile - Page 7
Ecuador & Venezuela - Page 8

Practice - Exercise 1
Fill in the Blanks - Page 9

Practice- Exercise 2
Match the Slang Term with its Meaning - Page 10

Practice - Exercise 3
Short Conversations - Page 11

Next Steps - Page 12

ABOUT YOUR TUTOR 02
¡Buenas! I'm David Mendoza. Born in
Colombia, I moved to Canada in 2006.

With over 20 years in the teaching

profession, I have a deep-rooted
commitment to education.

My teaching career began in Colombia,

where I taught English. Now, I am a
Professor at George Brown College in
Toronto, teaching courses in
Professional Communications, Career
Transitions, and Digital Skills.

Languages are a personal passion of mine, and I've successfully

learned five foreign languages. I'm fluent in Spanish, English, and
Portuguese, advanced in Italian, and conversant in French and
German.

My mission is to help you acquire new Spanish vocabulary so you

confidently communicate in an awesome language!

ABOUT THIS EBOOK

This eBook is designed to help you, English speaker, understand
and use popular slang terms from various Spanish-speaking
countries.

Whether you're traveling, studying, or simply looking to add some

authenticity to your Spanish conversations, these insights into
everyday colloquial speech will enhance your communication and
cultural understanding.
 03

SLANG TERMS BY COUNTRY

COLOMBIA
Bacano: Cool, awesome. Example: "Esa fiesta estuvo
muy bacana." (That party was really cool.)
Parce: Friend, mate, buddy. Example: "Hola, parce,
¿cómo estás?" (Hi buddy, how are you?)
Rumbear: To party, to go out. Example: "Vamos a
rumbear este fin de semana." (We're going to party
this weekend.)
Guayabo: Hangover. Example: "Tengo un guayabo
terrible." (I have a terrible hangover.)
Chévere: Cool, nice. Example: "¡Qué plan tan
chévere!" (What a cool plan!)

SPAIN
Guay: Something very good or pleasant. Example:
"¡Ese juego está muy guay!" (That game is really
cool!)
Tío/Tía: Informal way of referring to a person.
Example: "Ese tío sabe mucho de arte." (That guy
knows a lot about art.)
Vale: Expression to say "okay" or "alright". Example:
"Vale, nos vemos a las ocho." (Alright, see you at
eight.)
Chaval: Boy, young person or teenager. Example:
"Los chavales están jugando en el parque." (The kids
are playing in the park.)
Mola: Something that is great or likable. Example:
"Esa camiseta mola mucho." (That T-shirt is really
cool.)
 04

SLANG TERMS BY COUNTRY

MEXICO
Chido: Something that is great or excellent. Example:
"Ese concierto estuvo muy chido." (That concert was
really great.)
Güey: Friend, but also used to refer to a person in
general. Example: "¿Qué onda, güey?" (What's up,
dude?)
Onda: A way of saying situation or vibe. Example:
"¿Cuál es la onda para esta noche?" (What's the plan
for tonight?)
Mande: Polite way of saying "What?" or "Please
repeat". Example: "Mande?, no entendí." (Sorry, I
didn't get that.)
Neta: The truth. Example: "¿En serio? ¿Es la neta?"
(Really? Is that true?)

ARGENTINA
Che: Hey, mate, bud, pal. Example: "Che, ¿vamos al
cine?" (Hey, shall we go to the movies?)
Boludo: Fool, but also used between friends.
Example: "¡No seas boludo!" (Don't be a fool!)
Copado: Cool, awesome. Example: "Ese bar es re
copado." (That bar is really cool.)
Quilombo: Mess, disorder. Example: "¡Qué quilombo
en esta habitación!" (What a mess in this room!)
Chabón/Chabona: Guy, girl. Example: "Ese chabón es
muy simpático." (That guy is very nice.)
 05

SLANG TERMS BY COUNTRY

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Vaina: Thing, stuff. Example: "Pásame esa vaina por
favor." (Pass me that thing, please.)
Dimelo: What's up, tell me. Example: "¡Dimelo!
¿Cómo estás?" (What's up! How are you?)
Jevo/Jeva: Boyfriend/Girlfriend. Example: "Mi jeva es
increíble." (My girlfriend is incredible.)
Guagua: Bus. Example: "Tomemos la guagua para ir
al centro." (Let's take the bus to go downtown.)
Tiguere: Street-smart, sly person. Example: "Ese
tiguere siempre sabe qué hacer." (That guy always
knows what to do.)

