No dogs were harmed in the making of this chunk.
In fact, it doesn't even have anything to do with dogs! 🐶
You see,
está perro is Mexican slang for:
👉
it’s hard / tough / intense (🐶 version)
Or…
➡️
it’s awesome / badass / really good
So, uh, yeah, its two meanings are kinda diametrically opposed. 🥴
But worry not, MexiVerser, context usually makes things pretty obvious.
I mean, if you’re talking about a task, situation, exam, problem, etc., it usually means
hard or tough:
Está perro conseguir boletos.It’s hard to get tickets.
Está perro el tráfico.The traffic is rough.
And if you’re reacting to something cool, impressive, etc., it usually means
awesome / badass:
Está perro tu carro.Your car is badass.
Está perro ese video.That video is awesome.
Here
Félix the underground rapper (at approx. 11:38) uses it to describe a rough neighborhood in Tijuana:
Pero sí dije: "¡Verga!", digo: "Aquí sí está perro", digo: "¿Dónde me vine a meter?"But I did think, "Fuck! It’s rough around here. What have I got myself into?"
💡 You’ll also hear
está perrón, which is usually more clearly positive:
it’s awesome / badass / really cool.