Chilean Slang (and how to use it)
“Do you speak Spanish?” That was the most common question I got when I told people I was moving to Latin America. Before coming to Chile, I felt so comfortable in my Spanish. I had spoken in on and off for years. There was no doubt in my mind that I could communicate and make a wonderful life for myself in Latin America. Then came my first conversation in Chile with a Chilean. I quickly realized that I speak Spanish, not Chilean Spanish. There are so many unique words/phrases that you need here. Below are the 15 that I have found most helpful.
Cachai
-po
Copucha
Concha tu madre
Taco
Palolo/Palola
Bacan or Bkn
Chalas
Fome
Al tiro
Plata
Buena onda
Pasar piola
Weon/Weona
Pesados de sangre y livianos de sangre
Cachai (ca-chai)
To say this word is used ALL THE TIME is not an understatement. Cachai has a meaning of understanding, right (as in “Am I right?” when you are asking the person you are talking to to agree with you) and as a way of asking, “Do you get it?”. It comes from the verb cachar, meaning to catch. I get this a lot with my girlfriends when they tell me a story and use it to confirm that I understand what they are saying and that I agree with them.
Example: “I know I should have called her, but I thought it would be weird, cachai?”
-po
This is a suffix or an ending that can be added to almost any word to add emphasis. Sipo is the most common way I hear this and use it. It is used instead of the word obviously. I also have heard and used “Yapo!”, which an emphatic agreement with whatever the listener has just heard.
Example: “Are you ready for your vacation?” “Yapo!”
“They should call, right?” “Sipo.”
Copucha (ca-pooh-ch-ah)
This references when someone is intentionally exaggerating a story. It is more than simple storytelling; it is intentionally meant to be misleading. It is a word that is widely used on TV here. The suffix -ucha or -ucho can be added to terms to give them a negative meaning. For example, the Spanish word for a hotel is the same as English, but if you add -ucho, the word becomes hotelucho, meaning a lousy hotel. The word is said to come from the Mapuche people’s term for a cow’s bladder that is intentionally inflated and dried to hold the butter, “puchuchu.”
Example: “I don’t really like hearing the copucha on the local news these days.”
Concha tu madre (Con-cha too mah-dre)
The list wouldn’t be complete without a curse word or two. This common phrase means f**k. When someone messes up something, drops something, or a driver fails to check for a biker and almost hits a delivery guy, you will hear this phrase.
Example: “You can come in the store, but we close in 5 minutes.” “Concha tu madre.”
Taco
This word is fascinating to look at in any Latin American country. While it refers to the famous dish everywhere, each country has additional meanings tied to the word. Here in Chile, a taco is a traffic jam. However, please don’t make it plural and say tacos because you are talking about a pair of high-heeled shoes.
Example: “I would have been on time, but I was in a taco.”
Pololo/Polola (po-low-low/po-low-lah)
Chile is unique in its words for girlfriend and boyfriend. While the familiar terms of novia and novio are used, they refer to a partner in a more serious relationship, i.e., the step before getting engaged. A girlfriend of mine described pololo/polola as your boyfriend/girlfriend that hasn’t met your parents yet. These terms come from the verb pololear, meaning to have a serious relationship with someone.
Example: “She has been with her pololo for a long time!”
Bacán (Va-ca-ahn)
This means something cool or awesome. The younger generation uses it a lot on social media, where it is spelled bkn. Remember when pronouncing it that B is pronounced like a V at the beginning of the word.
Example: “Whoa, I like the new outfit! Que bacán!”
Chalas (Ch-ah-las)
In the summertime - roughly November to March - you see this on signs everywhere in the malls and markets. I learned this word exclusively through context clues while shopping. Chalas is the Chilean word for sandals of any style (flip-flips, slides, etc.).
Example: “I got my chalas on sale 50% off!”
Fome (F-oh-me)
I saw a Youtube video where a guy guessed that fome meant Fear Of Missing Empanadas, which, given Chile’s proclivity to empanadas, I get. In reality, fome implies something boring. I hear it used a lot about people doing things they don’t want to because they are boring.
Example: “I can’t believe we spent the last two hours watching such a fome movie! Ugh!”
Al tiro (Ah-l tee-row)
The verb tirar means to throw/pull/shoot. When you know that, it is easy to make the connection on the meaning of this word. Al tiro means immediately or right away. If you ask for the check at a restaurant, this is a normal response to receive. It acknowledges that you asked for your ticket, and they will get it immediately.
Example: “When are we leaving for dinner?” “Al tiro!"
Plata (pl-a-t-uh)
This is another word where understanding the exact translation helps you see the meaning. Plata means silver. Cashiers use it here in Chile instead of dinero (money) when asking how you want to pay. There is a famous saying from the Netflix show Narcos, “Plata or plomo?” (Silver or lead?) It refers to how people want to pay Pablo Escobar. The phrase is dark, but it helps you remember the words.
Example: “Do you have any plata for the coffee?”
Buena onda (b-way-nah on-duh)
Like Costa Rica’s national motto Pura Vida (Enjoy Life), this is a compliment and an outlook on life. Alone onda means wave. When paired with buena, it means good vibes. I’ve read this in reviews of restaurants. It’s an excellent term to pepper in with your description of the latest rooftop bar or trip with your friends.
Example: “I love the view here and the buena onda too.”
My group of American girlfriends (L to R: Elizabeth, Tara, Me, Sara, and Liz)
Pasar piola (pass-ar pea-oh-la)
This makes me laugh every time I hear it. When I asked my friend here how we could meet up since her communa was in lockdown, she used this term. It means to go unnoticed in whatever you are doing. It brings to mind that scene from Parks and Rec when Jean-Ralphio and his sister Monalisa are doing their “Don’t be suspicious” dance.
Example: “ Maybe we can pasar piola and get out of this presentation.”
Weón/Weóna (way-on/way-on-ah)
This is a tough one to translate since it can mean so many things. (Anyone familiar with English in Hawai’i thinks da kine). I’m just going to give examples of all the uses I know of.
Weón: dude, bro, man
Weóna: girl, woman, female friend
Weón: asshole, jerk
Weá: a thing
Webiando: to be doing something/ just messing around
Webiar: to do something that is usually annoying (I love hearing this in the park).
Pesados de sangre y livianos de sangre
This is a saying Chileans use to differentiate unfriendly people from people you want to spend time with. The livianos de sangre (literally translates to 'light with blood’) are people who everyone likes and is easy to get along with. On the other hand, pesados de sangre refers to those who are not well-liked. Pesados de sangre translates as ‘heavy with blood’. I received the term livianos de sangre as a compliment from a girlfriend in conversation. Once she explained the phrase, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Example: “You are livianos de sangre, so it’s no surprise that you have friends.”
Chile has some great words. It makes sense that people from other Latin American countries consider Spanish here a language all on its own. Which term is your favorite?
