El Caló Mexicano, Parte 2

Not too terribly long ago I wrote about El Caló Mexicano, or Mexican slang.  Rather than write yet another top 10 list, I decided to write about some very common Mexican slang that your average gringo probably isn't aware of.  Today I'm going to fulfill the promise I made about writing a part two.

Let's cover a few greetings first.

You've probably heard of the expression Qué onda, which means what's up, but here's a couple that might have escaped you.


¿Qué tranza?

¿Qué show?

¿Qué pex?

I don't know that any of these have a direct translation, they're just additional ways to say what's up.  These are very slangy and will most likely shock your Mexican friends when they hear you say this.

¡Que oso!

Literally speaking, this means what a bear.  But if you're not having a conversation about bears then this means how embarrassing.

That's embarrassing.  I don't know you.

We know these as a Volkswagon.  But in Mexican Spanish you'll probably hear it referred to as a vocho.

 You'll hear people talk about dinero (money) all the time, but they may be doing it with words you aren't familiar with.  Feria and varo.

No traigo varo wey
I don't have any money dude

Prestame una feria wey
Loan me some money dude

While not uniquely Mexican, there are other ways to talk about money.  I blogged about this a while back - Más minutos menos lana.

Let's keep going.


In standard Spanish to say you don't like someone you can use caer bien or caer mal.  But in Mexican Spanish you say....

Ese wey me cae gordo
I don't like that guy

If you really like someone then you can say...

Tu amiga me cae a todo madre
I really like your friend

And keep in mind with the expression caer bien we're talking about if you like someone, not if you like like them.  For that you need gustar.

If you find yourself flipping a coin, you can say Águila o sol - Heads or tails

Here's a good one.  The next time someone asks you cómo van las cosas (How are things going), you can reply....

Atole con lo mismo 
The same as always

And finally, when your friends ask how you know all of this , you can tell them...

Porque soy más mexicano que el chile
Because I'm more Mexican than the chile

And that's it for today.  Make sure you subscribe via email or follow the blog and keep reading for more Mexican slang and other great posts!