SPANISH SLANG | Learn 20 slang Spanish words from Spain
Spanish slang can make everyday conversations feel more natural, but it depends on where you are and who you are speaking with. Lucía introduces words used in Spain.
Watch the lesson
Try it yourself
Note three expressions you hear. For each one, write a neutral alternative and a situation where the slang would sound appropriate.
Watch the original lesson on YouTube.
Edited lesson transcript and examples
Read the complete substantive lesson in its original order, including the original Spanish models and practice. This readable transcript is edited from the complete manual English and original automatic English captions, with Spanish text checked against the original video graphics. Caption mistakes and punctuation are repaired; contextual translations and labelled learner notes are additions. The instructor’s examples, humor and teaching priorities are retained. Chapter timestamps are approximate. This is a source-based edited transcript, not a continuous pronunciation assessment. Music and the brand bumper are omitted.
The déjame en paz example is visible in the original on-screen text and checked against a local Spanish transcription of the original audio; the original captions also support its English gloss.
- 0:05 — Introduction
- 0:18 — Guay
- 0:36 — Tío and tía
- 1:15 — Estar pedo
- 1:50 — Pasta
- 2:07 — Estar forrado or forrada
- 2:37 — Flipar
- 3:03 — Currar and curro
- 3:32 — Puente
- 4:17 — Ser majo or maja
- 4:42 — Colega
- 5:02 — Botellón
- 5:42 — Estar chupado
- 6:08 — Ligar and ligón or ligona
- 6:53 — Chaval and chavala
- 7:23 — Liar and liarse
- 8:08 — Molar
- 8:34 — Hostia and ostras
- 9:14 — Chulo and chula
- 9:43 — Empanado and empanada
- 10:17 — Joder
- 10:36 — Closing
0:05 — Introduction
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?
Example translation: Hello! How are you?
This is Lucía from My Daily Spanish. Today I’m going to teach you 20 slang Spanish words that you hear a lot in Spain. Are you ready? Let’s go.
0:18 — Guay
Guay means cool.
¡Qué guay es tu camiseta!
Example translation: Your T-shirt is very cool!
Carolina es muy guay
Example translation: Carolina is very cool.
¡Qué guay!
Example translation: That’s cool!
0:36 — Tío and tía
Tío means uncle and tía means aunt. In Spain we use them to address friends casually, like chick, dude or guy, or to talk casually about some man or woman.
Tía, no te vas a creer lo que pasó ayer
Example translation: Girl, you won’t believe what happened yesterday.
Me encanta tu camiseta, tío
Example translation: I love your T-shirt, dude.
El tío ese cocina de muerte
Example translation: That guy cooks brilliantly.
La tía es una crack
Example translation: That woman is amazing.
1:15 — Estar pedo
Estar pedo means to be drunk. Pedo means fart, but we also use it in this expression. Pedo on its own can be a noun referring to drunkenness.
Pedro está muy pedo
Example translation: Pedro is very drunk.
¡Vaya pedo que llevo!
Example translation: I’m really drunk!
Literally, the last example is something like “What drunkenness I’m carrying!”
Tía, estoy pedo, no puedo conducir
Example translation: Girl, I’m drunk; I can’t drive.
1:50 — Pasta
Apart from pasta, pasta is slang for money.
No tengo pasta
Example translation: I don’t have any money.
Ese tío tiene mucha pasta
Example translation: That guy has a lot of money.
2:07 — Estar forrado or forrada
Estar forrado means to be very rich. Literally it means to be covered; here we imply covered in money.
Está forrado
Example translation: He is very rich.
Está forrada
Example translation: She is very rich.
Mi primo está forrado de pasta
Example translation: My cousin is very rich.
Espero estar forrada algún día
Example translation: I hope to be very rich someday.
2:37 — Flipar
Flipar means to flip out or to be shocked.
Estoy flipando
Example translation: I’m shocked.
Vas a flipar con lo que te voy a contar
Example translation: You’re going to flip out at what I’m about to tell you.
Carmen flipó al enterarse
Example translation: Carmen flipped out when she found out.
3:03 — Currar and curro
Currar means to work, and el curro is the slang noun for work.
Tengo que currar mañana
Example translation: I have to work tomorrow.
Ayer curré durante todo el día
Example translation: Yesterday I worked all day.
Me voy al curro
Example translation: I’m off to work.
3:32 — Puente
Puente means bridge. We also call it a bridge when we have a national holiday on Tuesday or Thursday and make the adjacent Monday or Friday a day off too, giving us four consecutive days off.
Learner note — Long weekend: This is the four-day example used in the lesson. Puente is not restricted to exactly four days or to national holidays; it refers to days off joined to a holiday by taking an intervening working day or days off. Source: RAE–ASALE.
El próximo puente me voy a Málaga
Example translation: I’m going to Málaga over the next long weekend.
Hay puente dentro de dos semanas
Example translation: There’s a long weekend in two weeks.
We even have the expression irse de puente, meaning to go away on a little holiday over those days off.
Irse de puente
Example translation: To go away over a long weekend.
Me voy de puente
Example translation: I’m going away over the long weekend.
4:17 — Ser majo or maja
Ser majo or maja means to be kind or friendly.
Ana es muy maja
Example translation: Ana is very nice.
En realidad soy maja
Example translation: Actually, I’m nice.
¡Qué majo es tu abuelo!
Example translation: Your grandpa is so nice!
4:42 — Colega
Colega is a slang word meaning friend.
