Write THIS in Your Spanish Tinder Profile to GET MATCHES in Mexico 💘
So, you’re on Tinder too?! We all are! Si estuviéramos en la misma área, ¿haríamos match? (If we were in the same area, would you and I match?!) Maybe… if you know what to put in your Tinder profile…
Mi gente, Tinder in Mexico is BIG: 54 million people use it! Every month, se hacen 3 millones de matches (3 million matches take place) y cada día se hacen 26 millones de swipes (and everyday there are 26 million swipes).
So, if you travel to Mexico or if you happen to move here, Tinder is a great way to improve your experience of the place and the culture… and it is also a fantastic way to practice your Spanish while you enjoy the company of the potential love of your life!
The problem: we, Mexicans, are kind of peculiar with the things that make us swipe right… And what works on your U.S. profile (or in any country in the world) will probably NOT get you any matches here!
Not only that… if you write everything in English instead of Spanish, that’ll be a turn-off for many potential matches too!
Hoy les voy a compartir toda la sabiduría que yo misma he adquirido en mis legendarios años en el mundo de las dating apps. (Today, I will share all the wisdom that I have acquired in my legendary years in the world of dating apps.)
Love comes by sight?!
Empecemos por tus fotos (Let’s start with your pictures) porque de la vista nace el amor (because love comes by sight)…
When in Mexico, the best practices to pick a perfect Tinder profile still apply, así que por favor, amigos (so please, friends)…
En tu foto de perfil (In your profile picture):
- No selfies
- No pongas una foto grupal (No group photos)
- No pongas una foto borrosa (No blurry photos)
- No enseñes mucha piel (Don’t show too much skin)
Now, let’s get more specific…
Cuando escojas tu foto de perfil para el mundo hispanoparlante (When you choose a profile picture for the Spanish-speaking world), be mindful of our culture and preferences:
- We’re overall quite warm, happy, easy-going, fun-loving people
- We’re more family-oriented than folks from the global North
- We’re very proud of our national heritage and our culture
- And more importantly, according to many studies, the one attribute that Mexicans are looking for in a Tinder match is not how attractive they find you, but….
Lo que la gente busca en México (What people in México are looking for is) is someone with similar interests!
Considerando todo lo anterior, cuando estés swiping en México, asegúrate de que (Considering all the above, when you’re swiping in Mexico, make sure that) tu foto de perfil te muestre claramente y de preferencia sonriendo (Your profile picture shows you clearly and preferably smiling).
En el resto de tus fotos incluye (In the rest of your pictures include):
1. A picture of you in a landmark
Alguna en un landmark del país en el que te encuentres sería una buena forma de mostrar tu aprecio por el lugar donde te encuentres. (A landmark of the country would be a good way to show your appreciation for the place where you are at.)
Be mindful, please! You have no idea how many folks think trespassing or disrespecting a local landmark is a good way to get people to like them on Tinder… Seriously?! ¡No , señor! ¡No, señorita! ¡A mi país lo respetas! (No, sir! No, missy! You should respect my country!)
2. A picture of your family
Alguna con tu familia (A picture with your family), but only if you’re close to them… If not, photos with friends—where we can see that you can be fun to hang out with—work very well too!
Since we’re on the family topic, the following is a big no-no in Latin America:
You might feel tempted to show how warm of a person you are by holding a baby. Are you the parent? Are you closely related to the child in question? Entonces, está bien (Then, that’s okay)…
Pero tu perfil de Tinder no es el lugar (But your Tinder profile is not the place) for you to share your life-changing experience volunteering in Amazonia or working with Mayan children in Chiapas, okay?
This can be read as tokenizing people or using them as props, and this is a big no-no.
3. A picture of your pet
Si tienes una mascota, esta es tu oportunidad de mostrarla. (If you have a pet, this is when you should show it!) ¡Atención! No dogfishing, please! Only share pics of that cute little one if it’s actually yours!!!
¡Recuerda que la honestidad es clave! (Remember that honesty is key!) You really don’t have to lie. You don’t have to borrow a dog for pics! La verdad es que no (The truth is that you don’t have to)…
Chances are you’re gonna do way better in Mexico than in your own country. Do you want to know why? I’ll tell you in a bit…
4. A picture of…
The most important thing: make sure to include pictures that showcase your interests.
- Do you love gardening? I want to see you next to your latest achievement!
- Are you training for a marathon? Show me those hamstrings! Don’t be shy!
- Your idea of a perfect day is reading in bed all day eating pizza and mimosas? Show me!
Alright, now that we have chosen your photos, let’s take a look at your bio!
The perfect Bio
The most important thing: Don’t leave it blank! Also, don’t write too much! Let’s aim for a few direct, sweet, sentences that best represent who you are and what you’re looking for.
Here are three elements you must add:
1. Provide details about you
Preséntate siendo descriptivo. (Introduce yourself being descriptive.) A good formula to open your bio is…
Nationality + What you’re doing in that place + Allusion to length of stay
- Australiana viviendo en CDMX desde hace tres años. (Australian living in Mexico City for the past 3 years.)
