Words and phrases you need to know to be a true Madrileño
If you're learning Spanish, one of most challenging things about learning a new language is the accents and street slang, which changes depending on which city you're in.
The capital of Spain is no different! Madrid has lots of words and phrases that are just used there, as well as some that may be used elsewhere but are common to hear on the streets of Madrid. Knowing the meaning of this words and when to use them will make you sound just like a native, so here we give you some words and phrases to test out:
Chupa - leather jacket
-
Se ha comprado una chupa preciosa.
He's bought a beautiful leather jacket.
Piba/pibe - girl or boy
-
Esta piba es muy rara.
This girl is very strange.
Sobar - sleep
-
Me voy a sobar, estoy agotado.
I'm going to sleep, I'm knackered.
Esfumarse - disappear or run away
-
Juan no hace más que esfumarse cada vez que le vemos.
Juan keeps ghosting on us whenever we see him.
En zero coma - very fast
-
Salimos de viaje en 0 coma.
We'll be en route in no time.
A pachas - go halves
-
Fuimos a cenar y pagamos la cuenta a pachas.
We went to have dinner and split the bill.
Mazo - a lot
Tengo mazo de tiempo libre últimamente.
I have had a lot of free time lately.
Estar al loro - to be aware
Estoy al loro de todo lo que pasa en esta ciudad.
I'm aware of everything that happens in this city.
Keli - house
¿Quedamos todos en mi keli?
Shall we all meet in my house?
Pirado - crazy
Los que ponen su vida en peligro sin motivo están totalmente pirados.
Those that put their own life's in danger without reason are totally crazy.
Chachi - good or great
El Parque Warner es super chachi.
The Warner Park is really good.
Pipa - fool or silly person
Jorge es un pipa , nadie le toma en serio.
Jorge is a fool, no one takes him seriously.
Jeta - face
Tenía una jeta de asustado impresionante.
He had such a scared face.
Check out our other word of the day posts
This word of the day has been contributed by LAE Madrid, the leading Spanish academy in Madrid. Accredited by the Insitituto Cervantes, it offers Spanish courses for all levels and also has Spanish classes for kids and families.
OPINION: The Lonely Planet is wrong, Madrid isn't Europe's second best destination
See Also
The capital of Spain is no different! Madrid has lots of words and phrases that are just used there, as well as some that may be used elsewhere but are common to hear on the streets of Madrid. Knowing the meaning of this words and when to use them will make you sound just like a native, so here we give you some words and phrases to test out:
Chupa - leather jacket
- Se ha comprado una chupa preciosa.
He's bought a beautiful leather jacket.
Piba/pibe - girl or boy
- Esta piba es muy rara.
This girl is very strange.
Sobar - sleep
- Me voy a sobar, estoy agotado.
I'm going to sleep, I'm knackered.
Esfumarse - disappear or run away
- Juan no hace más que esfumarse cada vez que le vemos.
Juan keeps ghosting on us whenever we see him.
En zero coma - very fast
- Salimos de viaje en 0 coma.
We'll be en route in no time.
A pachas - go halves
- Fuimos a cenar y pagamos la cuenta a pachas.
We went to have dinner and split the bill.
Mazo - a lot
Tengo mazo de tiempo libre últimamente.
I have had a lot of free time lately.
Estar al loro - to be aware
Estoy al loro de todo lo que pasa en esta ciudad.
I'm aware of everything that happens in this city.
Keli - house
¿Quedamos todos en mi keli?
Shall we all meet in my house?
Pirado - crazy
Los que ponen su vida en peligro sin motivo están totalmente pirados.
Those that put their own life's in danger without reason are totally crazy.
Chachi - good or great
El Parque Warner es super chachi.
The Warner Park is really good.
Pipa - fool or silly person
Jorge es un pipa , nadie le toma en serio.
Jorge is a fool, no one takes him seriously.
Jeta - face
Tenía una jeta de asustado impresionante.
He had such a scared face.
Check out our other word of the day posts
This word of the day has been contributed by LAE Madrid, the leading Spanish academy in Madrid. Accredited by the Insitituto Cervantes, it offers Spanish courses for all levels and also has Spanish classes for kids and families.
OPINION: The Lonely Planet is wrong, Madrid isn't Europe's second best destination
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.