Te presento a mi colega Alberto
Example translation: Let me introduce you to my friend Alberto.
Estos son mis colegas del curro
Example translation: These are my friends from work.
5:02 — Botellón
Botellón would literally mean big bottle, but we use it for people getting together to drink alcohol outdoors in public places.
Hay un botellón en el parque municipal
Example translation: There’s a group gathering to drink alcohol in the municipal park.
Los universitarios están haciendo botellón en el campus
Example translation: The university students are having an outdoor drinking gathering on campus.
Mañana me voy de botellón
Example translation: Tomorrow I’m going out to drink outdoors with a group of people.
5:42 — Estar chupado
Estar chupado literally means to be licked, but the slang meaning is to be very easy.
Estos ejercicios de matemáticas están chupados
Example translation: These math exercises are very easy.
El chino está chupado
Example translation: Chinese is very easy.
The last line is the instructor’s playful example.
6:08 — Ligar and ligón or ligona
Ligar means to flirt.
Esa chica está ligando con mi novio
Example translation: That girl is flirting with my boyfriend.
Ayer ligué un montón
Example translation: Yesterday I flirted a lot.
¿Te has ligado a Manuel?
Example translation: Did you pull Manuel?
The last question implies that you got him. Ligón is a word for someone who flirts a lot: ligón for a man and ligona for a woman.
Learner note — Romantic context: Ligar can involve making a romantic or sexual connection, beyond simply flirting. “Did you pull Manuel?” reflects the successful connection implied in this particular example. Source: RAE–ASALE.
Ten cuidado con Pablo, es un ligón
Example translation: Be careful with Pablo; he’s a flirt.
6:53 — Chaval and chavala
Chaval for a boy or young man and chavala for a girl or young woman are casual words like boy, girl or chick. They may be pejorative or not, depending on the context.
Luisa es una chavala muy maja
Example translation: Luisa is a very nice girl.
¿Qué hace ese chaval?
Example translation: What’s that guy doing?
Mira, chaval, no me toques los…
Example translation: Look, man, don’t touch my…
The last example deliberately stops mid-expression, as in the video.
7:23 — Liar and liarse
Liar traditionally means to wrap up or package, but in Spain it can mean to mess things up. Liarse can mean to get confused. In romantic relationships, it can mean to have an affair with someone.
Learner note — Romantic meaning: Liarse con alguien can mean getting romantically or sexually involved with someone. It does not by itself say that either person is cheating on a partner; “hook up” fits the lesson’s example. Source: RAE–ASALE.
Ayer Fernando la lio
Example translation: Fernando messed things up yesterday.
Learner note — Spelling: The video writes lió. Under current spelling rules, the simple past form lio is written without an accent mark, even when a speaker pronounces it in two syllables. Source: RAE–ASALE.
Me he liado con los ingredientes y le he echado sal en vez de azúcar
Example translation: I got confused about the ingredients and added salt instead of sugar.
Susana se ha liado con Alejandro
Example translation: Susana has hooked up with Alejandro.
8:08 — Molar
Molar means to be cool. You can also use it to say that you like someone.
Esta canción mola
Example translation: This song is cool.
Mari Carmen mola mucho
Example translation: Mari Carmen is very cool.
Alberto me mola muchísimo
Example translation: I really like Alberto.
8:34 — Hostia and ostras
Hostia is like damn. Literally, it is the communion wafer you receive in church, but in slang it is a swear word. People who want to sound civilized say ostras, which literally means oysters. Hostia can also mean a punch or slap.
¡Hostia, qué tarde es!
Example translation: Damn, it’s so late!
¡Ostras, qué tarde es!
Example translation: Oh wow, it’s so late!
Learner note — Literal and contextual English: The video playfully translates ostras as “oysters”. As an interjection here, it is a milder substitute for hostia expressing surprise, so “Oh wow!” gives its conversational meaning. Source: RAE–ASALE.
¡Hostia! ¡Qué susto!
Example translation: Damn! What a scare!
Te voy a dar una hostia…
Example translation: I’m going to punch you…
9:14 — Chulo and chula
Chulo means cool, or it can refer to an arrogant person.
No me cae bien Javier, es un chulo
Example translation: I don’t like Javier; he’s an arrogant guy.
¡Qué zapatos más chulos!
Example translation: Those shoes are so cool!
La nueva canción de Rosalía es muy chula
Example translation: Rosalía’s new song is very cool.
9:43 — Empanado and empanada
Empanado literally means breaded. Used about a person in slang, it means absent-minded or clueless.
Tía, ¿me estás escuchando? Estás empanada
Example translation: Girl, are you listening to me? You’re spaced out.
Ayer estuve empanada en clase y no me enteré de nada
Example translation: Yesterday I was spaced out in class and didn’t understand anything.
Este niño está empanado
Example translation: This boy is clueless.
10:17 — Joder
Joder means fuck: a really nasty word that we say a lot in Spain, sometimes with a positive meaning.
¡Déjame en paz! ¡Joder!
Example translation: Leave me alone! Fuck!
Joder, qué rico está esto
Example translation: Fuck, this is really good!
Learner note — Register: Joder is a vulgar exclamation. The video’s positive example is translated as “Wow, this is very yummy”; that conveys the positive reaction but not the strong register of the original. Source: RAE–ASALE.
10:36 — Closing
That was it for this video. Do you know some other Spanish slang words? Tell me in the comments! Like the video and subscribe for more.
¡Hasta pronto!
Example translation: See you soon!
