Mexican Spanish phrases locals actually use

Textbook Spanish will get you understood in Mexico. These phrases will get you understood the way locals understand each other, from the market to a phone call.

Quick answer. The Mexican phrases you'll hear most are ¿mande? (pardon?), ahorita (right now, or in a bit), sale or va (okay), ¿qué onda? (what's up?), ¿me regala...? (could I have...?), ¡qué padre! (how cool!) and ¿bueno? to answer the phone. Most are friendly and safe anywhere; a few, like ¿qué onda? and chido, are informal and best kept for friends.

Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, and its everyday Spanish has a warm, indirect style: lots of diminutives, softened requests and little phrases that keep things polite. None of the phrases below are rude. Where one is informal (fine with friends, odd with your landlord or a doctor), it's marked.

Polite everyday phrases

Phrase	Meaning	When you'll hear it
¿Mande?	Pardon? / Yes?	When someone didn't hear you, or answers when called. Much softer than ¿qué?. See why ¿mande? beats ¿qué?
Para servirle	At your service	The reply to gracias in shops and offices, instead of de nada. More on para servirle
Con permiso	Excuse me (coming through)	Getting past someone, leaving a table. Not the same as perdón: see con permiso, perdón or lo siento
Provecho	Enjoy your meal	Said to people eating, even strangers, as you pass their table
¿Gusta?	Would you like some?	An offer of food. The polite reply is No, gracias, provecho
Me da pena	I'm embarrassed / I feel bad	In Mexico, pena is embarrassment, not just a shame. See qué pena
Échale ganas	Give it your all	Encouragement before an exam, a job, a hard week

Agreeing, reacting and making plans

Phrase	Meaning	Example
Sale / Va	Okay, deal	¿Nos vemos a las cinco? Sale. Often together: Sale, va. More on sale and va
Ándale	Come on / That's it / Go ahead	¡Ándale, vámonos! (Come on, let's go.) Ándale pues closes a chat: alright then
Órale	Wow / Okay / Come on	¡Órale, qué rápido! (Wow, that was fast!) Informal
¡Qué padre!	How cool!	Está padrísimo tu departamento. Your apartment is great. Friendly, widely used
Chido	Cool	Está bien chido el concierto. Informal, younger speakers
¡No manches!	No way! / You're kidding!	¿Ganaste? ¡No manches! Informal but mild. There's a ruder version you'll overhear; skip it
¿Neta?	Really? / Seriously?	La neta means honestly: La neta, no sé. Informal
¿Cómo ves?	What do you think?	Vamos el sábado, ¿cómo ves?
Fíjate que...	You know what... / The thing is...	A gentle way to bring up news or bad news: Fíjate que no voy a poder ir.
Me late	I like it / I have a feeling	Me late tu idea. Me late que va a llover. Informal

Ahorita, al rato and tantito: Mexican time

Ahora means now. Ahorita is the diminutive, and in Mexico it can mean right now, in a little while, or (said with a smile) maybe never. Ahorita lo hago might mean you'll do it in a minute or this afternoon. Ahorita no, gracias is a polite no to a street vendor. It can even look back: Ahorita la vi means "I saw her just now".

Other time words to know: al rato (later on), tantito (a little bit: Espérame tantito, wait a sec), ahorita vengo (I'll be right back) and rapidito (real quick). If something matters, ask for a time: ¿Como a qué hora?

Shopping, markets and service

Phrase	Meaning	Notes
¿Me regala...?	Could I have...?	Literally "will you gift me", but it's a normal, polite way to ask for something you're paying for: ¿Me regala una bolsa? See ¿me regala...?
¿Me da...?	Can I get...?	The everyday order: ¿Me da dos de pastor, por favor?
¿A cómo...?	How much is it (per unit)?	At the market: ¿A cómo el kilo de jitomate? See ¿a cómo?
Gracias, jefe	Thanks, boss	A friendly way to thank a driver or vendor. See jefe and joven
Joven	Excuse me (waiter)	How to call a server of almost any age: Joven, ¿me trae la cuenta?
¿Me cobra?	Can I pay?	Ask for the bill or pay at the counter. ¿Me cobras? with tú
¿Trae cambio?	Do you have change?	In Mexico traer means to have on you: No traigo efectivo.

Try these out loud in the market practice scene or the restaurant scene.

On the phone

Mexicans answer the phone with ¿Bueno?, not ¿Diga? (that's Spain) or ¿Aló? (Peru, Colombia, Chile and others). The caller then says Hola, ¿se encuentra Carlos? (Is Carlos there?) and may hear ¿De parte de quién? (Who's calling?). More in ¿diga? vs ¿bueno? and the phone call practice.

Informal words to understand

You don't have to use these, but you'll hear them every day. Keep them for friends and people your age.

¿Qué onda?: what's up? Buena onda means nice or cool (Tu hermano es muy buena onda); mala onda means not cool.
Chamba: work, a job. Tengo mucha chamba esta semana.
Lana: money. No traigo lana.
¡Aguas!: watch out! ¡Aguas con el escalón!
¿Qué hubo? (often written quihubo): hi, what's up?
Camión: a city bus, as well as a truck.

Mexico vs Spain

Mexico	Spain	English
sale, va	vale	okay
¿bueno?	¿diga?, ¿dígame?	hello? (phone)
padre, chido	guay	cool
el celular	el móvil	cell phone
la computadora	el ordenador	computer
el jugo	el zumo	juice
manejar	conducir	to drive
tomar el camión	coger el autobús	to take the bus
ustedes	vosotros	you (plural, informal)

One word to watch: in Mexico and much of Latin America coger is a vulgar word, so use tomar or agarrar for taking a bus or grabbing something.

Common mistakes

¿Qué? when you didn't hear. It sounds blunt in Mexico. Say ¿Mande? or ¿Perdón?
¿Puedo tener un café? It's English word for word. Say ¿Me da un café? (see why).
Taking ahorita literally. If you need it now, say ahora mismo or agree on a time.
Estoy de acuerdo for every okay. It's correct but formal. For plans, sale or va sounds natural.
Slang with strangers. ¿Qué onda, jefe? to a taxi driver is fine; to your new boss, start with Buenos días.

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Questions people ask

What does ¿mande? mean in Mexico?

¿Mande? is a polite way to say pardon? or yes? when you didn't hear someone or when someone calls your name. It's much softer than ¿qué?, which can sound curt in Mexico.

What does ahorita mean?

Literally right now, but in Mexico it often means in a little while, and ahorita no is a polite no. If timing matters, ask ¿como a qué hora? or say ahora mismo.

Is no manches a bad word?

No. No manches (no way!, you're kidding!) is informal but mild, fine among friends and coworkers. Avoid the ruder version you may hear in the street.

How do you say cool in Mexican Spanish?

Padre is the safest (¡qué padre!, está padrísimo), and chido is common among friends and younger people. In Spain you'd hear guay instead.

Why do Mexicans answer the phone with bueno?

It's simply the Mexican convention, the way Spain uses ¿diga? and many South American countries use ¿aló? Answer with ¿bueno? in Mexico and you'll sound local.