Mexicanismos

“¡No pedalees mi bicicleta!” Translated word for word this means “Don’t ride my bicycle!” but in México it means “Keep your hands off my man/woman!” and is Alicia’s favorite expression she learned in México.

We know many of you are native speakers or have extensive Spanish experience but the language in México is all its own. It’s one of the reasons Alicia fell in love with the country, exploring something so unique and layered. Rich contributions from the Aztecs and the Mayans, undeniable influence from the US, and a creative genius all their own make Mexican Spanish distinct.

We put together the below Mexicanismos for your reference.

A way of making another word smaller.  For example “un mezcalito” means a small mezcal. It doesn’t mean you’ll actually pour a small mezcal, but it makes it sound harmless.

Go for a walk/go out exploring

When something “esta cañón” it’s very intense in either a good or bad way.

Beer/ beers

if someone asks you if you want your tacos “con todo” it means they’ll add onion, cilantro and salsa on top. You can always politely ask to be put “aparte” or “al lado” both of which mean “on the side”.

Hopefully you won’t come across this in your trip as it means “handcuffs”.  We included it for fun as it’s the plural of the word “esposa” or “wife” :/

Y’all know this one, but the etymology comes from when US troops were posted at the border. Their uniforms were green and therefore Mexicans would tell them “Green Go” as in leave.  This got condensed to “Gringo” at some point and still is a less favorable way of referring to Americans.  

Oh boy!

The truth / true

Meaning “eye” but is used to give someone a heads up or tell them to “watch out”

A jerk

What’s up?  What’s going on?

A loosely defined length of time.  This can literally mean right now or a long time from now. Good luck! 

This means good, but it’s also the greeting people use to answer the phone.  When phone lines were being installed in México, they would ring to test them out.  People would answer by saying “good” as in “the phone line was working”, but it just stuck and is used as the main greeting for answering a call.

Cheap or fake.  This one strangely holds sentimental value for Alicia for when she moved to México City after living in Guadalajara she was bestowed the nickname “La Gringa Chafa” meaning the fake gringa which she wore as a badge of honor having convinced her Mexican friends of her respect and commitment to learning the culture and language.

Neighborhood

This means “raw” but it is also how we describe a hangover: “Estoy cruda”, etc.

This means "strawberry" but in a slang sense it refers to people who are snobs.

“Blondie” but really anyone that stands out as being from outside of México.  Mike is often called güero, while Alicia is not.

The “announcement of Oaxacan festivities”.  A procession full of dance and music

This is a catch all for “what?”, “what do you need?”, “tell me again”, etc.

OK, sure, cool. 

Drinking straw.  This is a Mayan word and it’s fun to say…as is "Salva Las Tortugas!"

A rager

Be careful! This phrase comes from a time before modern day plumbing.  When people would empty their bedpans onto the street they would yell “Aguas!” before tossing it out the window to the streets below.  It literally means “waters”  but of a dirty nature, so look out! 

This depends on the proceeding article, for example “Está cabrón” means “It’s the shit” however “No seas cabron” means “Don’t be an ass”

Work/job

THIS DOES NOT MEAN “TO CATCH” HERE NO MATTER WHAT YOUR TEXT BOOKS TOLD YOU.  Save yourself the embarrassment and just avoid this one while in México. 

A hot mess

A more polite word for gringos

Dude/man/bruh.  I knew I really learned Spanish in México when I told my Cuban-born mother to “Habla bien, güey!” after a lot of miscommunications on her visit to Michoacan.

The Spanish language has a gender grammar system, differentiating masculine and feminine.  Historically, not all people in México spoke Spanish or were literate, so the integration of pictorial elements developed to identify markers and resources.  You’ll notice this on the CDMX subway maps and throughout México in markers like moons and suns, which are often used to identify restrooms. “La luna” is feminine meaning “the moon” so a moon marker would identify the women’s room, while “el sol” is masculine meaning “the sun” and therefore a sun marker would identify the men’s room.

Literally means “I chillied myself” and is said when you eat something too spicy.  You can also ask someone “te enchilaste?” when you see them in distress searching for tortillas, lime or crema.

This means father, but it also means cool.  “Que padre” means how cool.

Meaning “bridge” also takes on the meaning for a 3-day weekend.

Unofficial, national call to arms!