Lingo Kaiava

What does "po" mean?

A meaningless emphasis particle stuck on the end of sentences.

Country
🇨🇱 Chile
Say it
poh
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How it's actually used

Po carries no meaning at all — it adds punch. "Sí po," "ya po," "no po" are the three you will hear most. Nearly impossible to use wrong and instantly makes you sound Chilean, which is why it is the first thing learners in Santiago pick up.

Examples

Where it comes from

Worn-down "pues," reduced to a single sound over generations.

Before you say it

Chile and nowhere else. It is the loudest single marker of Chilean Spanish.

Now actually use it out loud

Reading a definition isn't the same as saying it to someone. Lingo Kaiava is a voice tutor set to Chilean Spanish — it uses po the way locals do, corrects you in the moment, and never "fixes" the way real people actually talk into textbook Chilean Spanish.

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More slang like this

All Chilean Spanish slang →

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