Spanish lessons: common words in Mexico

The official language of our country (Mexico) is Spanish, but it is common to find people who speak at least some English. And do not discard the possibility of running into someone who can assist you in any other language.

If your goal is to practice your Spanish, do it with confidence, because Mexicans like helping foreigners who are learning to speak our language. If this is the case for you, we'd like to give you a little “ayudadita” with some common words that we use everyday, and which you definitely won't find in an ordinary dictionary.

* Agarrar la onda .- Understand, “get it.”

* ¿Ah, chinga? - “Your messing with me.”

* Antro - Place of vice and perdition, where everybody wants to be.

* Canija or canijo - If referring to a person, means ill-intentioned, treacherous, whereas a thing that is “canija” is difficult.

* ¡Carajo! - Expression of strong disagreement.

* Carnal - The maximum a friend can aspire to, like a brother.

* Cascarita - Street soccer game where the participants think they're Ronaldo and the spectators think they're at the World Cup.

* Chafa - Of poor quality.

* ¡Chale! - "Something's not right" or "I don't like this."

* Chamacada - Practical joke that makes the person who falls for it look like a naive child.Chamaco - Child, lad, someone under the age of about 13.

* Chanclas - Shoes that are falling apart and look embarrasingly bad.

* Changarro - Shop or business.

* Chava - Young woman.

* Chela - Beer.

* Chescos - soft drinks.

* Chido - Cool.

* Chingón - Someone who does things very, very well.

* Cuate - Friend.

* Dar el rol - Take a walk.

* Desmadre - Chaos, craziness, excessive and out-of-control partying that is enormously pleasurable.

* Enchilado - What you feel when you overdo it on the chiles or you're upset about something.

* Está pinche - Lacking quality.

* Fritanga - Any food made from corn or flour that has been fried in oil.

* Madre - One of the richest words in the underground Spanish vocabulary. Expressions using it include: vale madres - it doesn't matter; hasta la madre - “up to here”; es una madre - said about something small or tiny; ¡en la madre! - an expression denoting surprise; ¡ni madres! - no; ¡está pocamadre! - excellent! ... and the list goes on ... and on ...

* Madrazo - Violent impact.

* Madriza - A beating.

* Neta - The truth.

* Pa'cá - Contraction of the words "para” and “acá” meaning “over here,” as in “come over here.” 

* Pa'llá - The opposite of “Pa'cá.”

* Pancho - Affectionate name for Francisco; slang for a big problem.

* ¡Qué onda güey! - Friendly greeting; ¡está güey! - innocent and vulnerable.

* Rola - Melody, song.

* Un chingo - a lot.

* Varo - Peso (Mexican currency).

* Wero - A person with blond hair.

* Ya merito - “Almost there” or “almost done.”

Mexico Eases Visa Requirements

In order to make it easier for international tourists to come to Mexico and to increase tourism, the federal government has launched a new visa policy that will come into effect on May 1, 2010. It has two main provisions:

1. Tourists, business travelers and individuals in transit (traveling through Mexico to another country) of all nationalities who currently require a Mexican visa and are in possession of a visa issued by the United States of America, can enter Mexico at any established border crossing point or port of entry with a passport from their country of origin. They will not need to present a Mexican visa, although Mexican visas continue to be valid documents for entering Mexico. In all cases, the documents presented to the immigration officers must be valid and unexpired.

2. Tourists, business travelers and individuals in transit of all nationalities who currently require a Mexican visa and who arrive in Mexico on flights from the United States of America and are not covered by the provisions of the preceding paragraph, can enter the country by presenting their valid, unexpired passport and their boarding pass to the immigration officer. The boarding pass must show that the passenger arrived in Mexico on a flight from the United States of America.

These measures strengthen Mexico’s international competitiveness vis-à-vis other tourist destinations and are part of the strategy of President Felipe Calderón’s administration to confirm tourism as a national priority for Mexico’s economic development.

Sectur: http://www.sectur.gob.mx/

Mexican Social Customs

The usual greeting is the handshake. Women often greet each other and men with a kiss on the cheek. There are a number of common verbal greetings, like “Buenos días,” “Buenas tardes,” and “Buenas noches” (for morning, afternoon, and evening, respectively), and “Cómo estás?” meaning “How are you?” A common informal greeting is the omnipresent “Hola!” (hello). To address men, the word “señor" is used, whereas “señorita" is used for women. You only use “señora” if you are certain a woman is married. If someone sneezes, the custom is to say “Salud,” to which the sneezing person replies, “Gracias.”

Unannounced visits are commonplace, and unexpected guests usually get a warm welcome. Not too much emphasis is put on punctuality, and meal invitations typically involve a fair amount of conversation before the meal is served. Post meal conversation can also go on for quite a while.

Mexico has many official holidays. Days when schools, businesses and/or government offices close include January 1 (New Year’s), Holy Thursday and Good Friday, Mother's Day (May 10), Day of the Dead (Nov. 2), Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (Dec. 12) and Christmas (Dec. 25).

Soccer is the most popular sport in Mexico, followed by bullfighting, in terms of the number of spectators. Mexicans as a group also carry music close to their hearts and love dancing, and big events almost always have a mariachi band or other live music. Elaborate fireworks are also a common site on national holidays.