- Estadunidense de negocios en Guadalajara por dos semanas. (American on a business trip for 2 weeks in Guadalajara.)
En México es común incluir tu altura. Recuerda que en México usamos el sistema métrico. Puedes usar la palabra “mido”. (In Mexico it is very common to include one’s height. Remember we use the metric system. You can use the word “mido”, which means “my height is”).
- Mido 1.68 m (My height is 1.68 m) —Yes, that’s true!
Por el contrario, algo que no es tan común incluir en un perfil de Tinder en México es el signo zodiacal; pero, si para ti es algo importante, ponlo. Puedes usar el… (On the contrary, something that is not so common to include in your Tinder profile in Mexico is your zodiac sign, but if it’s very important for you, you can mention it and use…)
CHUNK ALERT!
- Mi signo es ______
- Mi signo es Acuario. (My zodiac sign is Aquarius.)
2. Refer to your Spanish skills
Refer to your level of Spanish… in Spanish, of course!
It’s okay if you are not an expert! Use the following phrase to let your possible match know that even if you can’t speak Spanish, you care enough to at least tell them:
- Aunque estoy intentando, todavía no sé hablar español. (Even though I’m trying, I still can’t speak Spanish.)
- Hablo poquito español. (I speak a little bit of Spanish.)
- Hablo muy poquito español. (I speak very little Spanish.)
If your level is higher, enough to carry a conversation on a date in Spanish, you could write:
- ¿Me ayudas a mejorar mi español? (Can you help me improve my Spanish?)
- Hablo español bien, pero por favor tenme paciencia. (My Spanish is good, but please be patient with me.)
3. What are you looking for?
Be open about what you’re looking for… Si estás buscando algo más (if you’re looking for something more) on the serious end of the balance, you’re already in luck because the majority of Tinder users in Mexico actually use it in their search for a relationship.
So, don’t be shy y pon (and write):
- Buscando algo serio. (Looking for something serious.)
Si no estás buscando algo serio, puedes poner (if you’re not looking for something serious, you can write):
- Buscando algo casual. (Looking for something casual.)
Recuerda (Remember): en México estamos muy interesados en tener gustos similares con nuestros matches (in Mexico we are very interested in having similar interests to those of our matches), así que incluye actividades que te gustaría compartir con tu date (so, it’s really important to reference the activities that you would actually love to share with your date).
Por ejemplo (For example):
- Salir a tomar algo (Going out for a drink)
- Pueblear este fin de semana (Going on a day trip to small towns this weekend)
- Ver el atardecer en una terraza (Watching the sunset on a terrace)
You can use this phrase to connect your intentions with your interests.
Empecemos por (Let’s start by):
- Buscando algo serio. Empecemos por salir a tomar algo. (Looking for something serious. Let’s start by getting a drink.)
- Buscando algo casual. Empecemos por pueblear este fin de semana. (Looking for something casual. Let’s start by going on a day trip this weekend.)
¿Recuerdas que te había dicho que lo más seguro es que te vaya mejor en México que en tu lugar de origen? (Remember I told you that chances are you’ll be luckier in Mexico than you are in your country of origin?)
No importa cuál sea tu país de origen. ¡Eres extranjero! Y eso, en México, te hace exótico… y, por lo tanto, appealing? (It doesn’t matter where you’re from. You’re a foreigner! That makes you exotic in Mexico… and therefore, appealing!)
As a matter of fact, the Mexican dating scene can be quite benevolent towards foreigners when compared to how they would fare in their own country. Perhaps it’s your foreign accent… perhaps it’s the idea of meeting someone from a far away exotic land like Swadlincote, Derbyshire, England.
Paulísima’s number one advice
Now, if you could take away just one thing from this article, it would definitely have to be this:
- Muestra tu sentido del humor. (Show your sense of humor.)
Either you mention what kind of jokes you enjoy more, what makes you laugh, what your go-to sitcoms are, or you straight up write a joke, this is something that we Mexicans really enjoy, and it works all the time!
Recap
So, let’s make a quick recap! An award-winning Tinder profile en español should have these three things:
- Descriptive pictures that show your interests and respect for the place
- A reference to your level of Spanish
- An allusion to your sense of humor
Con todo lo que has aprendido hoy, estoy segura de que aumentará la cantidad de matches en tu Tinder en español. (With everything you’ve learned in this article, I’m sure that you’re gonna get more matches in your Tinder profile in Spanish.)
¡Mejor aún! Estoy segura de que incrementará tus quality matches, matches que se pueden realmente materializar en una cita. (Even better! I think that your quality matches, those that can materialize into a date, will increase too!) For my own personal advice on how to effectively flirt en español, check out my video on how to flirt in Spanish.
Why? Well, imagine you had success with your Tinder profile. Next step is going on a date, but how do you flirt in Spanish? You will find out in that article!
