🇨🇴 Colombian Spanish slang cheat sheet
The 20 words locals actually use. Tap a word for the full story, or print this page and stick it on your fridge.
| Word | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| parce | PAR-seh | Friend, buddy, bro — the signature Colombian word. |
| ¿qué más? | keh MAHS | What's up? — the standard Colombian greeting. |
| bacano | bah-KAH-noh | Cool, awesome, great. |
| chévere | CHEH-veh-reh | Cool, nice, great — the friendly all-rounder. |
| guayabo | gwah-YAH-boh | A hangover. |
| listo | LEES-toh | OK / got it / done / agreed. |
| berraco | beh-RRAH-koh | Tough, badass, impressive — or furious, depending on tone. |
| tinto | TEEN-toh | A small black coffee. |
| a la orden | ah lah OR-den | You're welcome / at your service / can I help you? |
| lucas | LOO-kahs | Thousands of pesos — "diez lucas" is ten thousand. |
| dar papaya | dar pah-PAH-yah | To leave yourself open — to invite trouble by being careless. |
| ¡qué chimba! | keh CHEEM-bah | How awesome! — Colombia’s strongest everyday praise. |
| paila | PIE-lah | Too bad / we’re screwed — the verbal shrug. |
| pola | POH-lah | A beer. |
| sapo | SAH-poh | A snitch — or a nosy suck-up. |
| vaina | VIE-nah | Thing / thingy — and also a hassle. |
| rumbear | room-beh-AR | To go out partying — or, elsewhere, to make out. |
| el man / la vieja | el MAHN | The guy — English "man", absorbed into Colombian Spanish. |
| camellar | kah-meh-YAR | To work — hard, grinding work. |
| mono / mona | MOH-noh | Blond or fair-haired — not "monkey" here. |
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