Everyday Slang and Abbreviations: English → Spanish
120 practical phrases focusing on everyday slang, popular texting abbreviations, and casual internet language. Learn authentic conversational Spanish.
Greetings & Friendly Chat
¿Qué onda?
What's up?
¿Qué tal?
How's it going?
¿Qué pasa?
What's happening?
¿Qué hay de nuevo?
What's new?
Buenas
Morning / Afternoon / Evening (casual)
¿Todo bien?
All good?
¿Cómo andas?
How are you doing?
¿Qué cuentas?
What's the word?
¡Cuánto tiempo!
Long time no see!
Aquí, nomás
Just hanging out / Right here
Pasándola
Just getting by / Hanging in there
Tranqui
Chilling / Relaxed
¿Qué tranzas?
What's up? (Mexico)
¿Qué más?
What else? (Colombia)
Habla
Talk to me / What's up? (Peru)
Agreeing & Disagreeing
De una
Let's do it / Absolutely
Dale
Go ahead / OK
Vale
Okay / Sounds good (Spain)
Obvio
Obviously / Duh
Ni a palos
No way / Not a chance (Argentina/Uruguay)
De acuerdo
Agreed
Simón
Yeah / For sure (Mexico)
Claro que sí
Of course
Exacto
Exactly
Totalmente
Totally
Ya ves
You see / Yeah, I know
Por supuesto
Naturally / Sure
Ni de coña
No way / You've got to be kidding (Spain)
Cero
Zero / Not at all
Cien por ciento
One hundred percent
Texting Abbreviations
tqm (te quiero mucho)
I love you a lot (casual)
xq (por qué / porque)
why / because
q (que)
that / what
dnd (dónde / de nada)
where / you're welcome
tb (también)
also / too
mñn (mañana)
tomorrow
bss (besos)
kisses
ntp (no te preocupes)
don't worry
xfa (por fa / por favor)
please
vdd (verdad)
truth / right?
msj (mensaje)
message
tmb (también)
too / as well
qtl (qué tal)
how's it going
finde (fin de semana)
weekend
salu2 (saludos)
greetings / regards
Expressing Surprise & Emotion
¡Qué fuerte!
That's crazy / Wow!
¡No manches!
No way! / You're kidding! (Mexico)
¡Qué chido!
How cool! (Mexico)
¡Qué guay!
How cool! (Spain)
¡Qué chévere!
How awesome! (Latin America)
¡Madre mía!
Oh my god!
¡Dios mío!
Goodness gracious!
¡Ostras!
Wow / Oh snap! (Spain)
¡Qué asco!
How gross! / That sucks!
¡Qué barbaridad!
How awful / That's outrageous!
¡Me muero!
I'm dying (of laughter/shock)
¡Qué horror!
How awful!
¡Ay, Dios!
Oh, God!
¡No me digas!
You don't say! / Really?!
¡Qué loco!
That's crazy!
Hanging Out & Plans
Hacer previa
To pre-game / Drink before going out (South America)
Ir de fiesta
To go partying
Salir de rumba
To go out partying (Colombia/Venezuela)
Ir de tapas
To go out for tapas/drinks (Spain)
Tomar algo
To grab a drink
Echar desmadre
To party / cause trouble (Mexico)
Hacer botellón
To drink outside before hitting the clubs (Spain)
Juntarse
To get together / Hang out
Parche
Group of friends / Hangout (Colombia)
Caerle (a un lugar)
To show up (at a place)
Armar plan
To make plans
Dar una vuelta
To take a walk / Go for a spin
Estar de chill
To be chilling
Ir de antro
To go clubbing (Mexico)
Farrear
To party (Andean region)
Describing Situations & Things
Está mortal
It's awesome / killer
Es un rollo
It's a drag / a pain
Qué pesado
How annoying / tedious
Es una pasada
It's incredible / amazing (Spain)
Está de lujo
It's top-notch / luxurious
Qué lata
What a nuisance
Está padrísimo
It's super cool (Mexico)
Qué piola
How cool / neat (Argentina/Chile)
Está brutal
It's awesome / brutal
Qué bajón
What a bummer
Es un quilombo
It's a mess / disaster (Argentina/Uruguay)
Está bacano
It's cool (Colombia)
Qué desmadre
What a mess / chaos
Está a tope
It's full / packed
Qué chimba
How awesome (Colombia)
Describing People
Ser buena onda
To be cool / have a good vibe
Ser un plomo
To be annoying / a bore
Ser un crack
To be a genius / the best at something
Ser un chaval / una chavala
To be a kid / young person (Spain)
Ser un güey
To be a guy / dude (Mexico)
Ser un tío / una tía
To be a guy / girl (Spain)
Ser un fresa
To be snobby / preppy (Mexico)
Ser un pijo / una pija
To be posh / snobby (Spain)
Estar forrado
To be loaded / rich
Estar pelado
To be broke
Ser un vago
To be lazy
Ser majo / maja
To be nice / friendly (Spain)
Ser pesado
To be annoying / a pain in the neck
Ser un chanta
To be a scammer / fake (South America)
Ser un naco
To be tacky / low-class (Mexico)
Closing & Goodbyes
Nos vemos
See you
Hasta luego
See you later
Chao
Bye
Cuídate
Take care
Te me cuidas
Take care of yourself
Ahí nos vidrios
See you around (Mexico)
Hasta pronto
See you soon
Nos hablamos
We'll talk
Que te vaya bien
Hope it goes well for you
Venga, chao
Alright, bye (Spain)
Sale, vale
Alright, bye (Mexico)
Me abro
I'm out of here (Colombia)
Me pinto
I'm leaving / I'm out
Me las pico
I'm out / Leaving quickly (Venezuela)
Estamos en contacto
We'll be in touch
These phrases will help you communicate confidently in real-life situations. Practice them with audio and add to your phrase trainer for better retention.
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