Mexican Spanish Essentials – English-Spanish Quiz
Mexicanismos esenciales – Palabras y expresiones de México
The words that make Spanish sound Mexican: colloquial expressions (órale, qué padre, ni modo), everyday slang (chamba, lana, cuate), and the Mexican choice where other countries use a different word (camión, alberca, chamarra). Register matters: entries marked “slang” or “very informal” are for friends, never for the office. Practice 50 items in both directions (English ⇄ Spanish).
Three to know before anything else
ahorita literally “right now”, but in Mexico it can mean right now, in a little while, or (politely) never. ¿Mande? is the polite Mexican way to say “Pardon?” when you did not hear something. ¡Órale! covers wow!, OK!, let’s go! and come on!, depending on tone.
First time? Read the instructions
| # | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | right now / in a little while | ahorita |
| 2 | Wow! / OK! / Let’s go! | ¡Órale! |
| 3 | How cool! | ¡Qué padre! |
| 4 | cool, great (slang) | chido |
| 5 | awesome, fantastic | padrísimo |
| 6 | Pardon? What did you say? (polite) | ¿Mande? |
| 7 | the truth, honestly | la neta |
| 8 | Really? (slang) | ¿Neta? |
| 9 | work, job (colloquial) | chamba |
| 10 | money (slang) | lana |
| 11 | to chat | platicar |
| 12 | buddy, pal | cuate |
| 13 | bro (slang) | carnal |
| 14 | guy, young man (slang) | chavo |
| 15 | girl, young woman (slang) | chava |
| 16 | kid | chamaco, chamaca |
| 17 | snobby, preppy | fresa |
| 18 | cheap, low quality | chafa |
| 19 | stingy | codo |
| 20 | Watch out! | ¡Aguas! |
| 21 | OK, deal (agreement) | sale |
| 22 | oh well, nothing to be done | ni modo |
| 23 | What’s up? | ¿Qué onda? |
| 24 | No way! (mild) | ¡No manches! |
| 25 | Really? Seriously? | ¿A poco? |
| 26 | Come on! / That’s right! | ¡Ándale! |
| 27 | Yikes! / Wow! | ¡Híjole! |
| 28 | Darn! | ¡Chin! |
| 29 | Do your best! Go for it! | ¡Échale ganas! |
| 30 | problem, trouble | bronca |
| 31 | How embarrassing! / What a shame! | ¡Qué pena! |
| 32 | See you around. | Ahí nos vemos. |
| 33 | beer (slang) | chela |
| 34 | nightclub | antro |
| 35 | party (slang) | pachanga, reventón |
| 36 | blond, light-skinned | güero, güera |
| 37 | dark-haired, dark-skinned | moreno, morena |
| 38 | bus (Mexico) | camión |
| 39 | swimming pool (Mexico) | alberca |
| 40 | sidewalk (Mexico) | banqueta |
| 41 | jacket (Mexico) | chamarra |
| 42 | cell phone (Mexico) | celular |
| 43 | computer (Mexico) | computadora |
| 44 | car (Mexico) | carro |
| 45 | soda (Mexico) | refresco |
| 46 | sneakers (Mexico) | tenis |
| 47 | corn on the cob (Mexico) | elote |
| 48 | lime (Mexico) | limón |
| 49 | dude, man (very informal, friends only) | güey |
| 50 | to grab a bite | echarse un taco |
Frequently asked questions
- How do you say “to chat” in Spanish?
- “to chat” in Spanish is “platicar”.
- How do you say “kid” in Spanish?
- “kid” in Spanish is “chamaco, chamaca”.
- How do you say “stingy” in Spanish?
- “stingy” in Spanish is “codo”.
- How many words are in this quiz?
- This quiz has 50 English–Spanish word pairs, with two-way practice (English → Spanish and Spanish → English) and mini-quizzes.