 |
|
Chilean Slang
|
|
Chilean Spanish has a multitude of words and expressions that are only used inside the country, or only a few of the neighboring countries. Many go back to the influence of the Quechua and Mapudungun languages spoken by the native population of the area.
The following list can only present a selection of the most common words and expressions. We have tried to limit this list to true Chilenisms and regionalisms that are hard or impossible to find in common dictionaries.
In general, we would advise you not to use those words actively - it's too easy to put your foot in your mouth. Often, the meaning of a word can depend greatly on tone or context, and it's almost impossible to get those right without much practice.
The favorite Chilean swearword, huevón, can be intended to sound like a put-down, buddy-buddy, or a term of endearment, depending on the situation. The majority of words and expressions listed are only used in informal communication. Extremely vulgar expressions have additionally been marked *.
|
|
|
|
A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z
|
| |
A |
| achuntar |
den the nail on the head, guess |
| agarrar |
literally: grip |
| agarrar onda |
get into (the swing of things) |
| agarrar papa |
be keen on sth.; also: take advantage of |
| agarrar para el fideo/hueveo* |
pull one's leg |
| ahí |
literally: there |
| ¡No estoy ni ahí! |
I don't give a rip, I don't care. |
| ahuevonado/a*, el/la |
idiot (see 'huevón') |
| al lote |
low key, casual |
| al tiro |
immediately |
| apretado/a |
stingy |
| apretar cachete* |
beat it |
| arrugar* |
bail/flake out |
| atado, el |
problem, difficult situation; argument |
| atadoso/a |
complicated (people and things); quarrelsome |
| atinar |
do the right thing; get it |
|
|
 Top of the page
|
B |
| bacán |
great, terrific (people and things) |
| bajón, el |
bummer, crisis |
| El está bajoneado. |
He's bummed. |
| bomba, la |
gas station |
| pasarlo bomba |
see 'pasarlo chancho' |
| bueno |
OK |
| Bueno, ¡ya! |
Alright! |
| bueno para… |
something very often, be good at something |
| El es bueno para la pelea. |
He likes to argue/to fight |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
C |
| cabro/a, el/la |
boy/girl; young man/woman; guy |
| cabro/a chico/a |
little boy/girl, kid |
| cachar |
understand (from 'catch') |
| ¿Cachai? |
Get it? |
| Me pegué la cachada. |
I got it. |
| cachetón/a, el/la |
show-off |
| cacho, el |
difficult situation |
| Espérate un cachito. |
Just a second! |
| cachureo, el |
stuff, junk |
| caerse el cassette |
spill the beans |
| Se le cayó el cassette. |
He tattled on sth. (confidential) |
| cagada*, la |
misfortune, mishap; disaster (see also, 'crema') |
| El dejó la cagada. |
He wrecked everything. |
| cagado/a* |
stingy; very; "fucked" |
| Estoy cagada de calor.* |
I'm [very] hot. |
| El está cagado.* |
He's in a fix. |
| cagar* |
screw somebody, screw up |
| La cagaste.* |
You screwed up. |
| ni cagando* |
not under any circumstances, no way, never |
| cahuín, el |
mess (caused by misunderstandings or scheming) |
| caleta |
quite a lot, very |
| caleta de veces |
very often |
| callampa, la |
slum |
| Esto vale callampa. |
It isn't worth diddly squat. |
| cana, la |
jail |
| caña, la |
hangover (see also, 'hacha') |
| Ando con la caña. |
I'm hung over. |
| capo, el |
expert; clever guy |
| cara de raja* / careraja* |
impudent, rude |
| cara de palo / carepalo |
impudent, rude |
| carrete, el |
bash, party |
| combo, el |
wallop |
| Le pegué un combo. |
II shot him one. |
| compadre, el |
buddy |
| concha, la* |
vagina (literally: shell) |
| concha de tu madre* / conchetumadre* |
son of a bitch, asshole; also: general expression of anger |