COSTA RICA
Mae: Friend, dude. Example: "Mae, vamos a la playa
este fin de semana." (Dude, let's go to the beach this
weekend.)
Tuanis: Cool, awesome. Example: "Esa fiesta estuvo
tuanis." (That party was cool.)
Pura Vida: A phrase that encapsulates the Costa
Rican philosophy of positive living. It can mean
anything from hello, goodbye, thank you, or
everything's great. Example: "¿Cómo estás? ¡Pura
vida!" (How are you? Great!)
Brete: Work, job. Example: "Tengo que ir al brete
temprano mañana." (I have to go to work early
tomorrow.)
Chunche: Thing, stuff. Example: "Pásame ese
chunche, por favor." (Pass me that thing, please.)
 06

SLANG TERMS BY COUNTRY

PERU
Pata: Friend, buddy. Example: "Voy al cine con mis
patas." (I'm going to the movies with my friends.)
Chamba: Job, work. Example: "Finalmente conseguí
chamba." (I finally got a job.)
Chévere: Cool, nice. Example: "Esa fiesta estuvo
chévere." (That party was cool.)
Jato: House, place. Example: "Voy a mi jato después de
clase." (I'm going to my place after class.)
Luca: A term for money, specifically 1000 soles.
Example: "Esa camisa me costó 20 lucas." (That shirt
cost me 20,000 soles.)

CUBA
Asere: Friend, buddy. Example: "¡Hola, asere!" (Hey,
buddy!)
Yuma: The United States. Example: "Voy de viaje a
Yuma." (I'm traveling to the United States.)
Pinchar: To work. Example: "Estoy pinchando en un
nuevo proyecto." (I'm working on a new project.)
Guagua: Bus. Example: "Tomé la guagua para llegar
aquí." (I took the bus to get here.)
Jama: Food. Example: "¿Qué hay de jama hoy?"
(What's there to eat today?)
 07

SLANG TERMS BY COUNTRY

PUERTO RICO
Wepa: An expression of happiness or excitement.
Example: "¡Wepa! ¡Ganamos el juego!" (Yay! We won
the game!)
Chévere: Cool, great. Example: "Esa música está
chévere." (That music is cool.)
Corillo: Group of friends, gang. Example: "Voy al mall
con el corillo." (I'm going to the mall with the gang.)
Janguear: To hang out, to go out. Example: "Vamos a
janguear esta noche." (Let's go out tonight.)
Broki: Friend, buddy. Example: "¿Qué pasa, broki?"
(What's up, bro?)

CHILE
Cachai: Do you understand, get it? Example: "Es
fácil, ¿cachai?" (It's easy, you get it?)
Luca: A term for money, specifically 1000 pesos.
Example: "Me costó cinco lucas." (It cost me five
thousand pesos.)
Pololo/Polola: Boyfriend/Girlfriend. Example: "Mi
polola es ingeniera." (My girlfriend is an engineer.)
Weón/Weona: Dude or fool, depending on context.
Example: "Ese weón es divertido." (That dude is
funny.)
Bacán: Awesome, cool. Example: "Esa película fue
bacán." (That movie was awesome.)
 08

SLANG TERMS BY COUNTRY

ECUADOR
Chiro: Broke, no money. Example: "No puedo salir,
estoy chiro." (I can't go out, I'm broke.)
Chévere: Cool, nice. Example: "El concierto estuvo
chévere." (The concert was cool.)
Farra: Party, celebration. Example: "Vamos a la farra
esta noche." (We're going to the party tonight.)
Pelucón/Pelucona: Rich person. Example: "Ese pelucón
tiene tres carros." (That rich guy has three cars.)
Acolitar: To help, to support. Example: "¿Me acolitas
con esta tarea?" (Can you help me with this task?)

VENEZUELA
Chamo/Chama: Young person, guy or girl. Example:
"Ese chamo es rápido." (That guy is fast.)
Chevere: Cool, great. Example: "Esa película estuvo
chevere." (That movie was great.)
Arrecho: Awesome or angry, depending on the
context. Example: "Estoy arrecho con esta situación."
(I'm mad about this situation.)
Pana: Friend, buddy. Example: "Mi pana y yo vamos
al cine." (My buddy and I are going to the movies.)
Birra: Beer. Example: "Vamos a tomar una birra."
(Let's have a beer.)
PRACTICE - EXERCISE 1 09

Fill in the Blanks

Instructions: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate slang term

from the list provided. Translate the sentence into English.

