Browse real Mexican Spanish chunks. Filter by difficulty, tone, region, generation and more.
Another chunk that should NEVER be translated literally. Yep, this one has absolutely nothing to do with seeing! 👀 Because it’s the Spanish version of: 👉 to have to do with And just like its English equivalent, you’re often gonna hear it used with con + alguien/algo!
Here’s a fun collocation (word pairing) for y’all. Mexicans often use poner when talking about naming someone: So ponerle + nombre just means: 👉 to name him/her + name Yep, I know… MASSIVELY different from English! So yeah, when you’re talking about naming a baby, a dog, etc., you can say: Le puse + nombre = I named him/her + name Le voy a poner + nombre = I’m going to name him/her + name
👉 almost (but with a dash of danger or near-miss energy!) This one’s used when something ALMOST happened… usually something bad, awkward, or intense. So, if Erika tells me, ¡Por poco me caigo! She’s NOT saying, For little I fall. She’s saying, I ALMOST fell!
👉 I overdid it 👉 I got a bit carried away Yep, this one’s basically what you say when you accidentally overdo something. Think adding too much chili to the pot, being a bit too harsh, or going a little overboard with the tequila. 🥴 It’s often followed by con + whatever you went overboard with or con + a person you treated badly.
This is a chunk that I'd never heard before I got to Mexico. But my Sinaloan roomie loved throwing it around (I had like 6 roomies in my first place). ¿Estás a gusto, wey?, he'd ask me constantly And for the longest time, I didn't know how to respond! Until I finally worked out that he was asking me if I was comfortable and/or content. So yeah, estar a gusto basically means: 👉 to feel good in a place or situation 💡Oh, and it's VERY often paired with bien: Estoy bien a gusto. = I’m so comfy right now.
Ever had a food-related mishap while out and about? Grease on the ol’ t-shirt and all that jazz. Yep, we’ve all been there. But what if you wanna ask how bad the stain is in Spanish? Well, there’s actually a super specific phrase just for these situations: ¿Se me nota? It just means: 👉 Is it obvious? / Can you tell?
👉 It shows 👉 It’s obvious 👉 You can totally tell So yeah, if your friend stubbornly declares, “¡No estoy enamorado!” But they’ve got that goofy, starry-eyed grin etched all over their face… Well, feel free to raise an eyebrow and hit them with: Es que se te nota cañón, wey. Dude, it’s super obvious.
Someone heading somewhere and you wanna go with them? Well, you’re gonna be needing the chunk yo te acompaño, then! Here’s what it means: 👉 I’ll come with you 👉 I’ll tag along 👉 I’ll keep you company
Yep, you guessed it, this one just means (drum roll 🥁)... 👉 take care But NOT in the sense of warning someone; it’s always used as a farewell.
Nope, no plants to see here! 🌱 De planta is just a super common way of talking about work that is: 👉 full-time / permanent (i.e., a stable job on payroll)
This one’s pure Mexican gold. It just means: 👉 Exactly like that 👉 Just like that 👉 That’s right / You got it
This one’s just a fun diminutive version of así mero. 🤏 And yep, it means the exact same thing: 👉 Exactly like that 👉 Just like that 👉 That’s right / You got it Oh, and the diminutive form here is totally unnecessary grammatically… But SUPER NECESSARY if you wanna sound Mexican. 😂
Ok, so this is another one that’s gonna make you sound WAY more native. You’ll hear it when someone’s about to dive into an activity, be it working, researching, cleaning, cooking, etc. It’s basically the Spanish equivalent of: 👉 I’ll start / I’m gonna start + verb in infinitive
This is how you say who you support or root for in sports: 👉 to root for / to support + a sports team Yep, in real-life Mexican Spanish, people say: Le voy al América. I support América. It’s the natural, chunky way to talk about your team. ⚽
Literally? 👉 I take back what I said And yep, that’s exactly what it means. No weird idiomatic twist here, folks.
This is another chunk that you’re gonna hear ALL. THE. TIME. It’s basically what you say when you: 👉 unsubscribe / unenroll / opt out (of something official) 🏦 Closing a bank account? 🎓 Dropping a university course? 💪 Quitting the gym? Well, you’re gonna be using darse de baja!
If darse de baja is opting out, then darse de alta is its happy, proactive twin. It means (drum roll 🥁)... 👉 to sign up / to register / to enroll And trust me, this chunk pops up EVERYWHERE, from setting up a phone line to registering for healthcare to opening a bank account.
Wanna sound like a mexicano de verdad? Then whip this lil’ beauty out the next time you need to say that you don’t have the means, tools, or resources to do something. The full structure is: no tengo con qué + infinitive. And it means something like: 👉 I don't have what I need to + verb
Another chunk that’s VERY different from the English! 👉 I have no way / no means to do something 💡 And, yep, it IS very similar to no tengo con qué. Here’s the lowdown: No tengo con qué focuses more on a lack of tools/resources (money, hammers, etc.). No tengo cómo is more about not knowing how or having no way to do something.
Say hola to the Mexican version of: 👉 see ya / catch you later Yep, ahí nos vemos is just an informal way of saying goodbye to your pals.
This one’s SUPER colloquial! It basically means: 👉 See ya 👉 I’m outta here
Adieu, adieu! Remember me – Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Act 1, Scene 5) Nah, this one’s more Hunter S. than Shakespeare ;) It’s a slangy way of saying: 👉 catch you later Even if you have absolutely no intention of actually catching the person later! It’s the sentiment that counts, right?
This is what you say when you accidentally greet someone with buenos días after 12 PM (aka buenas tardes time). It means something like: 👉 Morning... oh, it's afternoon already! It’s a fun, self-correcting chunk that’s particularly popular with Boomers and Gen Xers.
👉 Wait, what?! It’s that late already? 👉 Daaaamn, where did the time go? This is a classic Mexican time-shock chunk, perfect for when you look at the clock and realize that it’s WAYYY later than you thought!