| concho, el |
leftover, dregs (esp. in a bottle) |
| condoro, el |
mistake |
| Se mandó un condoro grande. |
He messed up big time. |
| coñete |
stingy |
| copete, el |
alcoholic beverage, liquor |
| copucha, la |
rumor, gossip |
| correr mano (a alguien) |
feel somebody up (sexually motivated) |
| cortar |
wliterally: cut (off) |
| cortar el queque |
have the say, decide (literally, divide the cake up) |
| ¡Córtala! |
Cut it out! Quit! |
| creerse la muerte / la raja |
be stuck-up |
| crema, la |
mess (literally: cream) |
| Quedó la crema. |
It was a disaster. (see also, 'escoba') |
| cuero |
figure (of a man/woman) |
| Ella tiene buen cuero. |
She looks great. |
| cuete, el |
Joint |
| cuico/a |
snob, upper class person (derogatory) |
| culeado/a* |
fucker (big insult) |
| culear* |
fuck |
| culo, el* |
butt, ass (see also, 'poto') |
| curado/a |
drunk |
| chacotero/a, el/la |
joker, person who tries to be funny |
| chamullo, el |
fib, lie (see also, chiva) |
| chancho, el |
literally: pig |
| irse al chancho |
exaggerate |
pasarlo chancho |
have a good time, enjoy |
| chapa, la |
(door)lock; code name |
| chape, el |
head |
| enfermo del chape |
crazy (see also, 'mate') |
| chato/a |
full |
| Estoy chato. |
I've had it. |
| chiva, la |
white lie, excuse (see also, 'chamullo') |
| chocho/a |
content, proud, happy |
| choreado/a |
angry, upset |
| Estoy choreado. |
I'm ticked off. |
| choro/a |
cool, neat (people or things) |
| chueco/a |
dishonest, false |
| chucha* |
vagina; also: general expression of anger, see 'chuta' |
| mandar a la chucha* (a alguien) |
tell someone to go to hell |
| ¡Andate a la chucha!* |
Go to hell! |
| chupar |
drink; steal |
| ¡Chuta!* |
Shit! Also, expression of surprise |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
D |
| dar bola* / dar pelota* (a alguien) |
take sb. seriously, pay attention to sb. |
| descueve, el |
excellent, hot, great |
| despelote, el |
mess |
| desubicado/a, el/la |
clueless; someone who flaunts social rules or behaves improperly |
| ¡dónde la viste! |
You're kidding! (expression of disbelief) |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
E |
| embarrarla |
mess something up |
| La embarraste con el Pepe. |
You've really ticked off Pepe. |
| encachado/a |
great, interesting (people or things) |
| ene |
lots (from math symbol 'n') |
| enfermo/a de… |
totally … (literally: sick) |
| El está enfermo de enamorado. |
He's totally in love. |
| engrupir (a alguien) |
smoothtalk, talk someone into something (with lies) |
| escoba, la |
disaster, mess (literally: broom) |
| Ella dejó la escoba. |
She messed up royally. (see also, 'crema') |
| estar en otra |
be disinterested |
| El está en otra. |
His head is someplace else. |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
F |
| facha, la |
looks, appearance (see also, 'pinta') |
| filo |
get lost; over |
| firme, la |
truth |
| fome |
boring |
| fregado/a |
difficult; exhausted |
| frito/a |
stuck, done for (literally: fried) |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
G |
| gallo/a, el/la |
guy (man or woman) |
| gamba, la |
100 pesos |
| ganso/a |
stupid, naive, slow |
| ¡No seai ganso! |
Don't be such an idiot! |
| gil, el |
idiot |
| grado uno/dos/tres |
"bases" of sexual relations: First base = Kissing; Second base = Petting; Third base = Coitus |
| gringo/a, el/la |
(blond/e) foreigner |
| grosso |
great, sweet |
| guagua, la |
baby |
| guata, la |
belly |
| guatón/a |
fatso |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
H |
| hacer dedo |
hitch-hike |
| hacer el quite (a alguien) |
javoid someone |
| hacerse el leso |
pretend |
| hacer tira |
destroy |
| hacer tuto |
see, 'tuto' |
| hacer una vaca |
