When we first arrived in Medellin, we thought we knew Spanish. But then we went out into the city and started talking to the taxi drivers, security guards, waiters, and government workers, and realized that we had A LOT to learn. The way Spanish is spoken in Colombia, especially in Medellin, is very different from other Spanish-speaking countries. There are plenty of phrases and words that came up that we had never heard before.
In fact, when we first arrived at our hotel, the worker was asked us “Uds. son de paseo?!” We now know that he was asking if we were there for leisure, as opposed to a work trip trip or something. But at the time we had no idea what he was asking! We heard this phrase very often in Colombia.
Our goal in this post is to prepare you for some of the slang you’ll hear in Colombia, so you’re not as confused as we were!
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Colombian Slang to Know before Visiting
You’ll certainly recognize a lot of these from TV shows like Narcos, or music from Karol G or J Balvin. (both are from Medellin and speak like a “Paisa” aka someone from Medellin)
➡️ Read: Top 9 Things to Do in Medellin 🇨🇴
1. Que Mas? – The Most Important Colombian Phrase to Know!
Literally: “What more?”
As featured in the song Que Mas Pues by J Balvin and Maria Becerra with 673 MILLION VIEWS on Youtube!
Basically, “Que Mas?” means “What’s up?”. The first time we heard this from our taxi driver in Medellin, Kelsey asked me… “How do we respond to that?”.
Just as in English, when someone asks you “What’s Up?” … the most common response is … “What’s up?”. So when a Colombian hits you with “Que Mas?!” you hit them right back with a “Que Mas Amigo!” … or something like this.
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2. Bien Pueda / A la orden
Literally: “Good you are able” / “At your service”
These ones got me the first time I came to Medellin, as I had never heard either of them. ‘Bien pueda’ is often used to welcome you somewhere. Into a store, into a restaurant, into an elevator, etc. ‘A la orden’ is used similarly. When you walk into a store, after you buy something, it’s basically used as an “at your service”. You’ll hear ‘a la orden’ everywhere in Medellin. Multiple times per day, no doubt. Get used to it.
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3. Con gusto
Literally: “With gust”
Anytime you thank someone for something, they’ll probably respond with ‘con gusto’ or, if it’s a formal setting, they might even hit you with ‘con mucho gusto’! It basically means your welcome, but more formal. Anytime you go to a restaurant you are going to hear this from the servers.
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4. Qui’ hubo Parce?
Literally: “What’s happening dude?”
Parce, or Parcero is Colombian slang for dude, and you’ll hear it amongst males everywhere you go in Medellin. ‘Qu’hubo parce, Que Mas Parce’, etc. Unless you’re a guy and you’re going to be making friends with the locals on the street, you probably won’t be needing this one. You’ll definitely hear it if you go to a barber shop or something like this!
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5. Bacano
Nice / Cool. Another word for this is ‘chevere’. ‘Que carro tan bacano!’ – ‘What a cool car!’
You’ll hear this one a lot on the street or at the barber shop as well.
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6. Que Chimba!
‘Que Chimba parcerita!’ – ‘How cool to see you!’ Like in this song, Dimelo Flow – La Isla, the word ‘chimba’ means cool, good, great, etc. If you listen to Reggaeton with Colombian singers like J Balvin, Karol G, … you’ve probably heard this before. This is one of the most common Colombian slang words, and you will definitely hear this when you visit.
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7. Tinto
‘Tinto’ is the most popular coffee drink in Colombia. It is black and can be anywhere from 4 to 10 ounces. A ‘Tinto Campesino’ is a Tinto sweetened with Panela, which is sugarcane. You should know ‘Panela’ as well as this is added to a lot of drinks as a sweetener.
We learned a lot about Tinto on our trip to Salento. Salento, aka ‘The Coffee Growing Region’, is where a lot of the coffee is grown in Colombia. You should definitely visit Salento when you come to Colombia, as it serves as the gateway to the Cocora Valley – home to the tallest palm trees in the world! The Cocora Valley has some amazing hiking! (plus, there are a bunch of coffee tours to take when you come!)
➡️ Read: The Best 3 Week Colombia Itinerary 🇨🇴
8. Pues
You will hear the word ‘Pues’ more in Colombia than you will in probably any other Spanish speaking country. Especially in Medellin. It is used as the word ‘like’ is in English. It’s just a placeholder.
If you want to sound like a local, start using the word pues in between everything that you say!
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9. O que?
‘Paisas’ (people from Medellin) are famous for adding ‘O que?’ onto the end of every sentence they speak. ‘Bien o que?’, ‘Que o que?’. ‘O que?’ just means ‘Or What?’. It’s turning a sentence into a question. Get used to hearing this.
10. Que pena!
‘What a shame’. Like ‘Que lastima’ in other Spanish speaking countries. It can also mean ‘Sorry’. Like if someone accidentally bumps into you on the sidewalk (which happens a lot here) they might say ‘Que pena Senorita!’
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11. Plata
As in ‘Plata o plomo‘ from Narcos … meaning ‘Silver or lead’. Plata literally means ‘Silver’ but is used colloquially amongst the Parceros as ‘money’.
You might hear, ‘Da nos plata!’ from local kids as you walk by because they want you to give them money. You won’t hear this in a formal setting like a restaurant or a cab even, but I would bet you will still come across this word.
I like to use this with the local males I interact with as it immediately signals that our interaction does not need to be formal, and breaks some of the ice. They usually find it pretty funny as well.
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12. Guaro
‘Guaro’ is short-hand for Aguardiente, and is the most common liquor in Colombia, having anywhere from 24% – 29% alcohol. It is similar to Vodka. You will hear it referenced in a lot of places. ‘Guaros o que?’ It’s kind of synonymous with going out, drinking, and having a good time.
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Summary – Colombian Slang to Know
If you are going to try to speak Spanish when you come to Colombia, it would be very useful to know these phrases. Colombians (especially those from Medellin) are known for speaking with a lot of local words and phrases. You will definitely notice a lot of words here that you wouldn’t hear anywhere else.
In no way is this an exhaustive list of all the Colombian slang you will hear, but it’s a good start!
🇨🇴 Some other Colombia posts you may be interested in 👈
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments!
[…] and every host outside the restaurant saying: “Bien Pueda! A la orden! A la orden!” (See Sam’s post on Colombian phrases here). It was absolutely popping to say the least. After walking the 15 minutes or so we made it to the […]