June 19, 2024, 9:23 pm

As with any language, there are innumerable slangs that are invaluable for both language students as well as foreign travelers mingling with locals or itching to practice their language skills. Here, we have some Colombian slang that is invaluable for both language students as well as foreign travellers mingling with locals or itching to practice their language skills.

Colombian Slang

 “¡Qué chévere!” “¡Qué bacano!”

Every Spanish-speaking country has its own way of expressing that something is great, fantastic, wonderful, and all around a good thing. In Colombia, there are two extremely common phrases used: ¡Qué chévere! and ¡Qué bacano! I’d say the most common is ¡Qué chévere!, but rest assured that you’ll hear them both if you’re hanging with Colombians. You’ll hear Colombians use these phrases to describe everything from a good meal out, a new movie they’ve seen, a recent trip they’ve taken, a book they’ve read, new clothes they’ve purchased, to giving someone compliments about their new hair cut or their new nail polish colour  You may even hear people use the two phrases as discourse markers during conversation. They are definitely two phrases you’ll need to be familiar with if you want to fit-in or practice your Spanish in Colombia.

“¡Qué gueva!” (guevón-male or guevona-female)

We all have “that phrase” we fall back on when we are trying to describe someone as stupid or lacking common sense. For Colombians, that phrase is often “¡Qué gueva! This isn’t a phrase you’d want to use in front of your grandmother or maybe not even in front of your mother, but rather a phrase you’d use among friends and peers of similar age and interest. You might use it to refer to your friend who paid his neighbours bill because he didn’t pay attention to the name or address on the bill. Or, you might use it to refer to your co-workers who are venting about the new boss in the bathroom, as the new boss walks out of the stall, having heard everything.

You might also hear Colombians use the gender sensitive descriptive nouns that go along with the phrase. For males, they’d use “guevón” and for females they’d use “guevona.” These nouns are used to mean the same thing, but instead of referring to the situation, you’d use these them to refer more to the person or people. Sometimes, using these descriptive nouns can be more offence as they are often thrown around during arguments or “verbal fights,” and tend to have a stronger connotation.

And, even though you may not feel comfortable using this phrase or these nouns, I am more than sure it will come in handy to know what it means.

“Buenas”

Like the expression(s) used for describing something great, salutations are also varied in Spanish-speaking countries. In Colombia, especially in Bogotá, people quite frequently use the informal greeting “buenas” instead of “hola” or “buenos días,” “buenas tardes,” or “buenas noches.” It’s not so common to use on the phone, but rather is a greeting typically used in face-to-face interactions. When entering a store in Colombia, for instance, it is polite to greet the employee(s). Some Colombians do rely on and use the formal greetings you’d learn in any Spanish course, but many Colombians will simply enter the store and say, “buenas.” Or, for example, when Colombians order dinner in a restaurant, they might greet the waiter with a “buenas,” instead of “buenas noches.” It’s comparable to saying “hey,” instead of the formal “hello,” and functions at any hour of the day. Having tried the use of “buenas” in other Spanish-speaking countries, I can say it’s definitely a Colombian slang. So, when in Colombian, do as the Colombians do…

No pararle bolas a alguien o algo

"No pararle bolas" is a very common expression heard and used all over Colombia that means something very simple: don't pay attention to someone or something. For example, if you are upset about your classmate telling you that your Spanish is awful, even after 2 months of private classes, your close friend might tell you, "Eh, no le pares bolas"—meaning, "don't pay attention to your friend" or "don't let him/her get to you." Or, let's say you're afraid of dogs, and, as you're walking down the streets of Barranquilla, a street dog begins to follow you. An onlooker who sees your panicked look might say, "No le pares bolas a este perro. No te hace nada"—meaning, "don't mind the dog; he won't do anything to you." As you can hopefully see from these examples, this is a very versatile phrase.

Pilas

¡Pilas! is also a very common "command" that you will hear in Colombia. While the literal meaning of pilas is "batteries," when someone uses it in the form of a command, it means "careful," "pay attention," or "watch out!" This is a word you might hear used between parents and their children. For instance, if a teenager is going out to a party with his/her friends, parents might say, "Pilas esta noche, ¿no?" Or, if you are out clubbing, you might get told "¡Pilas! if someone feels you are not paying attention to your personal belongings or surroundings. You might also here this phrase if you are walking on the street and there is an upcoming hole in the sidewalk—an onlooker might say "¡Pilas con el hueco!" to alert you.

