👉 bro / brother / pal / buddy

Carnal can literally refer to your actual brother, but it’s also used as a warm, friendly way of saying bro, dude, or buddy.


💡 The feminine form is carnala and, yep, you WILL hear it a lot too.

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Real examples from Voces de México

Well, let me introduce you to Félix, fruit seller by day and underground rapper by night.

And boy, does he like to throw carnal around!

First up, he actually calls me carnal straight off the bat (at approx. 00:40):

—¿Cómo estás?
—Muy bien, carnal.
—How are you?
—I’m good, bro.

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There’s also a great example of how carnal is used in tianguis / informal markets… even the customer gets in on the act (at approx. 10:36):

—¿A cómo están las piñas, carnalito?
—25 la pieza, carnal.
—How much are the pineapples, pal?
—25 pesos each, bro.

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And, finally, he refers to his actual brothers as mis carnales (at approx. 06:31):

Mi jefe me enseñó un chingo a trabajar, y mis carnales también, que son mayores…
My dad taught me a hell of a lot about working, and so did my older brothers…