De Verdad Spanish: 6 Alternatives To Express Surprise To Shocking News in Spanish

¡Hola gente! (Hello people!)

In this video, you’re learning alternatives to react to shocking news in ways other than de verdad.

DON’T Say DE VERDAD?, say THESE 6 Alternatives Instead!

Let’s see this short Spanish conversation to se de verdad in action:

Y entonces que le dice: ”¿No te has dado cuenta de que tu hijo es idéntico a tu mejor amigo?”
(And then he says: “Haven’t you realized that your son is identical to your best friend?”)

¿¡De verdad!?
(Really!?)

¡Si güey! ¡De verdad! ¡Así le dijo!
(Yes, dude! Really! She said that!)

Have you grabbed your notebook to write stuff down? No? Go get it and we’ll explore de verdad Spanish alternatives immediately!

All-in-one table for de verdad Spanish alternatives

SpanishEnglish
¿Es broma?Is that joke?
¿Me estás chamaqueando?Are you kidding me?
¿En serio? / En serio.Seriously? / Seriously.
OraNo way
De veritasReally
No mamesNo way (Literally: Don’t suck)

1. ¿Es broma? (Is that a joke?)

¿Es broma? (Is that a joke?)

Used exactly like you would use “are you kidding me?”. Sí, algo así como: (Yes, something like:) “You’re joking, right?”

¿Me pides mis tacos de pastor sin piña, por favor?
(Would you order my pastor tacos without pineapple, please?)

¿Es broma?
(Is that a joke?)

No, no me gusta la piña.
(No, I don’t like pineapple.)


Vamos a la plaza.
(Let’s go to the mall.)

Ay sí, pero vamos en Uber.
(Oh yes, but let’s go by Uber.)

¿Es broma?
(Is that a joke?)

No, ¿por?
(No, why?)

Pues, porque está a tres cuadras, amiga. ¡Vámonos caminando!
(Well, because it’s only 3 blocks away, girlfriend. Let’s walk!)

¿Con este calor? ¿Es broma?
(With this heat? Is that a joke?)

You haven’t subscribed to the Spring Spanish channel? ¿Es broma? (Is that a joke?) Do it right now!

2. ¿Me estás chamaqueando? (Are you kidding me?)

¿Me estás chamaqueando? O ¿Me quieres chamaquear? (Are you kidding me? Or, do you want to “kid me”?)

From the verb chamaquear, when someone wants to treat you as a chamaco (a child).

¿Qué crees?
(Guess what?)

¿Qué?
(What?)

Vi a Beyoncé en persona.
(I saw Beyoncé in person.)

¿Me estás chamaqueando?
(Are you kidding me?)

No, de verdad. En Brooklyn, en un restaurante italiano.  Al lado de mi estaba.
(No, really. In Brooklyn, at an Italian restaurant. She was next to me.)

¿Me quieres chamaquear?
(Are you trying to kid me?)

No amiga, en serio, te lo juro.
(No girlfriend, I’m serious, I swear.)

Chamaquear (to “kid”) is a colloquial, informal word, so use it accordingly.

3. ¿En serio? / En serio. (Seriously? / Seriously.)

¡Atención! Porque no es lo mismo “¿en serio?” que “en serio”. (Attention! Because “really?” is not the same as “really”.)

Los boletos tienen cincuenta por ciento de descuento si los compramos hoy.
(Tickets are 50% off if we buy them today.)

¿En serio?
(Seriously?)

Sí, amiga, pero “shh”, porque no lo han publicado todavía.
(Yes, girlfriend, but “shush it”, because they haven’t published it yet.)


¡Bájale a la música que no me puedo concentrar!
(Turn the music down, I can’t concentrate!)

¿En serio se escucha hasta allá?
(Seriously, you can hear it over there?)

En serio.
(Seriously.)

Ay, pero estás haciendo compras en línea, no haciendo neurocirugía.
(Oh, but you’re online shopping, not doing neurosurgery.)

Bájale, porfa, está demasiado fuerte…
(Turn it down, please, it’s too loud…)

Ay, claro que no…
(Oh, of course not…)

En serio…
(Seriously…)

Ok ok…
(Ok, ok…)

El Zócalo de la ciudad de México siempre ha sido el centro del país, desde antes que llegaran
os españoles.
(The Zocalo of Mexico City has always been the center of the country, even before the Spaniards came.)

