Spain · Peninsular Spanishalucinar
verb · Informal
To be astonished. Alucino contigo — 'you astound me', usually said in exasperation rather than admiration.
Spain · Peninsular Spanish
Spanish Slang
Spanish from Spain is noticeably blunter than most Latin American varieties. Words that would be shocking in Bogotá or Lima are ordinary conversational furniture in Madrid, and speakers swear casually and often without any intent to offend. Learners who arrive from a Latin American classroom usually find this the hardest adjustment.
The entries below mark clearly where a term is peninsular-only, because a large share of Spain's slang is genuinely not portable — using it in Mexico or Argentina will get you a blank look at best.
51 terms, each with definitions and worked examples.
By topic
Each page below collects every Spanish term we have on one subject, side by side.
Start with these
The terms below carry the most usage detail — register, origin and the situations where they go wrong. They are the ones worth reading in full before the rest.
All Spanish slang A–Z
51 terms
Terms beginning with A
Terms beginning with B
botellón
noun · Informal
A large open-air gathering where young people drink in a square or park before going out, chiefly because it is far cheaper than a bar.
buah
interjection · Informal · BWAH
Wow; oh man. An all-purpose reaction particle opening a sentence, expressing anything from awe to weariness depending on delivery.
Terms beginning with C
caña
noun · Colloquial · KAH-nya
A small glass of draught beer, roughly 200ml. The default order in a Spanish bar.
+1 more sense
cani
noun, adjective · Informal
A young working-class person identified by a specific look — tracksuits, heavy gold jewellery, a particular haircut. Spain's counterpart to the British chav or the Australian bogan, with the same class contempt built in.
Use with care
chaval
noun · Informal
A kid; a young lad. Feminine chavala. Also used to address a younger man.
chulo
adjective, noun · Informal
Of a thing: nice, attractive, cool. Qué chulo — 'that's nice'.
+2 more senses
Use with care
chungo
adjective · Informal
Dodgy, dubious, in poor shape. Of a situation: difficult or unpromising.
+1 more sense
colega
noun · Informal
Mate, pal. In Spain it means a friend, not a work colleague — a false friend for English speakers and for Latin American Spanish alike.
Use with care
coño
interjection · Vulgar
Damn it; for heaven's sake. Used as a general exclamation and as an intensifier inside questions: ¿qué coño haces?
Use with care
cotilla
noun, adjective · Colloquial
A gossip; a nosy person. The verb cotillear is to gossip, and la prensa del corazón is its professional form.
crack
noun · Informal · KRAHK
A star; someone exceptionally good at something. Eres un crack is high, casual praise and has nothing to do with the drug.
Use with care
currante
noun, adjective · Informal
A hard worker; a grafter. Approving, with a distinctly working-class flavour.
curro
noun · Informal
Work; a job. The verb currar means to work, and a currante is a grafter.
cutre
adjective · Informal · KOO-treh
Shabby, tacky, cheap and slightly grim. Applies to bars, hotels, clothes and behaviour.
+1 more sense
Terms beginning with D
Terms beginning with E
Terms beginning with F
Terms beginning with G
Terms beginning with H
Terms beginning with J
Terms beginning with L
Terms beginning with M
majo
adjective · Colloquial
Nice, pleasant, likeable. Said of people above all — es muy maja is high praise delivered casually.
marcha
noun · Informal
Nightlife; energy; the will to keep going out. Irse de marcha is to go out on the town.
+1 more sense
marrón
noun · Informal
An unpleasant job or awkward situation that lands on you. Comerse un marrón is to get lumbered with something.
mogollón
noun, adverb · Informal
A huge amount; loads. Un mogollón de gente, or adverbially: me gusta mogollón.
molar
verb · Informal
To be great; to appeal to someone. Built like gustar — the thing liked is the subject: me mola, 'I like it'.
morro
noun · Informal
Cheek, nerve, brass neck. Tener mucho morro is to have a lot of front.
+1 more sense
movida
noun · Informal
A situation, a business, a hassle. Deliberately vague: vaya movida, 'what a palaver'.
+1 more sense
Terms beginning with N
Terms beginning with O
Terms beginning with P
pasta
noun · Informal
Money, cash. Nothing to do with the food.
petarlo
verb, phrase · Informal
To smash it; to do brilliantly. Lo petaron en el concierto — they absolutely killed it at the gig.
+1 more sense
pijo
adjective, noun · Informal
Posh, upper-class, snobbish. Spain's equivalent of Mexican fresa, and the class opposite of cani.
pillar
verb · Informal
To catch or grab: voy a pillar el metro.
+2 more senses
Terms beginning with Q
¿qué pasa?
phrase · Colloquial
What's up? The standard casual greeting, usually with tío attached.
¿qué tal?
phrase · Colloquial
How's it going? Slightly more neutral than ¿qué pasa? and usable with strangers and in shops.
+1 more sense
quedar
verb · Colloquial
To arrange to meet; to make plans with someone. Absolutely central to Spanish social life and with no single-word English equivalent — 'we quedamos at eight' means the meeting is agreed.
Terms beginning with R
Terms beginning with S
Terms beginning with T
tapear
verb · Colloquial
To go from bar to bar eating tapas. Ir de tapas is the more common phrasing.
tela
adverb, noun · Informal
A lot; very. Es tela de caro — 'it's seriously expensive'.
+1 more sense
tío
noun, interjection · Informal · TEE-oh
Dude, mate. The standard address term between friends in Spain, and the rough equivalent of Mexican güey.
+2 more senses
Terms beginning with V
vale
interjection · Colloquial · BAH-leh
Okay; alright; fine. The single most frequent word in Spanish conversation after the basics, and essentially untranslatable in its full range.
+1 more sense
vaya tela
phrase, interjection · Informal
Blimey; that's something else. Expresses amazement, usually at something excessive or absurd.
venga
interjection · Colloquial
Come on; let's go. Encouragement or prompting.
+2 more senses