go in on (buying sth.) (literally: vaca = cow) |
| hacha, el |
hangover (alcohol-induced; literally: axe; see also, 'caña') |
| hinchar |
get on s.o.'s nerves |
| huevada*, la |
anything, usually unpleasant |
| hueveo*, el |
practical joke |
| huevear* |
get on s.o.'s nerves |
| huevón/a*, el/la |
depending on tone and context, can be friendly ("buddy") to vicious ("Idiot"); often at end of sentence indicating familiarity |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
I |
| inflar |
boast, get on s.o.'s nerves; take sb. into accountn |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
J |
| jalar |
do drugs (usually cocaine) |
| jodido/a* |
complicated |
| Estoy jodido. |
I'm in trouble. |
| junior, el |
gofer (in an office) |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
L |
| lanza, el |
pickpocket |
| lata, la |
boredom |
| ¡Qué lata! |
! What a shame! |
| lesera, la |
garbage |
| lolo/a, el/la |
teen-ager |
| luca, la |
1000 pesos |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
M |
| macanudo |
super (archaic) |
| maestro chasquilla |
Handiman who repairs everything, but nothing right |
| mandar a la chucha* |
see, 'chucha' |
| mate, el |
head |
| enfermo del mate |
mentally ill |
| medio/a |
great, huge (literally: half) |
| ¡La media mina! |
A hot chick! |
| meter la pata |
see, 'pata' |
| micro, la |
city bus |
| miedo |
literally: feart |
| de miedo |
excellent, great |
| mijito/a |
Dear (from: 'mi hijito/a' = my little son/daughter) |
| milico, el |
Military personnel (derogatory) |
| mino/a, el/la |
man / woman (with erotic connotations) |
| mino rico |
hot guy |
| monono/a |
dolled-up, chic, cute |
| mortal |
to kill; great (see, 'muerte') |
| mostrar la hilacha |
reveal one's real self (negative) |
| movida, la |
move, robbery; illegal deal; party |
| muerte, la |
to die for; great |
| La comida era la muerte! |
The food was to die for! |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
N |
| nana, la |
cleaning woman, nanny, cook (usually all in one) |
| nana puertas adentro |
live-in maid |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
O |
| once, la |
"elevenses", tea time |
| onda, la |
attitude; mood; kind of person; style (see also, 'agarrar onda') |
| Ella es buena onda. |
. She's nice. |
| ¡Qué mala onda el tipo! |
That guy is being such an idiot! |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
P |
| paco, el |
pig (derogatory for: policeman) |
| papa, la |
baby food; simple and lucrative deal |
| parranda, la |
boozing |
| pasarse |
outdo oneself; help (appreciative) |
| ¡Te pasaste! |
Great job (thank you)! (see also, 'siete') |
| pasarse rollo/película |
imagine sth., make sth. up; dream of sth. (literally: roll a movie) |
| pata, la |
literally: foot, leg |
| a pata |
on foot |
| a pata pelada |
barefoot |
| meter la pata |
put your foot in (your mouth), mess up |
| mala pata |
bad luck |
| patota, la |
group of friends, followers |
| patudo/a |
impudent, rude |
| pega, la |
job, position |
| pelambre, el |
gossip |
| pelar (a alguien) |
gossip about a person, badmouth a person |
| pelar cable |
lose it, act crazy; be mentally ill |
| pelotudo/a* |
idiot |
| penca |
cheap, boring |
| pendejo/a, el/la |
childish person |
| picada, la |
la cheap (but good) place to eat |
| picarse |
be mad, upset |
| pichanga, la |
ipick-up soccer game |
| pichintún |
a little bit |
| pila |
a lot of |
| pilas, las |
literally: batteries |
| ¡Ponte las pilas! |
Go for it! Try harder! |
| pilucho/a |
(half) naked (see also, 'en pelota') |
| pillar (a alguien) |
catch someone |
| pillo/a |
clever, sharp; rude |
| pinta, la |
looks, appearance (see also, 'facha') |
| Ella tiene buena pinta. |
She's goodlooking. |
| pintar monos |
