8 Ways To Sound Like A Mexican (With Examples)
The Spanish that we Mexicans speak can be very peculiar.
We have many expressions that are typically Mexican and characterize our way of speaking.
Spring Spanish teacher Paulísima will tell you all about the 8 ways to sound like a Mexican.
Let’s go!
1. ¿No? (Right?)
We do this all the time; we add the question ¿no? at the end of a statement. It is the equivalent of saying: Right? or Am I right? in English. It’s used like this:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Spring Spanish tiene lecciones dos veces por semana, ¿no? | (Spring Spanish has two lessons per week, right?) |
| En Spring Spanish enseñan con chunks, ¿no? | (At Spring Spanish they teach with chunks, right?) |
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2. SÍ, ¿NO? (Yes, no?/Right?)
A more extreme variation of the previous phrase is: sí, ¿no? which literally means: yes, no? It has the same function as the previous one. It’s like saying “right?” at the end of a sentence. When we say sí, ¿no?, it’s as if we are ALMOST sure of the statement but still need confirmation.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Maura de Spring Spanish es de Venezuela, pero vive en Madrid. Sí, ¿no? | (Maura from Spring Spanish is from Venezuela, but lives in Madrid. Is that right?) |
| Las clases de Paulísima salen los domingos. Sí, ¿no? | (Paulísima’s lessons are out on Sundays. Is that right?) |
3. Ahorita (Right now/Right back)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Ahorita vengo, voy por un vaso de agua. | (I’ll be right back, I’m getting a glass of water.) |
| Estoy grabando una clase, amiga. Ahorita te llamo. … (Dos horas después) Hola, amiga, ¿qué onda? Aquí devolviéndote la llamada. | (I’m recording a class, girlfriend. I’ll call you right back. … (2 hours later.) Hi, girlfriend, what’s up? Here I am returning your call.) |
Ahorita is the most Mexican unit of time. It’s like saying “little now.” And it can mean a few seconds, an hour, a few days, or never. In this video, we teach you all about ahorita:
Use ahorita when you want to be ambiguous about how long it will take you to do something or when you want to do something immediately.
4. Provecho or provechito (Enjoy your meal)
Although the upper class says you shouldn’t say it, the truth is that many people in Mexico say PROVECHO or even PROVECHITO when someone is eating in front of them.
You say provecho, even if you don’t know the people who are eating.
It’s better to do so in not-so-formal restaurants.
5. Híjole (Oh no!)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¡Híjole! No tengo WIFi. | (Oh no! I don’t have WiFi.) |
| ¡Híjole! Se me olvidó el cargador de mi computadora. | (Oh no! I forgot to bring my computer charger.) |
| ¿Puedes venir a ayudarme? ¡Híjole! Justo ahora no puedo, amiga. | (Can you come help me? Oh no! I can’t right now, girlfriend.) |
It’s an interjection used in Mexico and other Latin American countries to express difficulty, doubt, forgetfulness, or surprise. It is also used as a preparation to give a negative response.
6. Ándale (Let’s go!)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Vamos al karaoke. ¡Ándale! ¡Vamos! | (Let’s go karaoke. C’mon! Let’s go!) |
| ¿Ya te suscribiste al canal? Hazlo ahora, ¡ándale! No te vas a arrepentir. | (Have you subscribed to the channel? Do it now, c’mon! You won’t regret it.) |
Ándale is like saying: C’mon! It’s used to try to convince someone of something.
7. Mmmta (Oh, no)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Mmmta, ya no hay boletos para el concierto. | (Oh no, there are no more tickets for the concert.) |
| Mmmta, creo que perdí mi teléfono. | (Oh no, I think I lost my phone.) |
| Mmmta, no tengo señal. | (Oh no, I have no signal.) |
Mmmta is a sound we make instead of saying a bad word. It’s an interjection of displeasure or disappointment.
8. No seas malito (Don’t be mean)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No seas malito, pásame la sal. | (Don’t be mean, pass me the salt.) |
| No seas malita, márcame, es que no encuentro mi cel. | (Don’t be mean, call me, I can’t find my phone.) |
| No seas malito, bájale un poco el volumen. | (Don’t be mean, turn down the volume.) |
It’s like saying “don’t be a mean little one?”, something like that.
We use this phrase in anticipation when asking for a favor. It’s very informal, and we use it with friends and close people. Usually, we use it when it comes to small favors.