Slang Terms: chévere, guagua, jato, pana, weón

1. "Después del trabajo, me voy directo a mi ______." (After

work, I go straight to my ______.)
2. "¿Viste a ese ______ en la fiesta anoche?" (Did you see that
______ at the party last night?)
3. "Mañana tengo que tomar la ______ para ir al centro."
(Tomorrow I have to take the ______ to go downtown.)
4. "¡Ese plan suena ______!" (That plan sounds ______!)
5. "Mi ______ siempre tiene buenos consejos." (My ______
always has good advice.)

5. pana - "My buddy always has good advice."

4. chévere - "That plan sounds cool!"
downtown."
3. guagua - "Tomorrow I have to take the bus to go
2. weón - "Did you see that dude at the party last night?"
1. jato - "After work, I go straight to my place."

ANSWERS
PRACTICE - EXERCISE 2 10

Match the Slang Term with its Meaning

Instructions: Match each slang term with its corresponding

meaning.

Slang Terms: asere, chamba, farra, cachai, wepa

1. Asere
2. Chamba
3. Farra
4. Cachai
5. Wepa

Meanings:

A. Do you understand?
B. Job, work.
C. Party, celebration.
D. An expression of happiness or excitement.
E. Friend, buddy.

5. D - An expression of happiness or excitement.

4. A - Do you understand?
3. C - Party, celebration.
2. B - Job, work.
1. E - Friend, buddy.

ANSWERS
 PRACTICE - EXERCISE 3 11

Short Conversations

Instructions: Choose the appropriate slang term to complete the

conversation. Then, translate the conversation into English.

Slang Terms: luca, broki, pelucón, arrecho, yuma

1- A: "¿Cuánto te costó la entrada al concierto?"

B: "Cincuenta ______."
(A: "How much did the concert ticket cost you?" B: "Fifty ______.")

2- A: "¿Vas a salir con tu ______ esta noche?"

B: "No, está ocupado."
(A: "Are you going out with your ______ tonight?" B: "No, he's busy.")

3- A: "Ese tipo del carro lujoso es un verdadero ______."

B: "Sí, parece muy rico."
(A: "That guy in the luxury car is a real ______." B: "Yes, he seems very
rich.")

4- A: "Me siento ______ con esta situación."

B: "Deberíamos hablar y resolverlo."
(A: "I feel ______ about this situation." B: "We should talk and solve
it.")

5- A: "¿Has visitado alguna vez ______?" B: "No, pero me encantaría ir."

(A: "Have you ever visited ______?" B: "No, but I would love to go.")

5. yuma - "The United States."

4. arrecho - "Angry."
3. pelucón - "A real rich person."
2. broki - "Your buddy."
1. luca - "Fifty thousand."

ANSWERS
MUCHAS GRACIAS 12
Thank you for embarking on this linguistic journey - I hope this
eBook provided you with a deeper understanding and practical
knowledge of Spanish slang used across the Spanish-speaking
world.

Remember, embracing local slang is not just about language

acquisition; it's about connecting with people and their culture.
Keep practicing, stay curious, and enjoy the rich the Spanish
language!

NEXT STEPS TO ENHANCE

YOUR SPANISH LEARNING:
1. Practice Daily: Incorporate Spanish into your daily routine.
Practice with native speakers, watch Spanish movies or listen
to Spanish music, AND OF COURSE, follow
@spanishwithmendoza for daily content and tips!
2. Join Communities: Engage with online forums or local
Spanish-speaking groups. These communities provide
invaluable practice and cultural insights.
3. Travel: If possible, visit Spanish-speaking countries.
Experiencing the culture first-hand will significantly enhance
your language skills and cultural understanding.
4. Keep Learning: Continue expanding your vocabulary and
understanding of grammar. Consistency is key in language
learning.
5. Reflect and Review: Regularly revisit topics and exercises
from this book to reinforce your knowledge.

Your enthusiasm and dedication to learning Spanish are the most

crucial elements of this journey.

Check out the Spotify playlist below I created for you with music
in Spanish - get immersed today, and speak like a pro tomorrow!
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