¿En serio?
(Seriously?)

Sí, ahí donde ahora está Palacio Nacional antes había un templo de los aztecas.
(Yes, where now the National Palace is, there used to be an Aztec temple.)

4. Ora (No way)

Ora (No way). Ora (No way) is widely used in the southern part of Mexico.

Like the State of Guerrero. This expression and the next one will impress your Mexican friends.

de verdad spanish alternatives explained by female teacher

We use ora (no way) it to indicate, strangeness and shock:

Los españoles usaron piedras de los templos aztecas para construir sus iglesias y sus palacios.
(The Spanish used stones from Aztec temples to build their churches and palaces.)

¡Ora!
(No way!)




La Ciudad de México podría hundirse hasta veinte metros dentro de los próximos años.
(Mexico City could sink down to 20 meters in the next few years.)

¡Ora!
(No way!)


Para pedir bebidas alcohólicas, necesitan consumir alimentos.
(To order alcoholic beverages, you need to consume food.)

Bueno, me da un pastel de zanahoria.
(Well, I’ll get a carrot cake.)

Ah, el pastel no cuenta como alimento.
(Oh, cake doesn’t count as food.)

¡Ora!
(Get out of here!)

Even if not all Mexicans use ORA, your expression and confidence in saying it will suffice to make you sound amazing!

That’s the beauty about learning with chunks, they just get the message across without having to think too much! A list of the most popular Spanish chunks is available for download in this description box.

✔️ Cheat Sheet with 54 essential Spanish Chunks you’ll hear and use yourself in ANY Spanish conversation (and example sentences). Taken from our YouTube Teacher’s most popular videos!

✔️ 2 Bonus Cheat Sheets with Travel Chunks and Dating/Relationship Chunks

✔️ A Spanish Chunking Tutorial showing you the 1 technique that’ll help you make 100% of the Spanish from our videos roll off the tongue in just 5 minutes a day (you’re probably only using 50% of our lessons’ potential right now…)

5. De veritas (Really)

De veritas (Really). Ok, this one is just like “de verdad” but cute. You see, we take the word “verdad” and we make it diminutive.

Normally when people use “de veritas” they say it double.

¿Qué haces?
(What are you up to?)

Estoy estudiando para el examen de mañana, de biología.
(I’m studying for the test tomorrow in biology.)

Lo pasaron para la próxima semana, amiga.
(They moved it to next week, girlfriend.)

¿De verdad?
(Really?)

De veritas, de veritas.
(Really, really.)


No tengo mucha hambre pero se me antoja el pastel de chocolate.
(I’m not very hungry, but I’m craving the chocolate cake.)

Pídelo. Yo te ayudo.
(Order it. I’ll help you.)

¿De veritas?
(Really?)

Sí, pídelo.
(Yes, order it.)

We’d say that de veritas is more used by women than by men. But that’s just our experience.

Have you heard this phrase? Let us know in the video’s comments.

Actually “de veritas” comes from ”de veras” which comes from de verdad (really).

No vi tu coche estacionado donde dijiste.
(I didn’t see your car parked where you said it was.)

¿De veras?
(Really?)

De veras.
(Really.)

6. No mames (No way, Lit.: Don’t suck)

This one is as popular as it is vulgar! You’ll hear it a lot, but be careful when you use it!

Y entonces que le dice: ”¿No te has dado cuenta de que tu hijo es idéntico a tu mejor amigo?”

(And then she says: “Haven’t you realized that your son is identical to your best friend?”)

¿¡No mames!?
(Really!?)

¡Si güey! ¡De veras! ¡Así le dijo!
(Yes, dude! Really! She said that!)


Güey, que cambiaron el examen de biología para la próxima semana.
(Dude, they changed the biology test for next week.)

¡No mames!
(No way!)

Sí güey, me dijo Tere.
(Yes, dude, Tere told me.)

No mames is also a great alternative to saying “guau” (wow) when you’re impressed in Spanish.

Similar Posts