Estar mamado/a

While not the most common of Colombian slang, you are bound to hear some form of this slang during your time in Colombia, especially in the interior departments of the country. "Estar mamado/a" means "to be tired," but if it is followed by the Spanish preposition"de" (estar mamado/a de...) it means "to be tired of something or someone." For example, if I just left work after a hard day of teaching and someone asks me "¿Cómo estás?" I might respond with "Uysh! Estoy mamada." But, if I am complaining about the fact that my students didn't do their homework, I might say, "Estoy mamada de que mis estudiantes no hagan sus tareas." You could also use it to talk about the weather and start up a conversation—as lots of Brits like to do. You could say, "Estoy mamada de este sol. ¿Tú no?" (I am tired of this sun, aren't you?). So, this is a useful slang to express being physically or mentally tired, being tired of something or someone, or simply as a conversation starter with a new friend or stranger.

"Dar papaya"

This phrase is extremely common in Colombia. I am not sure how this phrase first began, and it has always seemed a bit strange to me. Literally, “dar papaya” means “to give papaya.” However, when you hear someone say, “no des papaya,” they are not telling you to “not give someone papaya.” They are actually telling you to be careful—to not set yourself up or make yourself an easy target. Most often, you will hear this when people want to warn you about theft. For instance, leaving money out on your desk at work while you go to the W.C. would be “dando papaya.” Or, if you are going to the downtown areas of Barranquilla, using your brand new iPhone while in the street markets would be “dando papaya.” In both cases, you are setting yourself up for something to be taken from you—you are making yourself an obvious target.

Estar “Pa’ las que sea” / ”Para las que sea”

Another very common expression in Colombia is “pa’ las que sea.” This phrase is very similar to saying, “I am up for whatever” in English. Normally, this phrase is used with the verb “estar” and goes something like, “Estoy pa’ las que sea” (“pa” is a shortened and more common way of saying “para,” especially in coastal areas of Colombia). For instance, if you are with a group of friends and someone asks if anyone would like to go for ice cream in Crepes and Waffles and take a walk through Chapinero, you might would say, “Sí, estoy pa’ las que sea.” Another way to use it would be if a friend called and told you they were bored and looking for something to do—you could say, “Pues, estoy pa’ las que sea,” meaning you are up for whatever your friend proposes.

“Pa’ las que sea” can also be used to mean “through thick and thin” or “through whatever may come.” For instance, you might tell your significant other “Estaré contigo pa’ las que sea,” meaning you will be with him/her through whatever. Or, you might use it with a friend—especially if that friend is going through a difficult situation. You might say, “Sabes que puedes contar conmigo pa’ las que sea” to remind them that they can count on you for whatever they might need.

“Quibo!”

“Quibo” is used in a similar manner. I’ve been told that “Quibo” developed out of the combination of the words “Qué” and “hubo,” which used together form the question, “Qué hubo?”—translated to: “What’s happened/happening?” I am not sure if that explanation is true, but it certainly makes sense considering people use it to greet in way that implies both a “hello” and a “how are you?” all at once. It’s worth mentioning that “Quibo” is extremely informal and you wouldn’t want to use it in any formal situation.

Full

Another term used mainly on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, full does not necessarily have the same meaning as the English version of "full." In Colombia Spanish, full means "very." For example, if someone is very full after eating they might say, "Estoy full lleno" (I am very full). Or, if someone thinks it is very hot outside, they might say, "Está hacienda full calor hoy" (It is very hot today). If you spend any time at all on the Caribbean Coast or with someone from that region of Colombia, you are sure to encounter this word at some point and could impress someone yourself by using it in conversation!

Barras

Yet another word used on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, barras refers to money, or in this case Colombian pesos. While in other parts of the country one might would say "two thousand pesos," on the Caribbean Coast you may would hear someone say "dos mil barras" (two thousand "barras). It is very common, for example, in taxis. Taxi drivers on the Caribbean Coast will very frequently tell you what you owe them in barras rather than in pesos. Thus, while informal, it is a very common way of saying pesos on the Caribbean Coast—a way that would show you are in the "know" and are familiar with Coastal slang.

¿Qué más?

A phrase/question used in all of Colombia, ¿Qué más? literally means, "What else?" However, in reality it is used to mean much more. First of all, ¿Qué más? can be used as a greeting. For example, you might run into a friend on the street and say, "Hola, ¿Qué más?" to mean "Hey! What's going on?" Or, you may call a friend and use it to say "What's going on?" You could also use ¿Qué más? as a filler during a conversation. For instance, many Colombians will be carrying on a conversation and when they experience a moment of silence or find themselves with nothing left to say will say, "Y, ¿Qué más?" to try and get the other person to comment or say something to help the conversation continue developing. Wherever you may go in Colombia, ¿Qué más? is a very useful and common phrase.

I hope these slangs will come in handy during your time or travels in Colombia, and that these short explanations will give you the confidence to use them and add them to your Spanish slang.

Share with your traveller friends!