ato show off, to act exaggeratedly (in order to call attention to oneself) |
| piola |
perfect; satisfied, full (from eating); quiet, relaxed |
| Quédate piola. |
Stay calm. |
| pasar piola |
not call attention to oneself |
| pito, el |
joint |
| pituto, el |
(to receive special treatment or privileges) |
| plop |
expression of surprise or perplexity (from the Chilean comic strip 'Condorito') |
| ¡Quedé plop! |
I was speechless. |
| po |
emphasis; usually placed at the end of a sentence (from: 'pues') |
| ¡Ya po! |
Get going already! |
| pololo/a, el/la |
fboyfriend / girlfriend |
| pololear |
go steady, to have a serious relationship with someone |
| ponerle color |
exaggerate, embellish |
| ponerle pino/empeño |
make one's best effort with something |
| ponerse las pilas |
see, 'pilas' |
| porfa |
please (abbreviation of 'por favor') |
| por las puras |
in vain, for nothing |
| porsiaca |
just in case; by the way (from: 'por si acaso') |
| poto, el |
butt, bottom (see also, 'queque')) |
| pucha, puta* |
oops!, shucks!; sympathy or regret for a bad turn of events (e.g., 'Pucha, Ricardo!') |
| pucho, el |
cigarette |
| putear* (alguien) |
somebody out, insult, yell at someone |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
Q |
| queque, el |
butt (funny) |
| cortar el queque |
see, 'cortar' |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
R |
| raja* |
beat, very tired |
| la raja |
amazing, excellent |
| rajado/a |
very fast |
| rayado/a |
crazy, insane |
| rasca |
of bad quality, poorly made (things); of bad taste or with lacking manners (people) |
| re- |
very (emphatic prefix) |
| Ella es re-simpática. |
She's totally nice. |
| regio/a |
great, excellent (upper-class slang) |
| regalonear |
pamper someone; pet |
| requete |
svery (see also, 're') |
| rico/a |
sexy, attractive (literally: delicious) |
| rollo, el |
difficult situation (see also, 'pasarse rollo') |
| Se metió en un rollo. |
He's in a fix. |
| roto/a |
clumsy or vulgar or low class person (upper class slang) |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
S |
| sacarse la mugre/cresta |
slave, work very hard |
| Me saqué la cresta. |
. I worked my fingers to the bone. Also: I took a beating. (e.g. in an accident) |
| Le sacaron la cresta. |
They beat him up. |
| sepa Moya |
Who knows! |
| siete, un |
a 10; expression of highest appreciation (from the Chilean school system, 7 = highest grade/mark) |
| Eres un siete. |
Great job, thanks! (see also, 'pasarse') |
| siútico/a |
stuck-up; in bad taste |
| sonar |
fail, be very unsuccessful |
| Sonó nuestro plan. |
Our plan failed / was nixed. |
| soplado/a |
a very fast; very simple; very clean |
| subirse por el chorro |
(try to) take advantage of someone or something |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
T |
| taco, el |
traffic jam |
| talla, la |
joke |
| Le echamos una talla. |
We pulled his leg. |
| tincar |
guess, have a hunch; like |
| Me tinca que esto no va a funcionar. |
I think that won't work. |
| ¿Te tinca? |
Do you like that? Do you agree? |
| tira, el |
plainclothes policeman (derogatory) |
| tirar |
literally: throw, pull; also: fuck |
| tirar a la chuña |
be up for grabs, give away a lot of sth. (e.g., money) |
| tirar para arriba |
overcome a difficult situation (professional or social life, health) |
| Está tirando p' arriba. |
He's doing better. |
| tirar para la cola |
bail/flake out |
| tiro al aire, un |
loose cannon; unpredictable or aimless person |
| tomar el pelo (a alguien) |
pull someone's leg |
| tuto, el |
sleepiness (cute) |
| ¿Vamos a hacer tuto? |
Shall we go to sleep? |
| Todavía tengo tuto. |
I'm still tired. |
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Chilenian & Chilenianisms
