Groserías are swear words, not groceries

Tell your host family you're going out to buy groserías and they'll wonder which ones you don't know yet.

You said

Voy a comprar groserías.

What it means: I'm going to buy swear words.

A local says

Voy a hacer el súper.

I'm going grocery shopping.

Why: Una grosería is a rude word or a rude act. Groceries are el súper or el mandado in Mexico.

Leaving your host family's house in Puebla

Ahorita regreso, voy a comprar groserías.

"¿Groserías? ¡Ya sabes muchas!" says the abuela.

Groserías looks so much like groceries that it's one of the first false friends people trip on in Mexico. Una grosería is something rude: a swear word, a crude joke or a bad-mannered act. Decir groserías means to swear, and ¡qué grosero! means how rude.

For groceries, Mexico has its own everyday phrases: hacer el súper (to do the supermarket shop) and ir por el mandado (to go and get the shopping). Las compras works anywhere, and in Spain it's hacer la compra.

Often the place is all you need: voy al súper, voy al mercado, voy a la tienda. The little corner shop in Mexico is la tiendita, and it'll have most of what's on your list.

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Also worth knowing

Spanish	English
Voy al súper, ¿necesitas algo?	I'm going to the supermarket, do you need anything?
No digas groserías.	Don't swear.
Voy por el mandado.	I'm going to get the groceries.

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Questions people ask

What does groserías mean?

Rude words, swear words or rude behaviour. Decir groserías means to swear, and grosero means rude.

How do you say groceries in Spanish?

In Mexico, el súper or el mandado: voy a hacer el súper (I'm going grocery shopping). Las compras is understood everywhere, and in Spain people say hacer la compra.

How do you say I'm going to the supermarket?

Voy al súper, or voy al supermercado.